}i'': M. < ( fTHEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, J Princeton, N. ^Jf^^ Jf, ■J--. JXr^ Mi^.^^ ~Q^;ia>..>a^^^-^P^-aQt.jfli..iiik-ttk-jfl- -vO- vf-!j « *S7/ f^//, Sectio(> ....... I) liowA-, I N6, I Q ~(^^>B e<^^^s £4 / n \ NARRATIVE OF A MISSION OF INGUIEY TO THE JEWS, NARRATIVE MISSION OF INQUIRY THE JEWS THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND . 1S39. "/fe caused me to pass by them round about, and behold there leere very many in the open valley, and to ! they were very dry." Ezek. xsxvii. 3. PHILADELPHIA: ' PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBUCATION. 1845. FrinteiJ by WM. S. MARTIEN. Stereotyped by S. DOUGLAiJ WYETH, N ). 7 Fear St. PhilaJelpbia. n *»**=iVr5% PREFACE This work was undertaken at the desire of the Committee of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for the Conversion of the Jews. The writers had only one object in view during their journey, namely, to see the real condition and character of God's ancient people, and to observe whatever might contribute to interest others in their cause. Desiring to keep this single object in view in their Narrative also, they have not recorded many particulars of importance in regard to the general history of the countries which they visited, except in so far as this was likely to forward their main design. The same reason, however, has led them to dwell somewhat minutely on the scenery of the Holy Land, and the man- ners of its inhabitants, because, any thing that may invest that land with interest, will almost necessarily lead the reader to care for the peculiar people who once possessed it, and who still claim it as their own. It is meant to be a plain narrative, so that the most unlearned reader, if only familiar with the Scriptures, ma}'- follow the writers in their visit to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. We have had specially in view the people of the parishes of Scotland, feeling it our duty and our privi- lege, as ministers of Christ in the Church of Scotland, to promote the cause of the Jews anions our brethren. If 1=^ ^ V Vi PUEFACE. the Church of Scotland in these perilous times, "take hold of the skirt of the Jew," God may remember her lor Zion's sake. The work has been long delayed, longer than was de- sirable, but this delay was unavoidable. During at least twelve months after returning home, scarcely a week passed wherein we did not receive some call to visit this or that other parish in order to tell orally the things we had seen and heard. And even now, when at length we have found time to sit down and write these records of our journey, it has been amidst the incessant demands for parochial labours, to which every pastor is daily sub- jected, and which he feels to be imperative. May the God of Israel, for his ancient people's sake, make this work useful in kindling a brighter flame of love to the Jews in the bosom of all who are " the Lord s remembrancers" in Scotland, and may He grant " that this service which we have for Jerusalem may be accept- ed of the saints." ANDREW A. BONAR. ROBT. MURRAY M'CHEYNE. Mmj, 2d 1842. f PElHCETO:i \ THSOLOGIGii": PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION. It will not diminish the interest of this Narrative to know, that one of those who had so lai'ge a share in all that it records is now in glory. Four days ago, while this edi- tion was passing through the press, it pleased the Lord to call Mr. M'Cheyne home to himself At the very moment when we thought him most neededin Scotland, and when he himself was looking forward to the honour of bearing a testimony for the Crown-rights of Christ in the day of our Church's calamity, he has been taken to his reward. It was his meat to do the will of his Father, and to finish his work. He carried about with him a deep consciousness of sin, and rested with steady con- fidence in the righteousness of Immanuel. Those who knew him most loved him best ; and all who knew him at all felt that the secret of the Lord was with him. During the six short years of his ministry, he was the instrument of saving more souls than many true servants of God have done during half a century. But as, in our journey to .Jerusalem, he hastened before us all* to get a sight of the city of the Great King, so now he has got the start of us all in seeing the 1>^^\^ Jerusalem that is to come out of heaven from God. O that the Lord God of * Page 125. vii Vm PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION. Elijah may cause his mantle to fall upon the many sons of the prophets who loved him as their own soul ! Some of us truly feel, that his remov^al has made the blessed hope of " the Coming of the Lord, and our gathering together unto Him," sweeter than ever to our weary souls.* Collage, 3Iarch 29, 1843. * [A deeply interesting Memoir of this devoted young minister, writ- ten by his friend and fellow-traveller, the Rev. A. A. Bonar, has been published by the Presbyterian Board of Publication.] — Ed. of Pres. B. of Pub. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. FRANCE — ITALY — MALTA — GREECE. Origin of the Deputation — Preparation for their Departure — Sail ti-om Dover— Boulogne — Prevalence of Popery — Protestants — Jews — Inter- view with a remarkable Jew — Proceed to Paris— Pass through Mon- treuil, Abbeville, Beauvais — Paris — Marboeuf Chapel — Appearance of Paris on Sabbath — Inquiries respecting Jews— Profligacy of Paris — Leave Paris — French Scenery — Troyes — Chadllon-surSeine — Dijon — Protestant Pastor — Jews — Distribution of Tracts — Conversation with Popish Priest — Reach Chalons sur Saone — Steamboat to Lyons — Sail on the Saone — Pass Tournou, Macoii, Trevoux — Lyons — M. Cordes — Protestants — Jews — Sail to Avignon — Pass Vienne, Valence, Montli- 7nart — Scenery of Avignon — Beaucaire — Aries — English Engineer — The Mestrael Wind — Mouth of the Rhone — Land on an Island — Its ap- pearance— Distribute Tracts — Marseilles — Its Harbour — Population — Protestants — Interview with Rabbi of the Jews, . . 1 — 15 Embark for Leghorn — Hieres — Appearance of Italian Coast — Genoa — Aspect of the Town — Galley Slaves — Streets — Genoese Females — Monks — Popeiy — Jews — Interview with an elderly Jew — Information as to Jews in Italy and Gibraltar — Leave for Leghorn — Leghorn — Meet Fellow-countrymen — Late Rev. Mr. Martin of St. George's Church, Edinburgh — Visit to the English Cemetery — Low State of Religion — Popery — Sabbath — Appearance of the Town — Visit to the Synagogue — Jews — Interview with Rabbi Bolaffi — Jews' Library and School — Other interviews with Jews — Jewish Buiying-ground — Chancellor Uzi- elli, and account of Jewish Pohty — Summoned before the Police, and commanded to leave Tuscany — Means to be used in behalf of Jews in France and Italy — Embark for Malta — Pass Elba — Interview with Passengers — Anchor at Civita Vecchia — Popery — Distant view of bicily — Gozo — Arrive at Malta — Harbour — Valetta — The Maltese — ix A . CONTENTS. State of Morals— Jews— Mr. Schlicnz— Rev. Mr. Freemantle— Dr. Clarke— Embark for Alexandria — Coast of Greece — Cape Matapan — The ^'Egean Sea — Islands of Spezzia, Mtlos, &c. — Anchor at Syra — Appearance of Town— Mr. Hildner— Church Missionary Society — Schools — Re-embark — A'axos and Faros, &c. — Interview with four Jews — Crete — Salmone — " The Fair Havens" — Sacred recollections — Inter- view with a young Frenchman— The Harbour of Alexandria, 15—46 CHAPTER II. EGYPT — THE DESERT — SOUTH OF PALESTINE. Alexandria — Disembarking — Eastern Dogs — Pompey's Pillar — Mareotic Lake — Female Costumes — Jews — Synagogue of the Frank Jews— Preparations for Journey through the Desert — A Turkish Bath — Ride to the Governor's Gardens — Mode of drawing Water — Cleopa- tra's Needles — Church of Atlianasius— Reeds of the Nile — Fulfilment of Prophecy — Departure for Rosetta — Remembrance of the General Assembly — Appearance of the countiy — The Kangfud of Isaiah — The Mirage — Baij of Aboukir — Canopic branch of the Nile — Rest ata Khaa — Road marked by Pillars — Bolbotine branch of the Nile — Rosetta — Latin Convent — Eastern Marriage — Jews — Franciscan Monk — The Convent Library — The Nile— A Rice-Mill — Bazaar — The Muezzin — Mosques — Public Procession at a Circumcision — An Eastern Plough — Ride by the Banks of the Nile — Wretched state of the Villages-^Sea- shore — Arab Dance and Song — Living in Tents — XaAe Bourlos — Seben- netic branch of the Nile — A Fisherman with the dft'PiSXriarpov — A Lodge in a Cucumber garden — Arab quarrels — Balieen — Sabbath — A Threshing-floor — The Villagers — The village Sheikh — Midnight jour- ney— Rest at Assoum — Reach Senaria — Pasha's Troops — Phatnitic branch of the Nile, 47 — 65 Damietta — Vice Consul — Governor — Eastern Repasts — Dwelling- houses — Customs at Dinner — Gr^co-Romish Church — Visit to a Native School — Eastern waste of time — Proceed to Lake MenzalcJi— Open boat — Bedouin Sheikh — Villages on the Banks — Mendesian and Tanitic branch of the Nile — Arab Quern — Watering the Fields — Zoax — Ita Ruins — Fulfilment of Prophecy — Travel on Camels — Illustration of Scripture — Journey in the Desert — " Bringing down the heat with the shadow of a cloud" — Pelusiac branch of the Nile — Bedouins, illustra- tion of Scripture — Accident to Dr. Black — Reach Gomatter — Sabbath — Conversation with our attendants — Ishmael is yet to be gathered — Shitta-tree — Part of the desert of Shur — Tahpanes and Migdol — The Pasha's Dromedary post — DuadaJir — Resting at Wells — New appear- ance of the Desert — Caiieh — Kindness of the Postmaster — Graves of Marabouts — Ruins of Tel Faramah — Flocks of Sheep and Goats — Beer- CONTENTS. XI el-dbd — A Salt Land — Hills of Seir in the distance — Sirbonian Lake — Abugilbany — Birds — " Going down to Egypt" — Intense heat — Rush to the wells — Disappointment like Marah — Site of Oslracme — Rhinoco- lura 65 — 86 El Arish — Scarcity of Food — Visit from the Governor — Dilatory movements — Illustrations of Scripture — i'lat-roofed Houses — An Arab Oven — Ancient Bed of a River — Arab School — Gateway of the Fort — Visit of the Governor — A Coptic Christian — Writer's Inkhorn — Set out for the Lazaretto — Canals of Water in Gardens — Cross the Bed of the River — Enter the Land of Israel — Ride through the tribe of Simeon — Encamp at Sheikh Juide — First Sabbath in Palestine — Sing the Psalms of David — Valleij of Gerar — Fields — Colony of Ants — Road to Gaza — " Places of the Paths" — Raphia — KJianoimes — Sirocco — Bazaar — Illustrations of Scripture — Public Well — Burying-ground — Benni^hail — Sycamores — Few Trees in Palestine — Shepherds with Flocks — Dair — Brook Besor — Encamp near Gaza — Environs of Gaza — The Plague — The Town — Prophecy remarkably fulfilled — Samson's Hill — Coast of the Philistines — Arab Customs — Winnowing Barley — Eastern Sheep — Enter an Olive Grove — Illustrations of Scripture — People busy at Har- vest-work— Bet-hanoon — Valley of Eshcol and Sorek — Former fertility — Deiresnail — Desolate appearance of Villages — Flocks at noon — " Plant of renown" — Leban-hemat — Dhura — Mode of Salutation among the Bedouins — Villages — State of Ashkelon— Doulis — Drawing Water — Folds for Flocks — Interesting Fulfilment of Prophecy— Tents of Kedar — Key of Eastern Houses — Come down upon the Plains of Judah — Sephela — Villages within view — Ashdod — Eleutheropolls — Safeen — Bethcar — Swarms^ of Flies — Valley of Zephalhah — Return of the Ark — Kasteen — Mesmieh — Threshing-floor — Oxen — Asenibba — Iiarge Fields of Thistles — Prophecy fulfilled — Jiinso — Hulda — An African playing on the Pipe — Prophecy illustrated — Village of Latroon — Encamp in Hills of Judah — Terraces — Briers and Thorns — Prophecy fulfilled — Pass up the Defile — Distant View of Ra?nla and Plain of Sharon — Kurieh, or Kirjathjearim — Vine-terraces — El Kustul — Valley of Elak — David and Goliath — Kalonie — Approach to Jerusalem — Solemnity of the moment, 86 — 126 CHAPTER III. JERUSALEM — HEBRON. Enter the City — Kindly received by fellow-countrymen — Mr. Nicolay- son — Walk at sunrise outside of the gate— Remove to the Mission- house on Mount Zion — View from it — Proposed Hebrew Church — Stones from Anathoth — Prophecy fulfilled — Plague in the City— Infor- mation in regard to the Jews — Character — Schools — Hope of Messiah XU CONTENTS. — Wretched state— Evening ride outside the Walls— Tomb of David- Mount Zion — Graves of Missionaries — Prophecy fulfilled — Valleij of Hinnom — Valley and Pools of Gihon — Valley of Kephaim — Extent of the Ancient City — Bezetha — Scopes — First Sabbath in Jerusalem — Ser- vices of the Sanctuary — Lord Hamilton — Bedouin Chief— The Kangfud of Isaiah— Gazelles— Church of the Holy Sepulchre — Site of Calvary — Mourners in the Streets — Roads — Brook Kedron — Passing view of Gethsemane — The Road to Bethany — Mount of Olives — Sir Moses Montefiore — View from Mount of Olives — Neho and A Jarj/n — Scripture illustrated — View of Moriah, and site of the Temple — Prophecy fulfilled Valley of Jehoshaphat — An eccentric Resident — Illustration of Scripture — Visit to the Consul — Jews — Statistics of the Jewish population of Palestine — Treatment they receive from the professedly Christian sects — Influence of the British Consul among them — (jihon — Hinnom — Hill of Evil Counsel — Valley of Rephaim — Views — Valley of Hinnom — Aceldama — Valley of Jehoshaphal — Valley of Cheesemongers — Ophel — En Rogel — Harvest operations — Place where Isaiah was sawn asun- der— Pool of Siloam, and Fountain — Hymn — Jewish Graves — Absa- lom's Pillar — Place where Jesns wept over the City — Bethany — Tomb of Lazarus — Scenery — Church of the Ascension — Tombs of the Kings — Illustration of Scripture — Morning visit to Gethsemane — Associations of the spot — Pool of Bethesda— Jews — Information regarding the Jews in Palestine — Their Numbers — Their feelings toward their Land- Means of Support — Communication with their Brethren — Countries whence they come— Rabbis— Feelings— Success of Missionary efforts — First attempts to settle a Mission— First Conversions— A Missionary's mode of operation— Climate— Expense of Living— Evening Walk- Shepherd going before his Sheep— Illustrations of Scripture, 127—174 Excursion to Hebron— Well of the Wise Men— Rachel's Sepulchre— Bet-Jalah — Solomoiis Pooh— Bailey Harvest in the Fields of Beth- lehem—S>p7ieer—Caleb's Daughter— Well of Sirah— Approach to He- bron—Vineyards—Fine Scenery— Hebron— Hospitality of the Gover- nor and an old Jew— Stars— Cave of Machpelah— The Mosque— Re- mains of Solomon's works— Spot where Abraham interceded— C«rmd —Pool— Jews— Spanish and Polish— Interview— Abraham's Oak- Return by Bethlehem — Beth-haccerem — Bethlehem — David's Well — Latin Convent— Stable where Christ was born— Field of the Shep- herds—TeA-oa/i— Jerusalem seen from this side— Letters from Home— Sabbath— Communion of the Lord's Supper in an Upper Room— He- brew Service— Castle of David— Spina Christi— Temple Wall— Rem- nants—The Bridge— Place of Wailing— A Jew praying there— Syna- gogues in Jerusalem— Literary Qualifications of Missionaries— Fare- well visit to Bethany— View from Mount of Olives— Bethphage— Bethany— Return by Siloam, . . ... 174— 19'7 CONTENTS. XIU CHAPTER IV. GIBEON — SYCHEM — SAMARIA — CARMEL. Leave Jerusalem — Pass Tomb of the Judges — Nahy-Samuel — Ramak — Scripture difficulty cleared up — View of Country — Prophecy in re- ference to Infants of Bethlehem — Einmaus — Gibeon — Ajaloun — Beau- tiful Scenery — Vineyards — Raphat — Portion of Benjamin — Reach Beer — Journey to north-east — Bethel — Ruins at Bethel — Associations — Prophecy fulfilled — Village — Ain Yebrud — Geeh — Mount Ephraim — Enter by a Defile into a fertile plain — Shiloh — Lebonah — Flocks at noon — Bedouin Sheikh — Harvest men — Villages of Samaritans — Eastern shoulder of Mount Gerizzim — Vale of Sychar — Sychar — Beauty of the Scene — Jewish Synagogue — Visit to Jacob's Well — Joseph's Tomb — Jews and Samaritans in Sychar — Sight of Lepers — The Bazaar — Con- versation with Jews — Visit to the Samaritan Synagogue — Enmity be- twixt Jews and Samaritans — Interesting Jewish Boy — Meet with four Jews who had sailed from Syra — Set out for Samaria — Road excellent — Approach to the Hill of Samaria — Ascend the Hill and investigate the Ruins — Remarkable Fulfilment of Prophecy — Old Church — Moun- tains of Samaria 198 — 223 Set out again — Ascend the ridge — Magnificent View — Encamp at Sanour — Tribe of Manasseh — Village of Gabatieh — Harvest Scenes — Reach Jenin — Plain of Eadraeloii — Journey among Hills — Ramouni — Villages— Thorns and solitude— DaZee— Illustrations of Scripture — Portion of Issachar — Village of Igzim—By a Defile come down to the shore — Ruins on the shore — Tortura — Athlete— Mount Carmel — First impressions — Quarantine— Sabbath — Our occupations — Asher's Blessing— A Case of Plague— News of the Batde of Nezib — Ascend Mount Carmel — Splendid Views— Elijah's Prayer — Prophecies explam- ed— Scripture truths suggested — Jews meeting Sir Moses Montefiore — Khaifa — Synagogue — Sad in open vessel for Beyrout — Appearance of the Coast — Pass Tyre and Sidon — Lebanon — Beyrout — American Missionaries— Resident Merchants — Lebanon — Cedars — Inhabitants — Hamah — Lady H. Stanhope — Ancient Remains — Syrian Sky — Jews in Beyrout— Information from Mr. Pieritz as to Stations for Jewish Missionaries — Tracts for Jews — Anecdotes regarding Jews — Literal in- terpretation of Prophecy — Statistics of Jewish population — Their cha- racter— A Missionary's Qualifications— Druse Women — The Tantour " the horn" — Key on the Shoulder — Dr. Black and Dr. Keith resolve to proceed to Smyrna — Mr Caiman engaged to accompany Messrs. M'G. and B. to Galilee— Sabbath Service — Drs. Black and Keith sail for Smyrna— Syrian boys— Dispensation of the Lord's Supper, 223—251 XIV CONTENTS. CHAPTER V. SYROPHENICIA — GALILEE. Take leave of Ibraim — Road through groves of pine and mulberry — Villages of Lebanon— A Khan— jVa6^- Fouwes— Servants— Dervish — Approach to Sidon — Kindness of Jews — Conversation — Sido\— State of the Town — Prophecies — Environs — Ride along the Shore — Sarepta —Woman of Syrophenicia — Tombs — River Leontes — Encampment — TvRE— Ruins in it— Purple dye— Modern town— Investigation of Pro- phecies— Cape Blanco — Jews and Jewish children, and Rabbi — Paul's visit — Ancient Sarcophage — Tribe of Asher — Kana — Villages— Wady Deeb — Jeilar, probably Jcphthah- el— Rumours of Danger— Scenery varied — Villages— Kefr-birham, ancient Jewish Synagogue — Naphlali — G/sA— Saphet— Jews in a state of Alarm— Ruined state of the Town— Situation— Markets- Ishmaelites— Flat roofs— Story— View of the Lake of Galilee— Scener>'—7'a6or and 7/tr7/(OH— Visit to the Jews— Worship enthusiastic and fanatical— Visit to 3/aro«a— Ruins— Tombs— Jwr7«a/i— Conversation with Jews— Sabbath— Jewish Bury- ing-ground — The Eruv — Read to our attendants — Saphet as a Mis- sionary Station most desirable— Set out — Wady HuMok—Jutapata — Prophecy regarding Naphtali and Zebulun explained— P/a/zi cf Genne- saretk— Capernaum— Chorazin—Btlhsaida — ^/ag-c^a/a— Jesus loved this sea-shore, 252 289 TiBERL\s— Town— Jews— Jewish Doctor— Sephardim Synagogue- Jewish children— Libraries— School of Tiberias gone— Propose to sail across to the Country of the Gadarenes— Evening meal ; fish from the Lake— Scriptural Associations— Visit of the Jewish Doctor— Storms on the Lake — Fisherman using the afKliiSMarpov — Hot Baths of Tiberias— Petrifactions— Tar/cAffia— Strike into the Country again —Plain of IIuttin—Gazelies— Thistles— Mount of Bealiludes—Vlam of Esdraelon— View of Taior—iu6/a/i— Approach to Tabor— Its re- markable appearance — Ascend by an entangled path — DifficuUies — Reach the top— ISIagnificent scene— Descent— Dangers providentially escaped— View next morning at the foot — Endor and Aain— Ishraael's sons— Journey to Nazareth— Nazareth— Town— Situation— Popish traditions— Mount of Precipitation— Fountain— Administration of jus- tice—Cana OF Galilee- Sepphourkh—Aguculxuxal implements- Surmises of Danger— Pass of AiiZene— Servant seized— Meet Bedouins, but pass by— /t6i(/!ni— View of Carmel— Plain of Acre— Acre— Latin Convent— Learn our Providential escape— Responsive singing— Visit to the Aga— Jews of Acre— Old Jew at Prayer— Villages on the road —Ztch or Aclizib-AaAojiT-a-Encamp-Shore— Hymn— Road to Tyre —Solomon's Pools— Ras-el-Ain— The hill Marshuk-Sorep^a— Ga- zelles—Cairns— Moslem groves— Moslem ladies— Mulberry gardens CONTENTS. XV — Beyrout — Sabbath — Body carried out on a bier — Mr. M'Cheyne's illness — Dr. Gertsmann — Sail for Smyrna — General Remarks on Pales- tine as a Missionary Field, 289 — 323 CHAPTER VI. SMYRNA AND CONSTANTINOPLE. Island of Cyprus — Associations — Rhodes — Coast of Caria — Cnidos — Coos — An English Frigate — Islands of Pafmos — Samos — Scio — Smyrna — Appearance of Gulf— Mr. M'Cheyne's illness— Proceed to Bovja — Kindness of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis — Sabbath at Bouja — Sabbath in Smyrna — Bouja — Customs of the Country — Grasshoppers — Infor- mation regarding the Jews — Anecdote of a Jewess at Ancona— Karaites in Crimea — Insults to which Jews are- exposed — Jewish Missionary — Mr. Cohen— Visit to the Synagogues — Need of Schools — Saloniki — Mr. Caiman's Visit to the Jews — Visit to the Schools — Smyrna as a Mis- Bionary Station — Advantages and obstacles — Notice of the Seven Churches — State of Asia Minor — Environs of Smyrna — River Meles — Turkish Burying-ground — A Street in Smyrna — Mr. Riggs — Greek Cus- toms— Missionary Prospects — Visit to the Stadium— Poiycarp's Grave — Incidents by the way — Greek and Armenian Church — Sail fiom Smyrna — Company on board — Mytilin — Cape Lectum — Assos — Tene- dos — English and French Fleet — Troas — Sigeum — Ancient Troy — Hel- lespont— Sestos and Abijdos — Anecdote of a Jew — Sea of Marmora — Castle ofRomanioand NatoHa — Constantinople from the Sea — Gold- en Horn — Kindness of American Missionaries — Visit the English Consul — Appearance of the streets — Visit from Mr. Farman — Jewish statistics and state — Sail up the Bosphorus — Scenery — Orlakoy — Beyukdere — Armenian Converts — Objects in the town — Mosques — Ancient Remains — The Howling Dervishes — Chalcedon — Jewish quarter — Schools — Synagogues — Visit to the Karaites — A Karaite Sermon — Karaite books — View of Constantinople as a Missionary Station, . . 324 — 365 CHAPTER VII. WALLACHIA AND MOLDAVIA. Sail for the Danube — Fellow-passengers — Entrance to the Black Sea — Symplegades — Ancient Fables — The Balkan — Varna — Land for a few hours — West Coast of the Black Sea — Ovid's banishment — Mouth of the Danube — Sail up the Danube — Tultsha — Conversation — Quaran- tine at Galatz — English V^ice-Consul — Ancient Dacia — Manners and Customs — Notice of the Province — Boyards — Zingans or Gypsies — Ga- lalz — Visit it — Inhabitants — The Jews — Their state — Ride to Ibraila — XVI CONTENTS. Appearance of the Country — Post-carts — Cross on Greek Churches — Wallachian Dress — Conversation with Jews— Set out in a Brashovanca — Mode of traveOing — Peasants — Remnants of the Latin Language — Crosses — Wells — Only two Villages — Bucharest — Jews at their devo- tions—A Khan — Consul— His attention— State of Wallachia — Immo- rality of all classes — New Year among the Jews — Ceremonies — Support of a Missionary — Rabbi Bibas — Fete of the Prince — Superstitions — Second Interview with Rabbi Bibas — Jewish Convert — Accident to our vehicle — Buseo — Foxshany — Jews — Day of Repentance — Scenery on the way to Birlat — Birlat — Greek Churches — Jews — Conversation with them — Oxen and their yoke — Khan — Washd — The Cipporah — Ceremonies — Jassy — Day of Atonement — Visit to Synagogues at even- ing— Deep devotion — Jewish Statistics — Their state — Evening of the Day of Atonement — State of the Country — Anecdote — Treatment of the Jews — Jewish School — A Jew of the New School — Jewish Marriage — Conversation with Jews — Ride to Botouchany — Jews — TeshawUz — Jewish Innkeeper and family — Quaranline — General View of the two Provinces as a sphere of Missionary labour, . . . 366 — 426 CHAPTER VIII. AUSTRIAN POLAND. Quarantine at Bossanze — Conversation with an Hungarian — Leave Quarantine — Soutchava — Its inhabitants — Jews, interview with — Sce- nery— Town of Seret — Conversation with the Jews — Czernowitz — In- teresting conversation with Jews — Their condition — Cross the Pruth — Gertsman — Appearance of Country — Zalesky — Baron Brownowitsh — Number of Jews — JagUnsliy — Sabbath — Native Churches and Con- gregations— Appearance of Peasantiy — Conversation with Jews — Cere- mony of the Joy of the Law — Interview with Rabbi — Pass Zadcow— CopockinsJiy — Scenery on Road to Trembowla- Pass Gulonilsky — Arrive at Tarnapol — The Synagogue of New School — Chasidim and Rabbinical Jews — Procession, or Last Day of the Feast — Dance in Honour of the Law — Second visit to Jews of New School — Their opin- ions— Visit to Rabbi Rapaport — Conversation with a young Jew — Jewish Burying-Place — The Gymnasium — Leave Tarnapol — Appear- ance of Countrj' — Pass ZaZosc — Seretshy — Potkamin — Jews — Interview with old man — Brody — Jewish Hawkers — Jewish appearance of Brody — ^Jewish Population — Visit Synagogues and Hospital— Burying- Ground— Curious Monuments there — Tephillim, Mezuzah, and Tal- lith— Summoned before the Police, and examined — Interview with young Jew — Detained, and all Books taken, and sent to Cracow — Leave Brody— Country — Rest at Sassow — Description of a Polish Hartsmi — Pass Zloozoiu— Popish Idolatry— Jews— Reach Zopka — Sabbath there —Mr. M'Cheyne attacked by Shepherds— Jewish respect to a great CONTENTS. XVll Rabbi — Proceed to Lemberg — Poor Village of Venikij — Population — Town and Environs — Jewish Quarter — Synagogues— Funeral of old Jewess — Hospital — The Juggs— Proceed to Cracow — Villages — Popish Idolatry — A Christian Beggar — More Villages, and Images of Saints — Jewish Khan — Description of Pilsno — Tarnow — Bochnia — Beggars — Superstitious Conscientiousness in Jewish Boy — Vieliczka and Podgorze — Cracow — Minutely examined — Mr. Otremba — Appearance of Cra- cow— Find out Rev. Mr. Hiscock — Mr. H.'s labours — Sabbath at Lu- theran Church — Lord's Supper in Missionary's Room — Neology of Protestants in Cracow — Depravity of the Poles — Strength of Popery — University — Population — Number of Jews — Mode of getting Baptism — Mr. Hiscock's mode of dealing with Jews — Queen Esther's Pool — Im- portance of Cracow as a Missionary Station, . . . 427 — 480 CHAPTER IX. PRUSSIA AND HAMBURGH. Set out in Prussian Schnell-post for Breslau — Appearance of Country — Zarnow — Enter Silesia — Still meet Crosses— Berin — Opeln — Funeral Ser\nce at Church-yard — Brieg — Ohlau — Breslau — Morning visitors — Buildings in the town — Visit to a Prussian School — The University — Dr. Neumann — Roman Catholics — Lutherans — Jews — A Jew from Kempfen — Synagogue — Start for Posen — Appearance of Country — The Expatriated Tyrolese — Posen — Mr. Bellson — The town — State of the People — Jews — Missionary Schools — Jews in the Grand Dutchy — Pa- rents allow Children to attend — Effect of Baptism of two of the Scholars — Sabbath — Sermon in the Garrison Church — Missionary Schools in the Dutchy; mode of Conducting — Account of the Conversion of a young Jewess — Meeting with School Committee — Mode of Licensing Prussian Teachers — Fortress of Posen — Jewish School at Storchnest — Lissa — Frausladt — Mr. Hartman — Mx. Bellson's Account of Jews in Holland — Schli.chtingsheim — Examine the School — Anecdote of Child- ren— Anecdote of Jews— GZos-aM — Importance of Prussian Poland as a Field of Missionary Labour — Evening with Mr. Klopsch — Acquaintance with Scottish Divines, and Scottish Church — Leave Glogau — Vil- lages, . . - 481—503 Berlin — Mr. Becker — " Society for Poor Proselytes" — Mr. Kuntze and Mr. Focke — Jewish Prisoners — Dr. Neander — State of Berlin — Few Christians interested in Jews — New School Synagogue — Mu- seum— Eisner — Old Church of Nicolai — Sabbath in Berlin — Service in different churches — Sabbath desecration at Berlin — Jewish School of New Synagogue — Bohemian Church — Lecture by Dr. Neander — State of University — V^isit to Gossner — Notice of Martin Boos — Evening with Mr. Kuntze — Sabbath Schools not allowed in Prussia — Normal 2* Xviii CONTENTS. Seminary and Missionary institution— Call on Dr. Robinson— Set out for Hamburgh— Hamburgh— Environs— State of Religion— English Residents— Mr. Moritz— His labours in Russia, and importance of Russia as a IMissionary Field-Denmark— Sweden— Baden— Bavaria— Berlin— Wurtemberg— Difficulties of Hamburgh as a Missionary Field —Synagogue— New School— Walk to Altona-Jews there— Revivals at Home-Sabbath-Leave Hamburgh for London-Arrive in Scotland -Reception-Notice of Dr. Black and Dr. Keith-Resolution of the General Assembly, 502 520 APPENDIX. No. I.— Programme of Instruction in the Israelitish University of Leghorn, in the year 1839, . ■ - - ^"^^""^^^ n.— Vahie of the Coins mentioned in this work, - - 521 in.— History of Rabbi Simeon Ben Yochai, - - - ^^4 IV.— Jews of Corfu, "^ v.— Jews of Damascus, ^ VI. — Jews of Bagdad, VII.— Striking similarity in the main features of Judaism and T. ... - - 530 — ooi Popery, - - - Passages ofScripture referred to, or illustrated, - - 533—542 . . - - - 543 Index, LIST MAPS AND ENGRAVINGS. Page Map of the Route. A Truncated Pillar, 29 Maltese Lady with the Onella, 36 Eastern Mode of carrying Children, .... 48 Eastern Plough, 60 Governor of Damietta, ....... 67 Arab Consul, 67 Arab Quern or Handmill, 71 Egyptian with Bucket, 72 Zoan, 73 Broken Sphinx, 75 Ancient Jar, 75 Map of Palestine . §g An Arab Oven, 90 A Writer's Inkhorn, 92 Narrow Patlis, 96 Village of Bennishail, 98 Sycamore Tree, 99 Common Jug used at Wells in Palestine, . . . IH Bedouin Tent, 113 Wooden Fork, 116 Terraced Hills, • . . . 123 Plan of Jerusalem, 127 Frank Mountain, 150 Bethany, 158 Gibeon, 201 Samaria, 219 The Tantour, 248 Anklet, 254 xix XX LIST OF ENGRAVINGS. Olive-Press, Ancient Synagogue, Bedouin, . Agricultural Implements, Wallachian Post-cart, Ornamented Cross, Wallachian Postillion, Stone Cross in Wallachia, Jew with Fur-cap, Wallachian Peasant, Village of Buseo, Yoke for Oxen, Rabbi reading Prayers, A Veiled Bride, Rabbi Dance and Procession of the Jewish Boy with Velvet Cap, Crown over a Grave, Cup over a Levite's Grave, Ship on her way to Palestine, . A Polish Hartsmi, Polish Woman carrying Water, Village of Schlichtingsheim, Law Page 269 270 304 308 376 377 381 383 389 397 398 403 408 417 438 451 454 455 455 4G0 463 496 THSOLOGIC CHAPTER I. FRANCE — ITALY — MALTA — GREECE. " Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy, and I am veiy sore displeased with the headien that are at ease." — Zech. i. 11, 15. The subject of the Jews had but recently begun to awaken attention among the faithful servants of God in the Church of Scotland. The plan of sending a Depu- tation to Palestine and other countries, to .visit and inquire after the scattered Jews, was suggested by a series of striking providences in the case of some of the individuals concerned. The Rev. Robert S. Candlish, D. D., Minister of St. George's, Edinburgh, saw these providences, and seized on the idea. On t1ie part of our Church, "the thing was done suddenly;" but it soon became evident that "God had prepared the people."* The Committee of our General Assembly, appointed to consider what might be done in the way of setting on foot Missionary operations among the Jews, were led unanimously to adopt this plan after prayerful and anx- ious deliberation. Our own anticipations of the result of our inquiries might be described by a reference to Nehemiah.f We thought we could see that, if the Lord brought us home in safety, many people would ask us " concerning the Jews that had escaped and were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem ;" and that our Report might lead not a few to " weep, and mourn, and fast, and pray, before the God of heaven," for Israel. We have good reason to believe that this has been the effect. In Scotland, at least, many more "watchmen have been set upon the walls of Jerusalem,"!: men of Nehemiah's spirit, who keep their eye upon its ruins, favouring its very dust, and who " will never hold their * 2 Chron. xxLx. 36. t Neh. i. 2, 4. t Isa. bcii. 6, 7. j£ DEPARTURE. peace, day nor night, till the Lord make Jerusalem a praise in the earth." It was a token for good at the very outset, that Dr. Black, Professor of Divinity in the Marischal College, Aberdeen, and Dr. Keith, Minister of St. Cyrus, whose writings on the evidence from fulfilled prophecy have been so extensively read and blessed, were willing to give themselves to this work, along with two younger brethren. Rev. R. M. M'Cheyne, Minister of St. Peter's, Dundee, and Rev. Andrew A. Bonar, Assistant Minister of Collace, Perthshire. Mr. Robert Wodrow, an Elder of our Church, whose whole heart had yearned over Israel for many a year, was also appointed by the Com- mittee, but ill health compelled him reluctantly to decline. Being all of one mind in regai'd to Israel, and eager to seek their good, a few weeks sufficed to have every pre- paration completed. Those of us who had Parishes to leave behind, felt that, in a case like this, we might act as did the shepherds at Bethlehem, leaving our flocks for a season under the care of the Shepherd of Israel, whose long lost sheep we were now going to seek. Nor have we had any cause to regret our confidence, and one at least of our number found this anticipation of the Good Shepherd's care more than realized on his return. As we went on our wa)'' through Glasgow, Greenock, and Liverpool, the members of our Church commended us to the Lord. On our arrival In London, the office- bearers and members of the London Jewish Society, and many other Christian friends in the city, showed us no small kindness. The Religious Tract Society furnished us with their publications in various languages. What we saw of the Jews there, and of the operations of the London Society among them, was very useful to us. Provided Avith Lord Pahnerston's passport, and letters to her Majesty's foreign Consuls, through the kindness of Sir George Grey and Lord Ashley, as well as with let- ters to friends and merchants in the various countries we expected to visit, we were commended to the Lord in Regent Square Church the night before we set out. Many prayers also followed us, and the prayers of our brethren have not been in vain. We sailed from Dover on the morning of 12th April. 1839. Soon its white cliffs — its chalky hills — were left behind, and after three hours' sail over a boisterous sea BOULOGNE — POPERY — PROTESTANTS. 6 we landed in Boulogne. We felt, as the shores of Albion faded from our view, that we needed, in our circum- stances, the faith of Abraham, when it was said to him, " Get thee unto a land that I will shew thee ;" * for we knew not what was to be the result of our journeying among the seed of Israel. A pillar to the memory of Napoleon, upon a height near the shore, attracts the eye in approaching the harbour of Boulogne. No sooner had we landed, than the demand, for our passports, the pacing of the gens cVarines along the shore, and the general aspect of the people, reminded us that we were in a less favoured land than we had left. We wished to press on to Paris that night, as we were afraid of not reaching Marseilles before the 21st, the day when the Alexandrian steamer was to sail, but we found that there was no diligence till next morning. In this there was a kind design of Providence, intended both to encourage and teach us, as we found before the evening had past. Boulogne is said to contain 25,000 inhabitants, of whom 5000 areEnglish visitors. The Leanne, a small stream, flows through it. Popery is strong here, and to meet with so many ensigns of the " Man of Sin" on our first arrival, did not make France the more agreeable to us. In an elegant recess of the Cathedral, which is rebuilding in a splendid style, stands a statue of the Madonna and her Child, with the inscription, " Mater patrona singu- larisf the Son of God thrown into the shade, and the Virgin declared to be their " special Pati'oness." On the wail and on the roof is delineated the supposed miracu- lous cross seen in the air at Poictiers in 1827. In order to raise tlie sum required for rebuilding this cathedral, the expedient was adopted of levying an additional sort, on every chair used in the churches of the town. A ship close by intimates that the Virgin Mary is patroness of seamen ; and outside of the town, on a hill, stands a very large cross, with a full-length figure of the Saviour, erect- ed by some fishermen who had narrowly escaped ship- wreck. We learned that the sailors' wives often come from the town to this cross to pray for their absent hus- bands. In respect to education, the children of the town are under the special care of the priests, and there is a col- lege where 300 students receive instruction. The English Protestants here are much divided among * Gen. xii. 1. 4 BOULOGNE — JEWS. themselves, and true religion does not seem to be in a healthy state ; but we had not time to ascertain parti- culars regarding any native Protestants. In walking through t^iie town, we began to notice the common continental fashion of hanging lamps over the middle of the street by ropes strerching from side to side. The old v/all forms now a part of the fort, and the tower of tlie town-house is used for alarms in case of fire. There is an extensive view from the heights above the town. It was not till evening that we were able to ascertain any facts regarding the Jews here. We had been told that two Jews had lately come from Dover, who resided near our hotel, but that they were men of the world rather than devout Israelites. In the evening, however, we were visited by a very interesting Jew, a person of education and agreeable manners, who spoke English fluently. He told us his history. — Originally possessed of a small fortune, he had exhausted it in travelling for the sake of his brethren, having gone to North America, to investigate the question whether or not the Indians there are really the descendants of the ten tribes. He had lived a year among the Winebagoes and Micmacs, learned the Cherokee and Oneida languages, conformed to their manners, often living almost naked, all in order to ascertain that question, which he did not hesitate to decide in the negative. He was now spending his time in retirement, with the view of being able to recruit his resources, so as to vmdertake new journeys among his brethren in other parts, and especially in Palestine. The circumstance of our being on our way to Palestine had chiefly induced him to visit us. In the course of conversation, we stated the feeling of love to Israel which had led us to go forth on this journey ; and Dr. Keith, with great fervour, pictured the outcast state of Israel, and how plainly it seemed to be on account of some sin lying at their door, urging him to consider what the sin could be. In reply, the Jew spoke of God's general love and mercy; and when we in return exhibited the way of pardon and acceptance, he became much affected, — "chiefly," he said, "because we manifested such interest in him, and such kindness." He added, "he wished there were more of the Church of Scotland's Missionaries;" and then immediately explained himself, " that it was only in one sense he could express such a wish, for he could not desire our success in converting JEWS AT BOULOGNE — ROAD TO PARIS. 5 his brethren, — but if any should accomplish this, it would be in the way of kindness." He had been long seeking the truth, and thought he was still doing so, but was not convinced that it lay with us. He argued that the Jews had got their laws '■'■for ever;'''' but was silent when we pointed to the new covenant promised in Jere- miah.* In speaking of Jesus, he made some interesting admissions. " The character and doings of Jesus Christ were most wonderful, and the success of Christianity in the world was the doing of God, in order to alleviate the misery of men ; for had Christianity not existed, he shuddered to think what might have been the state of nations." When pressed with the question, " Would Jesus, so excellent a character as he admitted him to be, declare himself Son of God, if he were not really so ?" he was again silent, and seemed confused. He thought that God may possibly have prospered Christianity for the sake oftheJeivs; for true Ckristianity had never persecuted them. He had heard of Dr. Keith's work on Prophecy, — expressed delight at meeting with the au- thor,— and on being presented with the Doctor's last Avork on the Evidences, requested him to write his name upon it. When presented with a Hebrew New Testa- ment, on which we had written that we would often pray that he might be brought to light and peace, he shewed much emotion. Once or twice, after rising to go away, he resumed his discourse. On finally taking leave, which he did with tears running down his face, he said with great emphasis, '■'■If you tvish to gain a Jeio, treat him as a brother" From him we learned that there were only eight families of Jews here, and that the children of one of these attend a Christian school. This being the first night of our inquiries after the scattered sheep in a foreign land, we could not but feel peculiar encouragement from this interview. It seemed as if the Lord was in haste to give us a token of his presence. (April 13.) Next day at ten o'clock we started for Paris, a distance of 140 miles, in the diligence, a cum- brous, heavy wagon, enormously loaded with passen- gers and luggage, and boxes of treasure — postillions cracking their whips most vigorously. Beyond the town, we found -a peaceful scene, the river Leanne flowing gently through the vale. The hedges were sprouting, and gardens farther advanced than in Eng- * Jer. xxxi. 33. 6 MONTREUIL — ABBEVILLE — BEAUVAIS. land. Part of the road was lined with willow trees, cut across, so that they looked like columns, the branches ' having been stripped off for basket-making. From time to time, in the fields we saw the plough drawn by four horses, and moving on wheels. The sight of many re- tired, beautiful villages surrounded by rich fields often called forth the prayer, "Thy kingdom come" — when these spots shall all be seats of holiness. The cross is here a never-failing object in the churches and church- yards, and occasionally by the way-side. Many people were returning from a neighbouring market, and women riding on donkeys and ponies. We passed through Montreuil, an old town, defended by a wall and fort, which again are surrounded by a moat, with a considerable extent of marshy ground in the vicinity. Several times as the diligence moved slowly up a hill, or cautiously descended, children from the villa- ges came round with bouquets of flowers, which they threw into the vehicle, chanting at the same time very sweetly in their native patois. We next passed through Abbeville, with its fortified entrance. It has a fine old Cathedral, and the houses are built in an old fantastic style. Here we had our first specimen of a Table cVhote, with the music of a company of harpers to entertain us. About two in the morning (Sabbath), the diligence arrived at Beauvais, where we were delayed for some hours. Our information had led us to expect that we should have been in Paris before Sabbath morning broke, and we felt this violation of the Holy Day very painfully. As morning advanced, we saw the people of the villages going forth to labour just as on other days— ploughmen in'the fields, women at their cottage- doors, children at play. We soon found that buying and selling, and every sort of amusement, were the chief occupations of the people of France on the holy Sabbath. Many of the horses were tinkling bells as they went out to the fields ; but the prophecy is not yet fulfilled, when "there shall be upon the bells of the horses holiness unto the Lord." * In passing through St. Denys, we found that all was bustle and activity — vehi- cles of every kind coming along the road, and every one engaged in the pursuit of pleasure. A band of children, and a few women, chiefly old people, were on their way to church. * Zech. xiv. 20. FRENCH SABBATH — PARIS. / On reaching Paris, we refreshed ourselves, and set out for MarbcPA/f Chapel, where divine service is conducted in English. The streets presented an endless scene of gaiety and show. There was scarcely a shop shut, and the people literally thronged every street, all in their best holiday dress. Our way led through the " Champs Ely- sees,'' crowded with people of all ranks ; each determined to find their Elysium in every form of pleasure, and openly defying the words of the Holy One of Israel.* Even children were there,— boys and girls skipping at their games, and amusing themselves on gaudily painted swings. The well-conditioned and fashionable were pa- rading up and down; many eating and drinking; the noblesse riding in all kinds of vehicles. It might be a scene like this that was witnessed in the days of Noah, or when Lot went out of Sodom— eating, drinking, plant- ing, buildins:, &c. Even now the day of Christ would " come as a ^snare" upon all the earth If We felt the con- trast when we got within the walls of the Chapel. While worshipping tliere with a devout band, we seemed to have exchanged the din and confusion of Babel for the peace and stillness of the Holy Place. In the evening we heard a French sermon from Frederic Monod, in the upper chamber of the Oratoire, on Paul being sent " to open the blind eyes :" the assembly was small, but lively and fervent, and the singing of the Psalms in French was very sweet ; it seemed to be with all the heart. In canonical hours the French Protestants use a short lit- urgy ; they have also a short extempore prayer. Out of a population in Paris of 800,000, only 2000 attend regu- larly any Protestant place of worship. Still the state of Protestantism is much improved. Not long ago scarcely one foithful sermon was heard in Paris, now fourteen are preached every Sabbath-day ; and there are Protestant schools, attended by 800 children, two-thirds of whom are children of Catholic parents. None of the Protestant clerffy in Paris are Neologian. The Popish party are active, brinsing to the city some of their best preachers, who have increased the attendance at their churches, but made scarcely any impression on the infidel part of the population. No city seems more to resemble Sodom.J Even in our way from the church, we saw some of the horrors of a Parisian Sabbath evening ; gambling and other scenes of profligacy being plainly visible from the street. * Isa. Iviii. 13. t Luke xvii. 2G, 30. t Rev. xi. 8. O JEWS IN PARIS. (April 15.) This morning (Monday), Mr. Evans from Edinburgh, and other excellent friends to whom we were introduced, assisted us in our inquiries and forwarded all our arrangements. In regard to the Jews, we found that they are not numerous, and are mostly infidels. They have a synagogue, and it is here that Rabbi Cahen has published his" translation of the Old Testament, a work so imbued with Neology, that many even of his own congregation are disgusted with it. Frederic Mo- nod said, that there had loeen efforts made for the con- version of the Jews, but with no success. He knew of no instance of real conversion among them in Paris. They are scattered through the mass of the population, and thus are lost to the Christian eye — and hence, in some degree, we may account for the comparatively lit- tle interest taken in this people by Christians here. The eye of the Christian in Paris rests on the masses of infi- delity, and when he sees these, "he is moved with com- passion," and can look no farther. Paris is by many supposed to be " the street of the great city," referred to in the Book of Revelation.* Its daily scenes of open ini- quity, as well as the tremendous crimes of the past, well known throughout the world, may entitle it to this awful pre-eminence" We were struck with the luxury and thoughtlessness of this great city. In its commonest hotels are seen indications of plenty ; and the piled up rolls of white bread often reminded us of that feature of Sodom, " fulness of bread and abundance of idleness was in her ;" " therefore, they were haughty, and committed abomination before me." f We saw some splendid buildings. The Church of the Magdalene— The Palaces— The Pillar in the Place Ven- dome, and many others. We had time to walk round the city and see some of its magnificence. But even had this been Babylon with its hanging gardens and walls of brass, we would rather have found out Israel by the river-side, hanging their harps on the willows, than gazed on the trophies of Atheism and the abodes of guilt. (April 16.) On Tuesday afternoon we set out for Cha- lons sur-Saone. While riding up the banks of the Seine and across the Marne, the country was very pleasant. Beautiful villages seem to be characteristic of French scenery. One or two handsome chateaux appear, with gilded railings according to French taste. Such country- * Rev, xi. a + Ezek. xvi. 49, 50. TROVES — CHATILLON — DIJON. 9 seats, however, are few, a fact that quite accords with the national gaiety, to which rural calm would be a burden. When we awoke next morning, we were approaching Troyes, a decayed-looking town, containing 28,000 in- habitants. The white and red blossoms of the cherry, the apricot, and the peach trees, met the eye in every garden we passed. Vineyards were now more frequent, the vines just beginning to bud. Bundles of sticks were lying ready to support them, when they should begin to sprout. In the plains, a field of vines and a field of ■wheat generally alternate, affording the necessaries and luxuries of life,* corn and wine. Some of the fields are ploughed in the circular manner, as in the Carse of GowTie. We then came to the Auhe, another tributary of the Seine, within view of some gently rising hills. There were with us in the diligence two young Roman Catholic lads, very open and amiable, with whom we got into free conversation. As we were distributing tracts from the windows to the people that passed by, one of them offered to join us in our employment, and both seemed happy at being presented with tracts for themselves. Indeed, one of them took a good supply with him to distribute in Lyons, where he resides. About sunset we reached Chatillon-sur-Seine. Walk- ing onward beyond the town, while the postillions were changing horses, we found it a quiet peaceful spot, — the scenery resembling the banks of the Jed a little above Jedburgh. In this district, and indeed along all our journey, we observed how carefully in France a church has been attached to every small village. Popery has here allowed none to escape its grasp, nor grudged to bring its ordinances to the door of the poorest villagers. We reached Dijon about half-past six in the morning, and made up for the uncomfortable rest of the diligence by a few hours' sleep at the Hotel de la Galire. The town is marked out by a remarkably slender, tapering spire shooting up from the cathedral. About midday we called upon the Protestant clergyman, M. Alfonse Fron- tin, a young man labouring patiently for the truth. He has the charge of the Protestant population, who amount to 200 souls, but they are very lifeless. He told us (and we found his information verified by an intelligent member of his congregation), that there are about 400 Jews here. None of the French Protestants in the town ♦ Ps. iv. 7. 3* 10 JEWS IN DIJON — ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST. have ever turned their attention to Israel, but M. Oster, the Jewish missionary from Strasburg, has visited the place. M. Frontin went with us to the house of Moses Israel, the Rabbi, a feeble old man, of no education, and very poor. A young Jew was our guide, who at first bitterly opposed all we said on the subject of religion, but soon became interested, and at parting took some tracts, at the same time positively refusing any remune- ration for his trouble in going about with us. When M. Oster was here, he visrted the synagogue, desiring to speak in a friendly way with the Jews ; but they treated him very ill, and many even followed him through the streets and threw back his tracts. In the evening, while preparing to set out, one of us met a pleasant little boy, looking at the diligence, who eagerly accepted the offer of a book suited to his age. Soon after he returned, bringing with him an old man, dressed in a blue frock, for whom he asked a tract. This old man was his father, and the father and son were Jeivs ! The father looked at our Hebrew Bible, and read some verses aloud. We gave him the life of Dr. Capadose and a New Tes- tament in French— both of which he took with as much joy as his little boy, shaking hands with us more than once at the window of the diligence. At the same time, another man came forward and asked one of our He- brew tracts : he proved to be a Jeio going to Lyons, but sceptical in his views, like most of the Jews in France. With him we had some conversation at various periods of our journey, and gave him the Life of Capadose on leaving his company. At the Table d'hote, the young Roman Catholic had mentioned his conversations with us, and recommended the tracts which we were giving away. The conse- quence was, that before the vehicle had started a person came running down from the inn, to get some for the use of the company. At length, fairly seated, we found a Roman Catholic priest in our company. With him we conversed some- times in French, sometimes in Latin, on various topics, chiefly, however, on the subject of peace with God. He received from us, and read the tract ''La bonne NouveUe." At sunset, taking out his prayer-book, he requested to be left to himself for a little, and having completed his evening devotions, conversed with us for nearly two hours longer, occasionally with some warmth. CHALONS — SAIL ON THE SAONE. H At half-past five next morning, we were at Chalons, where we had to wait two hours for the steam-boat at a miserable inn, " Hotel ties Diligences:'' We heard that there are a few lively Protestants here. At seven we embarked on the Saone, a river that flows so quietly, that it is difficult to tell which way it runs. Our voyage from Chalons to Lyons cost no more than 2^ francs eacli, though the distance is about 100 miles— there being an opposition steam-boat on the river. The group on board was interesting. There were peasants from Grenoble with broad straw hats, frocks, and wooden shoes ; sol- diers in the showy uniform of France; sailors with the Italian cap, brown or red; three Roman Catholic priests with the three-cornered hat, black bands with white edge, black cloak and sash, and buckles in their shoes ; and women with the Swiss bonnet, that seemed to be falling over the forehead. The sail was delightful, the dav warm and clear. Many of the slopinsr vineyards on tlie banks reminded us of Isaiah's expression,* "My beloved hath a vineyard on a horn the son of oil ;" i. e. a little hill pro- jecting like a horn, with its soil rich and fertile. Tour- noil is a picturesque little town, on the right bank of the river, having a cathedral with two fontasUc spires. We afterwards learned, that the Spirit has lately been quick- ening a few souls there. 3Iu^on, half-way down the Saone, is a large town with a handsome bridq-e over the river. It was after leaving this town, that we first saw the snowy ridge of the Lotrer Alps, and part of the Jura range, in the direction of Geneva. We next sailed past Trevou.T, romantically situated ; its old walls and battle- ments hanging over the river, and the church perched upon a rock. The banks are beautifully lined with white stone. It was once the resort of a famous literary society. About five o'clock, the boat reached Lyons. The ap- proach is very picturesque, and becomes at last magnifi- cent. The river seems to run along a passajje cut through high solid rocks into the heart of the town. On one of the high rising grounds that meet the eye in sailing up, stood the Roman amphitheatre where Blandina was put to death. Some remains of it still exist, and the house of Pothinus is pointed out in the city. We took up our abode in the Hotel de r Europe, and were soon visited by M. Cordes, the devoted Protestant * Isa. V. 1. J 2 LYONS — JEWS — SAIL TO AVIGNON. minister, who invited us to spend tlie day with him. M. Cordes, in going through the town, pointed out the mar- ket-place, where the five Swiss young men were burned at the time of the Reformation ; and showed us Peter Waldo's street, which is still called " Muudite,''' i. e. accur- sed. Some streets of lofty houses reminded us of the ven- erable piles of building in the old town of Edinburgh. There are 200,000 souls here, and the trade is very great. There are 6000 Protestants, and several Protes- tant clergy ; but none evangelical or orthodox except M. Cordes. " M. Adolphe Monod, now professor at Montau- ban, was once pastor here, but was expelled from com- munion by the Neologian pastors. M. Cordes succeeded, and has now a church of his own. He has 400 hearers, very lively Christians ; and there have been many con- versions under his ministry. God remembers his ancient witnesses in Lyons. " This Mount Zion wherein thoit hast dwelt,'"* \s not an unmeaning or unavailing plea, whether offered for the land of Israel, or for other places once visited by the Spirit. There are about 400 French Protestant clergy in the kingdom, but of these scarcely half are orthodox. Of late, faithful pastors have been on the increase, and Evangelical Protestant congrega- tions have been formed at Chalons, Macjon, and Trevoux, the places we passed to-day. The Jews have a syna- gogue here. Mr. Wilson, a Christian friend of M. Cor- des, told us that he went round with M. Oster, and found fifty Jewish families, most of whom were sceptical in their opinions. He knew of only one convert, a young man, who had gone to Montlimart to follow a trade. There are, however, some Jewish children at the Protes- tant school, eight at the week-day and three at the infant school. If they had means, the number might be in- creased. Next morning (Saturday, April 20) we sailed down the rapid Rhone for Avignon, a distance of about 100 miles. Again the Lower Alps appeared on our left — beautiful in the light of the morning sun — some of them snow-clad at the summit. The scenery on the river is exceedingly beautiful, and continues full of interest, until the frequen- cy of similar views makes the eye weary. There is more majesty in the scenery of this river than on the Saone. Hills and rocks enclose it. The vineyards on its banks are very frequent, raised on terraces, like the steps of an * Ps. Ixxiv. 2, THE RHONE — AVIGNON — BEUCAIRE. 13 amphitheatre. Sometimes the hills are bleak and wild reminding us of Glencoe and others of our native moun- tains. Sometimes there is a fine open country, studded with towns and villages, villas, and gardens. Next to the city we had left, we felt deepest interest in sailing past Vienne, close to the river-side on the left, early i-enowned, along with Lyons, for its martyrs, and its devoted Christians, whose calm and heavenly spirit is so beautifully manifest in their letter to the Church of Smyrna. An intelligent passenger pointed our eye to a very precipitous hill among the Alps : " It is at the foot of this hill that Provence begins." We passed the mouth of the Isere, flowing into the Rhone, and came to Va- lence, pleasantly situated — a place where Napoleon spent a great part of his youth. We next passed in sight of Montlimart, a town resembling Abernethy on the Tay. We were continually sailing under bridges, of which there are seventeen across this river. One of these, called Pont Saint I'Esprit, is a very splendid one, and has eighteen arches, each large arch including in it a smaller one, that the water may flow through unimpeded. It spans the river at a very broad point. We often met long trains of horses or mules, perhaps sixty in a train, dragging a chain of boats laden with merchandise up the river; and once or twice an immense hay-stack was conveyed up the stream in this manner. It was five o'clock when we reached the celebrated Avignon, an ancient palace of the Popes of France. In- deed, it seems a town of ruined palaces and towers. Every thing combined to make ns feel the exquisite beauty of its situation. The evening was calm, the air soft, the sky clear ; the trees, in which the town is em- bosomed, wore their most refreshing verdure ; the clock sounded from the tower amidst the stillness, reminding us of the vesper-bell. The Alps in the distant back- ground, and the splendid river, completed the scene. But our object was not to linger over scenery, or enjoy historical memorials. We needed to be self-de- nied. Accordingly, we sailed on to Beucaire, and there during night exchanged our vessel, and moved onward to the mouth of the Rhone. In the vessel, we found that the bell had a cross on it with this inscription, " Sit nomen Dei benedictum," (Blessed be the name of God). It was one of the baptized bells of Popery. We soon reached A7'les, an old town, full of antiquities, though none are of much importance. After that point, the 14 ARLES — ISLAND AT THE MOUTH OF RHONE. scenery becomes totally uninteresting. Our Engineer was an Englishman, who seeing us distributing tracts to the passengers, became very zealous in the same work. He was a steady Protestant by profession, though it was now ten years since he came to this station, and during all that time had been only twice in a place of worship. When nine leagues from Aries, and as many from Marseilles, at the mouth of the Rhone, about nine o'clock A. M., the steamer was completely stopped in its progress. A wind, called the Mestrael, which had not retarded the boat for eighteen months before, met us in the face ; and the current joining with this adverse force, made the vessel unmanageable. It was immediately resolved to cast anchor close by an island at the mouth of the Rhone — a small, flat island, very barren and sandy. This done, we all landed, waiting till the wind should change. We found no cultivation on the island. About twenty asses were feeding on rushes. The inhabitants consisted of twelve or sixteen families of fishermen ; their huts were formed of rushes, each hut surmounted by a cross on the roof, as a protection from storms and other accidents. A few of the huts had vines (though not luxuriant) growing at the door, and forming arbours. There was also one fig-tree on the island, a proof of the mildness of the climate. The language used by the peo- ple is neither French nor Italian, but a mixture of both. They have no church nor school nearer than Aries or Marseilles. Only a very few could read French and understand it ; however, as these few might be readers to the rest, we were anxious to leave tracts among them. The Engineer made his appearance, offering to go to every house with them. One tract, '■'■Religion de V Ar- gent " (the Money-Religion) — d satirical exposure of Popery — was got hold of by a French captain, who read it aloud to a crowd of by-standers. The Engineer, not content with his day's work, asked us to send him more from home, and he would distribute them at various times in the course of his voyages. " What would it be to England (said he) to send a man to preach the truth in every village of France V Some of us went apart among the grass and rushes for prayer and reading the Scriptures. We did this in the forenoon, and again at evening, with the Rhone at our feet, in the soft air, with a clear sky above, and perfect stillness around. That night we had no other couch than the floor of the cabin. MARSEILLES — JEWISH RABBI. 15 Before morning the wind changed, and by half-past eight we reached Marseilles, where we found rest at the Hotel du Pavilion. The approach to the city from the sea is magnificent — high hills or rather rocks form the west side of the entrance, and deep blue waters — deep even in the midst of the harbour — floated up the vessel to its anchorage. The harbour is formed by the sea run- ning into a natural basin, which is always full, the ebb of the tide being less than six feet deep. It is defended by very strong fortifications, and these are splendidly built. Ships from all nations ride at anchor in the har- bour, and people of all countries are found in its streets. The population is 150,000 — of these only 2000 are even nominally Protestant. They have, however, three evan- gelical pastors, with a Sabbath school attended by 60 children, and a week-day school attended by 50 girls and 40 boys — both of very recent origin. This information was given to us by one of the pastors, M. Monod. We found time to call on the Rabbi, a smart Frenchman. Though a Jew, his opinions are those of the Neologians. He denies the fall of man, believes that the curse on the ground was a blessing, and that a new heart means the improvement of the mind. He rejects the Talmud, and though he does not avow his rejection of the Bible, yet denies the restoration of Israel to their own land ; and disbelieves the promise of a Messiah, on the ground that the good of the universe, and not of one nation, is what we are to look for. Most of the young Jews here are quite given up to the world, and cherish infidel views. The Rabbi was willing to take tracts — was pi'oud to shew his synagogue — and said that there were about 1000 Jews in the town. We got more information in the evening ; but there is very little to interest a friend of Israel here. We had by this time ascertained that a steamer had sailed for Malta the day before, and that we must wait ten days for another. We resolved, therefore, to spend the time in visiting as much of Italy as we could. A boat was about to sail for Leghorn called the " Sully," in which we embarked, enjoying a most beautiful day, and smooth sea. The vessel coasted the shore, which is bold and precipitous. We had a near view of Toulon, the bay of the French navy, and the place where Napo- leon first pointed the cannon. Its harbour is shut in by hills, and strongly fortified. The Isle of Hieres next came in sight, whose salubri- 16 SAIL TO LEGHORN — ALLASIO — GENOA. ous climate draws invalids to its shores. The scenery continued rocky and picturesque — the waters deep blue, and calm — " a glassy sea." At night tlie moon rose clear, and the stars were very brilliant ; the waters glittered with peculiar bi'ightness under such a firmament. We united in prayer in the cabin, and " slept in peace, for God sustained us." At seven next morning we were on the coast of Italy. Numerous villages attracted the eye, built of stone that seemed remarkably white and clean, especially under the morning sun. Omeglia, Allasio, Albenga, were all successively pointed out close to the water-edge ; the olive- clad Alps {Alpes maritimae) pressing hard upon them in the background. Allasio stands on a hill, and the spire of its church is a fine object. The hills round these towns are dotted with villas, and this continued to be the aspect of the coast till we reached Genoa. Italy is indeed a beautiful region, but " gross darkness covers its people." The engineer of our vessel, a pious Presbyterian of the Synod of Ulster, agreed to circulate tracts on board, if we would send a supply; and proposed to give them to the other engineers along this coast, all of whom are Englishmen and Protestants. We entered the splendid bay of Genoa about midday. The finest view of Genoa is from the sea. The eye is almost dazzled in wandering round the bay, by the irreg- ular tiers of marble palaces, fantastic towers, and spires, the remnants of ancient days. The whiteness of the marble and the bright colouring of many of the houses, have a very striking appearance. Steep sloping hills en- close it from behind, and it is walled and fortified on every side ; the cannon pointing down upon the town. Entering the harbours, the galley-slaves loaded with chains attracted our attention. They work in a floating machine, like the tread-mill, used for bringin": up the mud of the harbour. They are sentenced by fiction of law, not for life, but for 120 years. On landing we were examined by the police. Our names and the place where we meant to lodge in the city were demanded, betraying a jealousy which made us feel that we were no longer in a free country. We took up our residence at the Hotel Croix de St. Malte. The streets of Genoa are very narrow, and delightfully cool. Originally carriages could not go along them, but now some of them are made a little broader. Most of the houses have pilasters and entrances of white marble. GENOA — POPERY. 17 Some are entirely built of marble. One lately built by Paganini was pointed out to us. It is very conmion to see pictures fixed into tlie walls on the outside of the houses, in the porches, and even in the interior of hotels. Among these, the picture of Andrea Doria frequently occurs. The appearance of the inhabitants attracted our notice. The females wear a beautiful veil, which covers the back part of the head and the shoulders, meeting over the breast. Some wear it of a fine white, some of bright variegated colours ; to all it gives a clean, tidy appear- ance. The number of Ecclesiastics here is remarkable. We met twenty-eight in the priests' dress in a ten min- utes' walk. Of these many are not priests, but all are connected with the ecclesiastical office. We here also, for the first time, met with sandaled Monks, bare-headed, rough-looking men, the Dominicans in a brown, and the Franciscans in a black dress ; the rude cord round the waist and pendent crucifix, the bare head, and cowl, marking them all. It was new to us to see oranges growing in the open air, ofl:en in flower-pots set upon the terrace or balcon)'-, and everywhere in the gardens. In the evening we enjoyed a walk in the promenade, adorned with shady trees, marble seats, and a fine jet tVeau, while hoarse croaking frogs reminded us of Virgil's '■'■ranae raucae.^^ We ascended a fortified place, and looked down upon the town. We observed the olive, the vine, and the lemon, in the gardens, and the dark shady cypress in the church-yards. The evening bells were rincfing, and every tower seemed to send forth a sound. Returning, we saw the fine effect of moonlight on marble buildings, giving them a soft and pleasing tinge. At the corner "of every street a lamp was lighted up before a picture of Madonna, and an offering of fresh flowers laid before it. We also met the fashionables issuing forth to the specta- cle or theatre, a page lighting their steps with a bright silk lantern, all as intent on pleasure, as if the day of Babylon's doom was afar off. " They glorify themselves, and live deliciously ; they say in their heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow."* (April 25.) We began our inquiries yesterday, but re- ceived fuller information this day. We called upon the Swiss Protestant minister, who received us kindly. Genoa * Rev. xviii. 7. 4 18 JEWS IN GENOA. contains from 90,000 to 100,000 inhabitants. Of these, only 25 are British residents, and 150 Swiss, and these have one place of worship between them. He told us that they are allowed to worship only by the sufferance of Government : they are strictly watched, and no Italian would be allowed to join their communion, even though convinced of the truth. He appeared to be sadly dis- heartened. Happy day when Evangelists shall be per- mitted to stand and proclaim the truth in the streets of Genoa ! We waited upon the English Consul, who intro- duced us to Signor Becchi, the vice-consul, a Roman Catholic, but a very mild, candid, amiable man. He and a young English gentleman, a merchant from Ancona, gave usinfoniiation regarding the Jews. They have a synagogue here, but there are only about 250 residents. The reason of there being so few, is said to be, that "one Genoese has cunning enough to cheat two Jews." So they say of Lucca, tiiat " one Luccese can overreach three Jews." The Jews here are not strict in their religious obser- vances, but often do business on their Sabbath, and seve- ral of them have become Roman Catholics. Only three or four months ago, a family of seven were baptized with great pomp, simply for the sake of worldly gain. There" was also recently a Jewish child baptized in the Protestant cliurch ; but the reason was, that the mother was a Protestant, and had made that agreement at her marriage. There are not more than four or five Jewish families of wealth and respectability in the town. Signor Becchi introduced us to a Jew from Gibraltar, named Moses Parienti, an elderly man, of an amiable disposition, and one who was well acquainted witJi his nation. His beard was undressed, which he begged us to excuse, as he was then in mourning for the recent death of his wife. He told us, that in Genoa there are few learned Jews, and most of them are poor. He reck- oned about fifty families ; but many move from place to place. They are not now, he said, admitted to the casinos (clubs), although formerly they were ; at wliich exclu- sion man}'- of the citizens expressed regret. He knows that, in Italy, Roman Catholics are willing to receive Jewish children and baptize them, if the nurses do (what is sometimes done) carry them off, and take them to a priest; and, according to his statement, throughout all Tuscany, the Jews enjoy perfect freedom. He repre- sented Leghorn as the chief place in Italy for them, and JEWS IN ITALY. 19 thought that there were nearly 14,000 there, with forty managers to take charge of their civil concerns, and a flourishing school for boys and girls. He offered us let- ters to Signore Abodram and Franchetti, who are at the head of the nation there. There are no Jews at Civita Vecchia. The King of Naples allows none to dwell in his dominions. There are none in Sardinia, because that island was part of the Spanish kingdom of Arragon, from which all were expelled. Not long ago, a Jew named Israel went there in disguise, but was at last forced to flee. There are none in Corsica. The French do not forbid it, but the native population are bigoted to excess. At Milan there are 150U, and some have pro- perty in land. At Verona, Pavia, Padua, Parma, and Venice, a good number are found. At Florence and Modena, there are a few ; and at Pisa also ; but the families there are chiefly from Leijhorn. At Ferrara, Becchi reckoned about 4000 souls. At Turin there are 50 Spanish, and 1500 German Jews; the latter of whom have a fine synagogue, and use a different liturgy from the Spanish. At Nice there are 400 or 500, and many of them from England. Nine months ago, an order was issued by government to put them in^gheflo ; but the Prussian Consul there being a Jew refused to go, and his remonstrances had the effect of leaving the "matter undetermined. At Lucca none are allowed to settle, but many reside for a short time. Every three months they must get from the Uuke a new permission to re- main. Through all Piedmont they enjoy considerable liberty ; and hence Jews are found at Trieste, Cassagli, Asii, Alessandria, Acqui, and Cunco. At Rome, there are 5000 or 0000 who live in ghetto ; and though much oppressed, yet still remain, because they make money. At Gibraltar there used to be GOOO fomilies, but these are now reduced to 2000. At Corfu there are many. A few at Athens. The Portuguese consul-general there, Signor Pacifico, was a Jew from Lisbon. Signor Becchi spoke of the contributions made by the Jews for the Holy Land. They keep boxes in the syna- go.sues, over which it is written, " For Jerusalem," or, "For Saphet,'" &c. ; and at a certain time, a commis- sioner is appointed to see what these contain, and to send the contents to the Holy Land. The Jews of Italy write pure Hebrew, and not Italian in Hebrew characters. He said they write really c^.pn \vc'h (lashon hakkodesh), ♦* the holy tongue." 20 LEGHORN. ' The English gentleman from Ancona gave us much information regarding the Jews of that city. He thought that there were about 4000 there, or nearly one-fifth of the whole population, which is 24,000. They are scru- pulous about engaging in business on their Sabbath, and as fair in their dealings as any in the town. At Lent and Good Friday, they are shut up in their houses ; and their quarter of the town is called ghetto, as at Rome. There are other oppressions to which they are subjected ; yet still they continue in the town, because they make money, the native population being stupid and indolent. They are not allowed to visit casinos, nor to buy land; but many of them have villas. Mr. Lewis Way spent six or eight months there, and often visited their syna- gogues. Most of the young men are deists, and devoted to the world. It is said that occasionally Roman Ca- tholics get hold of their children and baptize them, and then they must be brought up as Christians. We afterwards mounted up a steep path to the north of Genoa, and came upon a fine view of the Ligurian Hills. A lovely valley watered by a rivulet lay beneath, the hills on all sides terraced for vines. Villages were scattered here and there, and six churches were in sight. At six in the evening, we bade farewell to Genoa. It is a lovely town, but the shadow of death rests upon it. Popery reigns undisturbed, holding all in chains. (April 26.) Early this morning, we cast anchor in the harbour of Leghorn. The morning was misty and rainy, unlike the sky of Italy, and the town appeared flat and cheerless. Sailing up a canal into the heart of the town, we soon after found ourselves comfortably settled in the San Marco Albergo, a hotel kept by a Scotsman, Mr. D. Thomson, well known to us for the kindness which he showed to our countryman. Rev. Mr. Martin, minister of St. George's, Edinburgh, during his last illness. He and Mrs. Thomson received us most cordially, and we found their house a home indeed. Hearing that Leghorn was a free port, we thought that it might be free to re- ceive the gospel ; and accordingly, without reserve, gave tracts to each of the eight men who carried up our lug- gage, and to some bystanders. Scarcely, however, had an hour elapsed, when an officer appeared at the inn, making inquiry if we were the persons who had been distributing books. Our box of books and tracts, and our bag of Hebrew books, were immediately sealed up LEGHORN — REV. MR. MARTIX. 21 and carried off, and the two elder members of the Depu- tation summoned to appear before tlie Commissary of Police without delay. After a long examination, it was decided that the books and tracts be sent to the Censor at Florence, and that until his report be made, we be dismissed. Sitting at table in tlie afternoon, Mr. Thomson gave us some particulars of Mr. Martin's death. He had said, that he wished to die at home, or if not at home, in such a house as this, for his own father kept an inn, and it reminded him of home. The Sabbath before he died, when told that it was Sabbath, he said, " Yes, this is the' day that the Lord hath made ;" and turning to Mr. Thomson, " This is your communion — you will tell me at night what you hear." In the beginning of the week he asked Mr. T. to read to him. He read John xiv., and had scarcely finished the chapter, when he asked, " JVhat is a free port /" On its being explained : " Is there any difficulty, then, in landing 100 Bibles !" This was among the last things he said. His desire was complied with. Another interesting case occurred here, of a young man named Kennedy from Glasgow, travelling for his health, and who had been visiting Rome. He was thoughtless in the extreme; but his gay companion, on leaving him said, that now he had better turn to his Bible. This re- mark led him to the Scriptures. When he arrived at Leghorn, he seemed to undergo a complete change of heart, and died here full of peace and joy. We had an opj^ortunity the following day of visiting the English Cemcter)\ It is filled with many beautiful monuments of the purest marble, and is kept like a gar- den, profusely planted with the rose, the cypress, and the weeping willow. We visited the graves of Smollett and Horner, at a little distance from which, a palm-tree guides to the spot wiiere the remains of Mr. Martin are laid. There is a plain marble monument over the ffrave, with an inscription written by Dr. Chalmers. The tomb of J. Wentworth Murray, who died at Florence in 1821, has this simple inscription, full of meaning to surviving friends, " For a small moment have I forsaken thee, bul with great mercies will I gather thee." Leghorn is a flourishing commercial port, visited an- nuall)'' by 300 ships from Britain alone, but the state of religion is very low. There is a handful of Swiss and German Protestants : but not a sinde instance has oc- 4=^ 22 . LEGHORN — POPERY. curred of a native Italian openly renouncing Popery. One reason for this may be found in the law of the coun- try, which strictly forbids apostasy from the Romish faith. And another reason, no less powerful, is to be found in the licentiousness of Protestants in Italy. The English in that country are generally gay and dissolute, regardless of all religion. One of the most profligate Italian towns is Florence, and the English residents take the lead in dissipation. Hence it has become an almost universal impression, that Protestantism is the way to infidelity. It is to be feared, that a great number of the young Romish priests are infidels at heart, and many are great gamblers. On the other hand, some appear to be con- scientious men, and exemplary in their lives, and seve- ral private persons of their community seem to be really Christians. The sincere priests preach most vehemently against prevailing vices. We were told of one who a few daj'S before, preaching against breaking the Sabbath, spoke in this way : " Some of you will say, I have a dispen- sation from the Bishop or from the Pope ; but I say this is the word of God, and the Bishop or the Pope is nothing to the word of God." We heard of another priest who began with -the sins of the government, and then spoke of the sins of the priesthood in a most severe manner. He said, " Ye should be the light of the world, and what are ye but darkness] Ye should be the salt of the earth, and what are ye but salt without savour, ruining your own souls and the souls of others]" The priesthood in Italy are in a great measure losing their hold upon the people, and confession is greatly ne- glected. We were told of a priest a fortnight before, who preached to the people, that it was lawful for a wife in certain circumstances to steal from her husband ; if he was a spendthrift and neglected her, she should take what she needed. On being afterwards asked by a Pro- testant gentleman how he could preach such doctrines to the people, and if it would not be better that the wife should tell her case to the church ] " The church !" said the priest ; " they care as much for the church as you do." We heard of another priest preaching in this manner: " Confession is so neglected among you, that you are a mockery to the Jews^ A Jew the other day missed some money : he knew that none but a Catholic had been near him, so he went and charged him with it. The man denied having touched the money. ' Well,' said the Jew, LEGHORN — SABBATH IN ITALY. 23 * when do you go to confession V ' Confession !' said the Italian, ' I never confess,' 'Ah, then,' said the Jew, 'I will never see my money again.' " If any thing is done to overthrow Popery in Italy, it must be done through the priesthood ; for if books are introduced among the people without their knowledge, they soon find it out, their jealousy is set on fire, and their enmity increased. We heard here, that many of the Romish Clergy have expressed great joy at the spread of Puseyism in England. During the time of our visit, the canonization of four new saints expected shortly to take place at Rome, en- grossed much of the public conversation. At Monte Nero, three miles from town, there is a famous shrine of the Madonna, to which pilgrimages are made at all times. The Dominicans lately found an image of the Virgin there, which has brought their order into great repute. When the Pope visited Leghorn several years ago, the great square of the town presented a scene worthy of being noticed. An immense multitude crowded the square to excess. The Pope appeared, and all fell on their knees. His holiness then stood over the kneeling multitude and pronounced his benediction. It was one of those scenes which irresistibly led the spectator to the prophetic words regarding the Man of Sin, " He, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." * We spent the .Jewish Sabbath in making acquaintance with some intelligent Jews, of whose information we hoped to avail ourselves in the beginning of the week. On our own Sabbath (April 23) we attended service at the English Chaplaincy. In the evening. Dr. Black preached in the hotel, in the large room, next that in which Mr. Martin died, to a numerous audience, chiefly of our own countrymen. All the day long, the town was full of bustle and gaiety. The ringing of bells, and the music of the military, dissipated the Sabbath still- ness. Popery has abolished the fourth commandment, as effectually as it has done the second. Instead of teaching " Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy," they teach by precept and by example. " Remember to keep holy the festivals."'! * 2 Thess. ii. 4. t In the Italian Catechism, composed by order of Clement VIII., entitled "Dottrina Christiana breve," republished at Rome 18;?S, which we bought at Civita Veechia. these words are given instead of the fourth commandment, " Ricordati di santificare le Feste." 24 LEGHORN — JEWISH SYNAGOGUE. In passing along the streets to the Chaplaincy, we observed with a shudder criminals at work cleaning the streets, chained one to another, and having their crimes stamped upon their backs. One was marked, " Furto violento " (robbery) ; another, " Uxorcidio " (killing his wife) ; another, " Omicidia in rissa " (manslaughter in a quarrel). On Friday evening, and frequently during our stay, we visited the synagogue, it is a large handsome building, and reckoned the finest in Europe, with the exception of that of Amsterdam. There are two gal- leries for women, one above the other, the lattice-work of which is beautiful. The place of the ark is lined with variegated marble ; tlie door veiled with a curtain of black velvet, flowered with silver, and having a motto from the Psalms. The reading-desk is also of mar- ble : — the velvet cloth bearing the motto, " The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul." There were perhaps 500 Jews present, but few seemed to take any interest in the service. Close by the ark stood two Orientals, dressed in eastern costume, venera- ble men, with long grey beards, lately come from Jerusalem. Many came to them to kiss their hand, and get it laid upon their head. Others also gave this bene- diction. Near the two Easterns, stood another Jew of some eminence from Saloniki. Jews from Greece, Barbary, Turkey, Syria, and Arabia, are often here, as we learned from an English Jew whom we met in the synagogue. At the door, for the first time we observed the box for alms, having the word npnx (tsedaka), " alms," over it, and another with this inscription ^zin hn^u'' }>"in, that is — " For the land of Israel, let it (the temple) be built and erected speedily in our days." The whole population of Leghorn in 1835, including the suburbs, was 76,397, and the Jews at that time in all Tuscany were reckoned at 6486. Now (1839), in Leghorn alone there are 9000 or 10,000 Jews, some of them among the most wealthy men in the land. They have much influence over the government, and most of them are very liberal in their religious opinions. From the printed statistics of the Tuscan States, we gathered the following facts. " The Papal States having discouraged the Jews, they have flocked into Tus- cany. The Duke of Tuscany granted land to the Jews RABBI BOLAFFI. 25 in a marshy district, called Maremne, on condition of their cultivating it. About a thousand siccate of land were taken by the Jews for the purpose of colonization, near the town of Follonica, and nearly 300 labourers em- ployed in clearing away brushwood, trees, &c. It was proposed to divide' the district into twelve podtre or sep- arate estates, and erect a villa, or fattoria, to superintend the whole." The Jewish schoolmaster at Leghorn in- formed us that this project had not succeeded, and that very few Jews had offered to settle there. It seems vain to try to plant Israel any where tiU they be planted again upon their own land.* ■"There are occasionally conversions to Popery among them from interested views. But about three years ago, there occurred a sincere and somewhat singular conver- sion. A Jew of influence and education declared that he wasled to embrace Christianity in a manner that resem- bles Dr. Cappadose's account of his change. He imme- diately renounced the world, and is now in a monastery at Sienna, where he occasionally preaches. _ On the forenoon of Monday (April 29), we visited an Eastern Rabbi, named Bolaffi, whose acquaintance we had made on Saturday. He was seated on a sofa in the Eastern fashion. His dress was that of the East— his appearance imposing, and his action and elocution were very striking. We found him frank, intelligent, and learned. He liked better, however, to speak on general subjects than on religion ; but at length did enter into some reli"-ious discus^sion. We spoke of the nature of Messiah " BolaflEi said, " He is to be a king, and a pro- phet but not a priest." We quoted Psalm ex. He de- nied that to be spoken of Messiah ; and thought that Da- vid was meant. We maintained his divine nature, and amono- other passages quoted Isaiah ix. 6. He admitted that the rendering^" Mighty God" was justified by the Hebrew, but evaded the application, by bidding us notice that the Prophet says only, he shall be " nameiV so. -He aro-ued that the Protestants ousrht to return to the ob- servance of the seventh day as their Sabbath, because the chan<^e was an act of the Romish Church. We came back'^to more vital questions, and referred to Psalm h., " Purt^e me with hyssop." He got away from this by turninf^ his remarks to nn (ruach), " Spirit," arguing that the wo'rd applied even to beasts. As to the way of par- Amos ix. 15. 26 LEGHORN — JEWISH LIBRARY AND SCHOOL. don, he maintained that repentance was all that was needed, quoting 2d Samuel, where David said, " I have sinned," and Nathan answered, " The Lord hath put away thy sin." * He had read the New Testament, and his knowledge of it enabled him to object that Christ was not Prince of peace, because he himself says, " I am not come to send peace, but a sword." He contended that the Sabbath should be so kept that a fire ought*not to be lighted on that day even in Siberia. At parting, he said, " Christians shut us out of Paradise, but we think that all who do good works may enter, whether they be Catholics, Mahometans, or Pl'otestants." Each of us in turn had joined in tlie conversation ; but Dr. Black was the chief sjieaker, beilig able to use the Italian language very fluently. We left him and went to see the Jews' Library. Sev- eral volumes lay open on the table, and many Jews were in the room. Those present vied with each other in showing us Hebrew works upon geography, mathema- tics, and the sciences. They brought out a Hebrew copy of Euclid, and a Hebrew translation of Philo, and said that they had Josephus also translated into Hebrew. When we had taken a sufficient survey of their books, they led us to their School — a large, commodious build- ing. The classes are arranged after the Lancasterian plan, and there is a regular gradation from those learn- ing the letters and the sound of the vowel-points, to those who translate Hebrew into Italian. There are masters to teach drawing, music, history, geography, and writ- ing. English and French are given in the upper class- es. Each teacher has a large" black board, and the al- phabet, syllables, vowel-points, and short sentences are taught from large sheets hung up on the wall, exactly as in our own schools. We found 180 Jewish boys and 80 girls attending the school, all educated free of expense. The advanced boys and girls translated Italian into He- brew, and vice versa, in our presence with great fluency. The younff men in the Talmudical class read and trans- lated the Ist chapter of Isaiah with Aben Ezra's Com- mentary.! Next day we paid Rabbi BolaflS a second visit. He was aflfable and polite as before. Six or eight Jews were present in the room. One of us happening to sneeze, he immediately exclaimed, " Santa !" and another Jew » Fe- * 2 Sam. xii. 13. + See Appendix, No. I. RABBIS BOLAFFI AND PIPERNO. 27 liciti !" that is, good luck. After a few remarks on a book which he had. in his hand, he stated some of the objections he had to the New Testament. They were sucli as these : — Paul advised a man to remain in the re- ligion wherein he was found, whereas he himself circum- cised Timothy, contrary to his own advice. And again, Timothj'^'s mother could not have been a pious woman, for she had married a heathen. He told us he had himself written against Voltaire's works ; and brought out a map to show us the absurdity involved in Voltaire's hypothesis of Israel crossing the Red Sea at low tide. His map and his argument were alike curious. We brought him back to the great question. He ar- gued that a man is free in his will, otherwise he could not be judged for sin ; and asserted, as before, that re- pentance is the method of procuring pardon, referring to God's promise, that as soon as the seed of Israel repent He will bring them home. Another of his objections, to the New Testament was, that " First-born" and " Son," to which terms much importance is there attached, are no more than names of affection among the Jews. He understood Zechariah's words, " The man that is my fellow," in the same sense ; and Micah v. 2, as proving no more than that Messiah was to be of David's line. We said, " He Jias come of that line." " No ; even the New Testament does not say that Christ's genealogy can be traced to David ; it only gives Joseph's line." " The genealogies were fully known in Christ's time, and pulDlicly appealed to by the Evangelists. Are there any in existence now 7" " Yes ; there are some who know their genealogy." " Are there any of the line of David now known !" He replied with a look of dignity, " lo sono" — " I am one." Thus ended our interview with this interesting man. He is a fine example of the Jewish Rabbi; a suljtle sophist in argument, — deeply read in the literature of the Hebrews, yet so ignorant of general knowledge, that he soberly estimated his nation now scattered through the earth at thirty millions. After leaving hijn we sent for his acceptance several tracts, such as " The City of Refuge," and " The Life of Cappadose," along with the Italian edition of Dr. Keith's work on Prophecy. In the evening we retvu'ned to the library to meet a polite, active, young Rabbi, Abraliam Pipejno. He showed us a copy of Elias Levita, dated 1541, and. Zemach David. He brought out a Hebrew copy of 28 LEGHORN — JEWISH BURYING GROUND, Euclid ; and a Hebrew Encyclopaedia in five volumes, some of its articles written by himself. He told us that they have three printing presses in Leghorn. In the course of conversation, we spoke of Isaiah liii., and Daniel ix. His answers were very brief, and con- sisted of little more than a reference to what we would find in a book called " n:icN prn" (hizzak emunah), " De- fence of the Faith." He believes in the restoration of Israel to their own land. He was not aware of any Jews from Leghorn having gone to Palestine ; but Chan- cellor Uzzielli afterwards told us, that occasionally some of the poor and illiterate do so to die there, believing that thus they shall escape pur ga tori/. Returning to the hotel, another Jew, a teacher of music, waited upon us, bringing with him a servant, who carried for his master a heavy MS. It turned out to be a work written by himself against Voltaire and Vol- ney. We soon began to see that he had some selfi.sh object in view, and that he was more anxious to sell his MS. than to buy the truth as it is in Jesus. Next morning we visited a rich merchant, named Ab- odram, from Spain, with whom and his family, Mr. Neat, once Jewish missionary here, had been on friendly terms. He had heard of our discussion with the Rabbi, which had indeed made a stir throughout the Jewish quarter. He received us politely, and accepted a Span- ish copy of Dr. Keith's work, but did not seem to care much about the object of our journey. We then proceeded to the Jewish burying-ground, D^nn n^a (beth hahaim), " house of the hving," as we found written over the gate. It is large and extensive, and requires to be so, for it is considered unlawful to lay two dead bodies in the same grave. It is a bare, level enclosure ; no cypresses wave over the tombs ; a few goats were skipping through the grass. The Jews are compelled by law to bury their dead either in the morning, or at night by torch-light. The older part of the burying-ground, lying toward the west, is full of tombstones^ bearing Spanish inscriptions, for the Jews of Leghorn came originally from Spain. With some natural pride, they point out not a few of these monu- ments having a coronet graved upon them, which they beheve to be the tombs of those among their brethren who were Spanish nobles. Upon some of the tombs are carved hands spread out to bless— marking the grave JEWISH BURYING-GROUND. 29 of a priest ; upon others a hand pourmg water out of a cup — marking the grave of a Levite. At the head of al- most every gravestone are these expressive letters, nasjn, that is, "Let his soul be bound up in the bundle ofhfe." Some of the monuments are truncated pillars, which are intended to point out the grave of a young man cut off in his vigour. One Italian inscription runs thus : UN VERO SAGGIG DELLA GIOVENTU DELLA POVERTA FORTE SOSTEGNO ISACCO FRANCHETTI QUI RIP03A. 0 GENTI, PIANGETE LO, IMITATE LO. BIORE DI A. LXX. IL DB XXX APRILE DI 1832. i. e. one truly wise, the firm stay ^ of poverty, lies here. Lament him — imitate him, &c. On the other side, the Hebrew begins thus : " This is the peaceful rest of Signore Isaac Franchetti," &c. On another grave at the east end of the burying- ground, are these simple words in Hebrew : " Funeral Pillar. The pleasant girl of Signora Reigna Andricas, a child of 12 years of age, died," &c. Another epitaph, probably over a rabbi, runs thus : mas T^'N iiD3n h'j nu -\Dy tyiJD min ■•hy nu yi'n T^'N -iiN '*?>' nu » . " Lament over wisdom, which is perished ; Lament over tlie law, which is a clod of dust; Lament over light, which is darkened," &c. In our way home, an opportunity occurred of calling upon a Rabbi from Barbary, wlio liad a large collection of Hebrew books. Most of them were commentaries of obscure Jews, and not in good condition. His wife wore the high, sugar-loaf cap peculiar to the Barbary Jew- esses. The Jew who accompanied us showed us a 30 LEGHORN — JEWISH POLITY. Hebrew MS., which he says is prohibited by the Rabbis, containing the theory that, when Clu'ist comes again he will be a Messiah. We had some reason to suspect that this was an imposture, and did not pur- chase it. The Chancellor Uzzielli very kindly called upon us, and gave us information regarding the civil affairs of the Jews. Of such importance are the Jews here, that their feasts are marked in the Almanac, and if a bill falls due on any of these days, they are not required to pay on that day. They are governed as a community or cor- poration by forty men, called " Elders." These Elders manage any assess aient laid on the nation by govern- ment, gathering it from their brethren in equable propor- tions. They also manage cases of divorce, which are not frequent. Napoleon allowed polygamy among them, but it is a thing vmknown in their community. The office of elder is hereditary in certain families ; and when a vacancy occurs, they select two individuals, and pre- sent their names to the Grand Duke, who chooses one of the two thus nominated. The Jews of Leghorn send about £800 to Palestine every year. This sum is gathered in the boxes at the synagogue doors, and sent to the four holy cities, Jeru- salem, Hebron, Saphet, and Tiberias, sometimes by in- dividuals going to Palestine, but more frequently through their mercantile correspondents at Constantinople, where there is an agency appointed to manage such sums sent from any part of the world. The Jews in Leghorn believe in the restoration of their nation to the Holy Land ; but, added the Chancellor, it is "p? w creden- za, che desiderio,'" "more a belief of the head, than a de-, sire of the heart." A Jew who had been our guide, Jacob Mossias, in prospect of our departure, asked us to give him a He- brew New Testament, which we did, along with some tracts. We bought several books from him; among others, AbarbineT on the Passover, containing a Jew- ish map of Palestine, and some singular Jewish wood- cuts. " Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live."* We had now taken our passage for Malta, and were pre- paring to sail next day, when all were summoned to appear * Ezek. xxxvii. 9. POPISH ALARM AT THE LIGHT. 31 before the Police to receive the sentence passed upon us and our books. The Censor had examined and con- demned our books. The two elder brethren were there- fore commanded to leave Tuscany without delay; the two younger, being supposed to act under their direc- tion, were not commanded but requested to do the same. Many of our tracts were restored to us, but all the copies of Dr. Keith's work on Prophecy were detained; because it contained interpretations opposed to those of the Church of Rome. And thus we were dismissed. We afterwards learned that a, sentence of perpetual banish- ment from Tuscany had been pronounced against us all — a sentence we could easily bear, but one that proves Popery to be still the silencer of the witnesses, and the deadly enemy of the truth. The Jews were considerably interested in our case ; and perhaps it was permitted in order to show them that Popery is equally the enemy of Protestantism and of Israel. The return of the Jews and the fall of Popery are two events that seem intimately connected in pro- phecy. It was therefore w^ell ordered that, in seeking the lost sheep of the house of Israel, we should meet with treatment at the hand of their oppressors, fitted to awaken in us the cry, "How long, O Lord."* On calmly reviewing all that we had seen of Israel in France and Italy, and considering what might be done to carry the gospel to them, w^e came to the following conclusions. In France, the state of the Jews seems to call for the labours of an evangelist or itinerant Missionary, for the Jews are not gathered together in great numbers in any one town, but distributed among many. Such a Mis- sionary would not require a great knowledge of the Talmud and of Jewish learning as in other countries, but rather a mind capable of grappling with the sophisms of infidelity ; above all, the power of simply and affec- tionately urging the gospel upon them. Having the command of the French and Hebrew languages, he might be an eminent blessing to the Jews scattered over the towns of France. With regard to Italy, there can be little doubt that Leg- horn affords the most promising station. The Jews are * Ps. Ixxxix. 46 ; Rev. vi. 10. 32 VOYAGE TO MALTA — ELBA. more numerous there than in any other Itahan town, and it seems probable that the government would not interfere with the labours of a prudent Missionary, if these were confined to Jews and Protestants. It appears as if God had shut the door upon our efforts to carry the gospel to the poor blinded Papist, but left the door open to carry tlie message of mercy to the poor despised Jew. If our Church were to maintain a Chaplain for the benefit of our own fellow-countrymen resident in Leghorn, — a measure which would be hailed with delight by many Pres- byterian families there, who sigh for the privilege of pure gospel ordinances administered in the same form as in their native land, — it occurred to us all that this labourer might also turn his efforts toward the Jews. If he were to become intimately acquainted with the Jewish fami- lies, which he could easily do, he might, by the blessing of God, carry the sweet savour of Christ into many a domestic circle of Israel, in that land of the shadow of death. In the afternoon of Friday (May 3), we embarked in the Lycurge for Malta, our kind friends accompanying us to the boat. Upon the deck of the vessel we met with Individuals from many various nations. Besides French, English, and Italians, there were an American traveller, a German, and a young Greek, known by his horizontal moustache and the fantastic dress of his native mountains, full of spirit, and proud of his liberated country. In addition to these, we had the newly ap- pointed Bishop of Tripoli, of the Graeco-Romish church in Syria, a mild-looking man, with very fine long hair, beard and moustache, marked features, and a pleasing expression, dressed in a brown mantle over a red gown, with a purple sash, gold chain, and cross. Two younger priests and a" servant accompanied him, all of the same pleasing appearance. We had also several soldiers on board, a Romish priest, several monks, and three veiled nuns from Spain, all on their way to Rome. We sailed over a calm unruffled sea, and passing the small island of Gorgnnna, coasted the more celebrated Elba. A white cloud was leaning on its heights as we passed. Had Napoleon never been there, that island might often have been seen with no more notice than an inquiry, What is its name ] Now, however, every eye CIVITA VECCHIA — POPERY. 33 gazes on it with interest as the vessel passes by. Form- erly it was known for its mines, of which Virgil sings — '■ Ilva Insula inexhaustis Chalybum generosa meiallis :"* (" The rugged Ilva, Rich in her endless beds of steely ore") A devout superstitious Roman Catholic, come from Holland on a pilgrimage to Rome, entered into discus- sion with us. His pronunciation of Latin nearly agreed with ours, so tliat we were able to converse treely till night separated us. We spoke also with one of the monks from a Spanish monastery, and found him a most bigoted, ignorant devotee. The party from Syria spoke Arabic and a very little Italian, so that our intercourse was limited though interesting. The bishop accepted from us a very small Italian New Testament, raising his eyebrows in astonishment that the whole could be'com- prised in so small a compass. But when we told him that in our country we were Bishops, his wonder almost amounted to incredulity, as he eyed us from head to foot, observing the youthful countenances of some of us, and our simple attire. The young Greek si)oke freely with us in Italian. He is employed as a guide to lead travellers through the scenes of ancient history in his native country. Full of vivacity, his tongue seemed never to rest, but was either singing the songs or de- scribing tlie romantic scenes of Greece till night came down. Then lie spread out his mat on the deck, and after going through his evening devotions, wrapped him- self up in his rough, shaggy capote, and resigned himself to repose. Wlien next morning dawned, we found ourselves not far from Cii-ita J'erc/n'a, where we anchored for two hours. We landed and rambled through the town. The country round a}ipeared to be very desolate and mostly uncultivated. The town itself is wretclicd in the extreme, and the streets are gloomy and dull; the only objects to attract the eye being tlie carts in the market drawn by oxen, and the cross surmounting every dwelling. Entering a bookseller's shop, we purchased several Popish Catechisms and Tracts, believing that we would here find a specimen of Popery undisguised. We were not deceived in our expectation. In one of the cate- *-En. X. 173. 5* 34 VOYAGE TO MALTA — GOZO. chisms, the second commandment is altogether excluded, while prayers to saints and directions as to the worship of the Virgin, are given at full length. We next wan- dered into an open church, and after examining the usual crucifixes, paintings, altar-pieces, and confessionals, found our way into a curious side-room, or rather vault, a mortuary adorned with human skulls. In the niches round stood skeletons, some of which held a cross in their bony hands, others a scythe and hour-glass. Mot- toes such as these were affixed, " Aspice in me et mise- rere mei — Breves dies hominis sunV (Behold and pity me — Few are the days of man.) These are meant to excite spectators to pray for the dead. Another skeleton had this motto, '■'■ Expect o donee venerit immutatio mea" (I wait till my change come.) Another referred to pur- gatory, " Non exibis inde donee reddas novissivium quad- rantem" (Thou shalt not come out hence until thou pay the utmost farthing.) One in particular drew our atten- tion. The skeleton fingers held a bag open for any visi- tor to drop in money, and over it was written, " Elemo- sina por i poveri morti di campag-na''' (Alms for the poor dead of the country.) This town is the " Centum Cellce" mentioned by Pliny,* and was in his day a port of Etruria. Re-embarking, we soon lost sight of the Italian shore. Next day was "the Sabbath, a silent Sabbath, far from the assemblies of God's worshippers. (May 6.) No land appeared till Monday morning, when we obtained a distant view of Sicily. Mount Eryx might be one of the heights we saw. At all events, we were now viewing hills of which we used to read in our earlier days, " Mille mese Siculis errant in montibus agnaB;"t (My thousand lambs roam the Sicihan hills ;) and were traversing the very sea of which Horace sang in all the pride of a^Roman citizen, when he looked on its dashing waves. " Nee dirum Hannibalem, nee Siculum mare, Pceno purpureum sanguine." t (Nor dreaded Hannibal, nor the Sicilian Sea Dyed red with Punic blood.) By sunset the same evening we came in sight of Gozo, rocky and steep, and as we looked round upon the blue * Epist. vi. 31. t Virg. Eclog. 2, 21. t Od. ii. 12, 2. ISLAND OF MALTA — VALETTA. 35 waters, without a bound but the horizon, remem- bered Paul, having no doubt that this is the part of the sea at the mouth of tiie Adriatic on which he was tossed. About ten in the evening, we drew near Malta, and soon sailed far up into the splendid harbour of Valetta, formed by one of the creeks in which tiie island abounds. We cast anchor in the smooth deep water, near some of the ships of war stationed here. The lights twinkling on the heights showed the direction of the town, while the solemn bells tolled the hours of night. A small boat came alongside, and a voice hailed us in English. It was some individual who held office in the place. He inquired if we were all " en -pratique" i. e. free from plague,— if we had brought any news, — and if there were any individuals of rank on board. Sitting on deck, and feeling joy and gratitude at being thus far brought on our way, we i-emembered that this island once sent up its hymn of tlianksgiving, when Paul, and Luke, and Aristarchus stood on its shoi-e and praised their Deliverer. Perhaps they sang Psalm cvii. 23 — 30. Whether or not the spot pointed out" on the other side of the island be the real place of Paul's shipwreck, it is diffi- cult to say; but certainly many spots, and the harbour of Valetta among the rest, correspond to the brief de- scription given. Acts XXVii. 39, " K6\irov it nva Karevoovv e'xovTa aiyiaXov" (a Certain creek with a shore). Early on the Tuesday morning (May 7), we disem- barked amid tumult and confusion that baffles descrip- tion, arising from the greedy anxiety of porters and mise- rable-looking beggars, all striving to the utmost to obtain a pittance by seizing on the luggage of strangers. ]'a- letta is certainly a singularly-built town. Several of the streets are little else than so many flights of steps, steep and slippery ; yet up these the mule can climb with ease, a feat that no horse in our country could accomplish. The heat was very great, so that we were quite oppress- ed by walking under a burning sun. Strangers from every country under heaven seem to meet here ; — the Greek gracefully attired, and the turbaned Turk; — the dismal priest, and the monk with shaven crown ; — Ens;-- lish sailors next, and then an English officer; — the Mal- tese peasant with ornamented vest, and girdle round the waist; and then the Maltese lady wearing the onella (perhaps a remnant of the eastern veil), a black silk 36 MALTA — JEWS — MR. FREEMANTLE. scarf drawn over the head, forming an arch, which re- veals the face half in the shade. The state of morals is fearfully corrupt all over the island. The natives are proverbially deceitful and ava- ricious. They possess lively passions, and are tenacious in their love and in their hatred. Popery is their curse ; churches and priests abound ; and our government has hitherto done too much to countenance the Man of Sin in Malta. Q,ueen Adelaide's Protestant church had not yet risen above its foundation. In Malta there are very few Jews, and those few move from place to place : not many have wealth, and most of them are wretchedly poor. There is one convert em- ployed in the printing establishment of the Church of England Society's Mission. We called on Mr. Schlienz, of the Church of England Missionary Society, from whom we received useful infor- mation ; and at the quarantine station we conversed with the Rev. Mr. Freemantle, a minister of the Church of Eng- land, who, with his wife, had just returned from Palestine. They had travelled by way of Cairo to Mount Sinai, and SAIL FOR ALEXANDRIA. 37 thence to Jerusalem. He told us that we would find far fewer Jews in the Holy Land than is generally reported ; and all of them poor and wretched. He stated that the fearful corruptions of the professedly Christian churches in those countries are the most effectual stumbling- blocks to the Jew, and that the exhibition of a pure and holy faith would probably be one of the chief advantages of building an English Protestant Church upon Mount Zion. Riding out in the evening to St. Julian, a village some few miles distant from Valetta, to visit Dr. Clarke, who once laboured among the Jews, we had an opportunity of seeing a little of the scenery of the island and the man- ners of its people. The conducteur of our vehicle, in- stead of riding, ran all the way by the side of the mule, urging it on by his voice, and setting an example by his own indefatigable speed. No road could be more irre- gular, and it is impossible that it should be otherwise, for the shore is indented every few miles with inlets of the sea, round which you must wind your way. Often it became steep and narrow ; and often it was made of sohd rock. We noticed the beautiful appearance of the western sky at sunset for which the island is remark- able. The rocks and buildings appeared to be tinged with a yellowish pearly lustre, which added a singular beauty to every object in the scene. We required to be ready to sail early next morning in the French steamer " Eurotas" for Alexandria ; and though the tardiness and greediness of porters and boat- men very nearly disappointed us of our passage, we at length succeeded in getting off. It was a bright and beautiful morning when we sailed from the quarantine harbour. Occasionally the reflection of the sun's rays from the smooth surface of a bending wave was like the gleam from a mirror ; and the playful glance of the beams on this splendid sea, brought to our mind the expression, " novTiiov Tt KVjxaT(OV (The countless playful smiles Of ocean's waves,) which ^schylus* used in regard to those very waters as they laved the shores of Greece. A few small white clouds appeared in the horizon, but not a speck in the sky above us. Malta was out of sight in a few hours, * Prom. Vinct. 89. 38 VOYAGE TO ALEXANDRIA — COAST OF GREECE. and during the rest of the day we saw nothing but fields of level water. At evening, the few clouds on the horizon seemed like the hills on some distant land. There was no peculiar beauty in the sunset — only the sun himself appeared re- markably brilliant, " Not as in northern climes obscurely bright, But one unclouded blaze of living light. ' The swallows kept flying about the vessel till darkness came on ; and then the stars shone out singularly bright. The planet Venus was reflected on the water quite like the Moon in brilliancy. Coming down to the cabin, the young American tra- veller described to us some of the scenes which he had witnessed at Rome during Passion-week. He told us of the Pope blessing 150,000 people, all kneeling before him* in the great square of St. Peter's, and of his riding into the city in imitation of Christ's entry into Jerusalem. The night was perfectly serene. We experienced nothing of the " Dux inquieti turbidus Adriae ;"t (The blustering south wind swaying Adria's waves ;) though we were passing over its waters, or at least over the " Ionium mare" where it joins the Adriatic. All the next day, the sea presented the same glassy smoothness. Two vessels on the distant horizon were lying quite motionless, there being not a breath of wind. The Greek sung many of his national war-songs, and his patriotism seemed to rise higher and higher as we sailed towards his country. Next morning (May 10) about sunrise, we came in sight of Greece, opposite CapeGallo (the ancient Acritas). Crossing the Gulf of Coron (anciently the Sinus Mes- seniacus), we sailed slowly past Cape Matapan (the an- cient TcBnarus), where the cloudcapt hills of Laconia terminate. These hills form the range of Taygeius— " virginibus bacchata Lacaenis Taygeta :"| (Where Lacedemon's virgins kept their revelry :) and the cape is the most southern point of Europe ; the ''invisihorrida TcBnari sedes"^ (the seat of hateful Tagna- rus), of which we used to read in the classics. The young Greek sruide proudly pointed to the mountain range as the seat of the un conquered Mainotes, and to * 2 Thess. ii. 4. t Hor. Ode iii. 3, 5. t Virg. Georg. ii. 488. § Hor. Ode i. 34, 10. ISLANDS OP GREECE — SYRA. 39 the far distant hills at the top of the gulf (the Sinus La- conicus) as marking where Sparta stood. Many of the summits were capped with snow. The heights of Taena- rus were obscured by morning clouds— while their bases reached down to the water edge. Through the glass we could descry many hanging villages with terraced fields and gardens. Passing the island of Elaphonesia and Cerigo (the an- cient C'l/theru), and the promontory Malea, we entered the ^gean Sea. The numberless islands of the Archipe- lago now came in view one after another. We remem- bered that the Psalmist spoke of all this great sea, and may have known something of the islands and countries which it washes. The expression appeared very appro- priate, " this great and wide sea,"* or more literally, " this great sea luhich is broad in its arms" (on^ 3m rehav yadaim), an epithet which seems to refer to the waters clasping round these innumerable islands, and pouring themselves into these thousand creeks and bays. Our first siffht of those beautiful islands, and the whole of their appearance afterwards, under so bright a sky, made us understand the language of the Latin poet, "m- tentes Ct/cladas'' \ (bright-shining Cyclades). Nor is Virgil's description of this sea less accurate, — " crebris freta consita ierris" I (liquid fields sown thick with countless isles). Our vessel was now directing its course north-east for the island of Syra, the ancient Syros. At a distance, Spezzia was pointed out to us, and a little farther off rose Hydra, famous in the warfare of modern Greece, reminding us of our own Bass Rock. Next we passed near Falconero, an uninhabited rocky islet. Melos and Anti-melos then came in sight ; the former a large island with a fine harbour, and marked by two lofty hills; the latter bold and precipitous, descending steep into the water. Far to the south we saw Dipsis, almost a bare rock, and toward evening Seriphos. The sun seemed- to sink down behind Falconero, leaving a calm sea and a beautifully spotted sky behind, tinging all the western horizon with a glorious red. At two next morning (Saturday, May 11), we cast an- chor before the town of Syra. The coast of the island forms a natural harbour. The town rises up from the shore, and seems entirely to cover the conical hill on which it is built. The castle or Acropolis is on the top, * Ps. civ. 25. t Hor. Ode i. 14, 20. t JEn. iii. 127. 40 SYRA — POPULATION — LANGUAGE. keepint? watch over houses that seem to creep up the hill toward the Acropolis for shelter. All the buildings are of a dazzling whiteness, and the hills around green with olives. We could imagine ourselves riding in the harbour of one of the ancient cities of Greece, the town smiling below, and the Acropolis frowning defiance from above^ The ciiief town of Syra was anciently called Hermopolis, and the books printed here by the Church of England Missionary Society bore this name on the title-page. It was a place of little consequence till some of the Sciotes who escaped the massacre in which their brethren perished, fixed on it as their residence; but since the settlement of the new kingdom of Greece, and especially during the last fifteen years, it has rapidly in- creased. The mail-packets of the French and Austrian compa- nies use Syra as their station, and from this place vessels are ready to carry the traveller to Athens, Egypt, and Constantinople. We witnessed much activity in the harbour, boats loading and unloading. The water was so clear that we could^see the pebbles at the bottom. In the docks we counted thirteen small vessels on the stocks. The town has a population of 20,000. A hardy- Greek rowed us to the shore, when, after being exam- ined by the Board of Health, we found our way to the " Hotel de Grece," or " HfracWnoj/ rm EXXaco,-" (the Greek inn). It was a wretched inn, but the people were anxious to show us every kindness. Instead of butter they brought us Grecian honey. In walking through the streets it was interesting to find the language of ancient Greece moulded to express modern inventions. There was the " BauiXiKov ipojxaov ^vpar" "the Royal Post-office of Syra;" and again, a board, marking the sailing of the steamers, was headed by the word " AT/tvEijovTo"^ — (Who peopled hundred-citied Crete). But a far deeper and holier feeling of interest was awa- kened in our breast, when we looked upon it as a re- gion where the Cross of Christ was once so successfully lifted up, and salvation preached with power to the de- based idolaters. We read over with a new relish, the Epistle to Titus, who was " left in Crete, to set in order the things that were wanting, and to ordain elders in every city." We remembered" how fi-equently Paul must have visited this island, sailing over the very sea we had * Acts iii. + Quotin" Gen. xiii. 8. X Acts x.xvii. 7. $ Horn. II. ii. 649. INTEKVIEW WITH A YOUNG FRENCHMAN. 45 been traversing ; and we thought of Apollos tarrying at Crete, on his way to his native Alexandria (whither we were bound), along with Zenas, the lawyer, a scribe, well-instructed unto the kingdom of heaven.* Next day (Monday, May 13) the sea was calm, and we had some further conversation with the passengers. We offered an Italian tract to a poor monk, a pilgrim on his way to the Holy Sepulchre ; but he civilly declined it, saying, "he had a pain in his head lohenever he attempt- ed to ^read!" One deeply interested person on board was the medical attendant belonging to the vessel, a young Frenchman named Darnel. Last evening when nearly all had gone to rest, one of us was led into a close and earnest conversation with him on his hope for eter- nit}'. The ship was rolling very heavily, but he lay down on the floor of the cabin, and in broken English on his part, and broken French on ours, we spoke on divine things till past midnight. This morning the conversa- tion" was renewed. The doctor declared that religion was dead in France ; the follies of Popery had led men of reason to despise all religion, and he believed that there was more morality now than when Popery reigned. His idea of duty was, that it consisted in the practice of such virtues as concern for the public good, faithfulness to the marriage relation, and charity to the poor. He had no idea that a regard to the will of God was the rule of a man's duty, and honestly confessed, that he had not the least feeling of sin — " Philosophy," said he, " has taught me all that is needful for man." He acknow- ledged that he was not happy: — he ate, drank, slept, and rose every day to his work, yet still was not so happy as he wished to be. " But where am I to find happiness 1 The St. Simonians say they are quite happy in their brotherhood, yet their system is absurdity." We said that we had found happiness, and pointed out the founda- tion on which it rested, and urged him to put to the proof God's promise through his Son, "Come to me, and Itvill g-ive you rest." He put us off by saying, " he could not pray unless he believed." We rejoined, that he refused to turn the mind's eye toward tiie object to be believed, and therefore could not rationally expect to embrace the truth. Upon this he argued that a man was no more to blame for his hard heart, than for a diseased member of his body: nor could he see the evil of being born in sin, * Titus ill. 13. 46 APPROACH TO EGYPT — HARBOUR OF ALEXANDRIA. and having a wicked nature. We showed him God's solemn declarations of man's awful guilt, and the free offer which he makes to him of pardon and a new heart. He was a kind, feeling, amiable man — one who seemed truly sincere, yet one who felt, hke the young ruler, an invincible repugnance to the demands of the gospel. We gave him a French Bible, writing his name upon it, and our heart-felt desires for his salvation. He received it freely, and " went away sorrowful." The heat was now very oppressive, and the cabin at midday was like an oven. About two o'clock in the afternoon, we came in sight of the low-lying shores of Egypt. The coast is very low indeed ; and the country, as far as the eye can reach, flat and sandy. A land-mist arose over the sky as we approached the shore, drawing a veil over the sun, and thus moderating the intense heat. Our Albanian friend pointed to a row of buildings indistinctly visible, which he said were " Aveiwi^vXai," i. e. windmills. Sailing past the ancient Pharos, now no longer an island, we entered the harbour. We counted twelve ships of the line, belonging to the Pacha's fleet, resting majestically on the waters. They seemed to be beautifully equipped and fully manned. The appearance of the marines was striking, with their white cotton dress, red sash, deep brown faces, and glancing arms — and martial music resounded from every vessel. The cres- cent and star upon the red flag reminded us that we were now among the followers of the ftilse prophet. Turning towards the shore, our eye rested with quick- ened interest on the graceful palm-trees, the camels slowly moving along the beach, and other indications of an Eastern clime, as the anchor dropped, and we pre- pared to land. 47 CHAPTER II. EGYPT — THE DESERT — SOUTH OF PALESTINE. " Set thee up way-marks, make thee high heaps : set thine heart to- ward the high-way, even the way which thou wentest : turn again, O virgin ot" Israel, turn again to these thy cities." — Jer. xxxi. 21. When about to land, we were told that the plague hai that very day made its appearance in Alexandria. This was by no means welcome news, for we saw that in all probability we should now be subjected to the delay of a quarantine before entering Palestine. Meanwhile, however, having no alternative, we disembarked. The quay exhibited a strange scene of confusion and noise. A crowd of rough half-naked men and Arab boys, some with asses, some with camels, lined the beach, all scream- ing and quarrelling, determined to press their services on every passenger, and to take no denial. With some difficulty we got our luggage satisfactorily disposed of, and then each of the company mounted on an ass, and guided by an Arab boy, scampered through the gate of the city, and through the narrow bazaar, till we caine to a pleasant square in the other extremity of the town. Here we took up our abode in an inn kept by a French- man. With calm delight we were now able to look round upon the land of Egypt, while many scenes of its event- ful history I'ose up before us. It was here that Jacob and Joseph sojourned, with their families, for 400 years. This was the land of Moses and his wondrous deeds. And, more interesting still, this was the land that gave refuge to " the holy child Jesus," when compelled to flee from the land of Judah. It was the cradle of Israel, and the cradle of Israel's Savioiu", — as it is written, " out of Egypt have I called my son." * "This city Alexandria was the birth-place of ApoIlos,t that pattern of burning zeal, and scriptural eloquence — the city, too, of Athanasius — and the scene of the labours of the seventy translators of the Old Testament. Alex- ander the Great, Cleopatra, Caesar, and many other * Matt. ii. 15. t Acts xviii. 24. 48 ALEXANDRIA — DRESS OF THE WOMEN. names, are associated with the name of the once ilhis- trious Alexandria. With still deeper interest we now pondered over the future history of Egypt, as disclosed In the record of prophecy, and prayed tliat the time may be hastened, when " Ethiopia shall stretch out her hands to God" * — When " the Lord shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord" — "And the Lord shall smite Egypt, he shall smite and heal it ;" " Saying, Blessed be Egypt my people." f (May 14.) Every eastern city is infested with dogs that prowl about the streets for food; and daring all the night their ceaseless howling reminded us of David's de- scription of his enemies : " They return at evening ; they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city." J Before breakfast, some of us rambled out to Pompey's Pillar. The only thing remarkable about it is, that the shaft is one stone, a solid mass of red granite, 90 feet long, and 9 feet in diameter. The capital is Corinthian, indifferently carved. The traces of many a traveller's visit are to be found scratched iipon its pedestal. The Mareotic Lake la)'' east of it, but is now dried up, afford- ing no moisture to water the Mareotic vines that once regaled Cleopatra and her lux- urious court. The ground around it swarmed with small lizards, and the surface is bro- ken with innumerable holes made by the jerboa. It was curious for us to observe for the first ti^ne women wearing the veil that hides the whole face except the eyes. Some carried the earthen jar upon their head in a very graceful manner. Some also were car- rying their children on their shoulders, as referred to by the prophet, when he says of returning Israel, " thy daugh- ters shall be carried on their shoulders."^ Some carried them in a still more singular manner, upon their side, a * Ps. Ixviii. 31. I Ps. lix. 6. t Isa. xix. 21, 22, 25. $ Isa. .\lix. 22. JEWISH SYNAGOGUE — JEWS. 49 custom also referred to by the prophet, " Ye shall be borne upon her sides." * Passing through the bazaar, one of the Pasha's Beys rode past us, fully armed, mounted on an Arab steed. An Egyptian clothed in white cotton ran before him at full speed, clearing the way with voice and arms. This vividly recalled to us, Elijah girding up his loins and running before Ahab's chariot to the gate of Jezreel.f In the forenoon we arranged our money-matters, and- visited several individuals to whom we had letters— es- pecially Mr. Larkins, the English consul, and Mr. Todd, from whom we received great kindness. In the evening we visited the Frank Synagogue. We were guided up a dark stair in an obscure street, and through a long narrow ill-lighted passage into a small room, not more than thirty feet long and ten broad. At the door stood the usual box for alms, and another for "-iind'? ]m" (shemen limor,) "olive-oil for the lamps." There were only ten persons present : three of whom were natives of Egypt, dressed in the common oriental costume ; the rest from Leghorn, Trieste, and other mer- cantile towns of Europe. They showed little feelmg of devotion; except at one point of the short service, where there was a pause in the reading of the prayers, and all seemed to pray in silence for four or five minutes, turn- ing their faces towards the ark. Before, concluding, a box was carried round for contributions. There was not one interesting feature either in the worship or in the place, with the exception of a large frame suspended on the wall bearing these words,—" tr'ipD-n'j mo>' tth* inmn U'D^a T^^m22 hdipidS ," " May the merciful one bring back the service of the house of the sanctuary to its place, speedily, in our days." This was like one of the groans of Israel for deliverance in "the house of bondage." As soon as service was over, the Jews spoke freely to us— opened the ark, and showed us their copies of the law. One of the best of these we spread out for exami- nation on the reading-desk; and out of their own scrip- tures discoursed to them of sin and atonement for sin. We told them that we had come from Scotland out of love to their souls. We spoke of Messiah, how he came the first time to die for sin, and is coming soon the second time to reign in glory. They said that there are * Isa. Ixvi. 12. +1 Kings xviii. 46. 50 ALEXANDRIA — PREPARATION FOR JOURNEY. about 100 families of European Jews in Alexandria, who have only one synagogue ; and that there are about 300 families of native Jews who have two, and these they called the Arab synagogues. One Jew who had resided much at Cairo, told us that in that city there were 300 families of Jews, of whom one-third were Caraites. We afterwards learned from English residents that this infor- mation was not very accurate, and that there are more Jews in Cairo than in Alexandria. In the latter, there may be about 1000, and in Cairo about 2000. The Jews of Alexandria are mostly of the third class in trade — the richest of them are all sarafs, or money-changers. We were occupied all next morning (May 15) in pre- paring for our journey through the desert. The plague having appeared in Alexandria, we could not enter Pa- lestine by Jaffa or Beyrout, without submitting to a long and unwholesome quarantine. We therefore resolved to proceed by the way oi El Arish; and to do this with- out delay, as in the course of a few days, orders were likely to be sent to establish a quarantine at El Arish. The Consul's trusty janissary, Mustapha by name, born at Thebes, a useful, clever person, busily engaged him- self in providing us with needful articles. We had already furnished ourselves with light dresses at Mar- seilles, and straw hats at Leghorn — and now we pur- chased travelling implements. We went to the bazaar, and bought carpets to lie upon at night, and a thick soft coverlet lo wrap ourselves in. We next procured with some difficulty two tents, neither of them large, one round, the other oblong. Cairo is the proper place for obtaining such articles. An Indian gentleman's canteen and cooking utensils, with a stock of remainder provi- sions, fell into our hands at a cheap rate. Mustapha procured two Arab servants to attend us, Ibraim and Ahmet, the former able to speak Italian and English, the latter only Italian. They had often journeyed through Syria, and Ibraim had been lately there with Professor Robinson of America. When they came to be hired, Mr. Todd said to them in the Eastern manner—" I am as they are," pointing to us. " Offend them, offend me." They replied, "Their comfort shall be on our heads." Mustapha added, " If they do not do what is right, they shall never drink water in Alexandria again." The two tents cost us 340 piastres (about 3/. 9s. ;) for our beds, canteen, and provisions, we paid about \U. Our servants were to accompany us for three months at t TURKISH BATH — GOVERNOR'S GARDEN — WELLS. 51 the cost of 36 dollars each, exclusive of 30 dollars to each on tiieir leaving us, to enable them to return home. In the afternoon we tried the Turkish bath. The at- tendant first laid aside our clothes, and put one towel, wrapt like a turban, round our head, and another round our waist. Then he conducted us into an inner apart- ment, the atmosphere of which we could scarcely breathe at first, on account of the heat and vapour. Our feet, shod with wooden sandals, slid on the smooth marble floors. Next he laid us down on our back upon the smooth marble divan, in the centre of the apartment, washed us with soap, and poured hot water over our heads. All this was done by an Egyptian almost naked, armed with a rough glove of camel's hair. It was not without a shudder that we felt ourselves in such hands, amidst about twenty others, all Mahometans with shaved heads and black skins. We were then led to one of the side baths, where the hot water was allowed to pour upon us. The pores being abundantly opened under the operation of so many causes, we were con- ducted back to the room where we had undressed, laid upon our backs, covered over with a warm quilt, and shampooed — the soles of our feet being scraped with an instrument for the purpose, and every joint in our hands and feet made to crack. Lastly, we were offered coffee, and a glass of sherbet ; after which we were allowed to dress, and come away, not a little amused, as well as refreshed. The custom of passing from the bath to the dressing-room, during which the feet might easily be soiled, reminded us of the true rendering of the precious words of our Lord, " He that has been in the bath, need- eth not, save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit." * Before dinner we had a pleasant ride to the gardens of the Governor, about a mile from town. Passing out of the gate, we observed that every man who went out showed his hand to the sentinel. This is to prevent de- sertion from the army, every soldier bearing the Pasha's mark on his right hand. We passed a grove of palms and observed the flowering pomegranates — vines also and figs, tamarisks and banians. Westood a little to observe the common manner of drawing water at the wells. A wheel is moved round by oxen or buffaloes, whose neck is yoked to a pole. Every where we saw the slow-pacing animal moving round, and heard the creaking of this clumsy apparatus. * John xiii. 10. 52 ALEXANDRIA FULFILMENT OF FROFHECy. By the road-side an old sarcophagus was lying in frag- ments. We alighted and walked through the gardens, laid out with straight walks, after the Egyptian taste. The flowering oranges were beautiful and Iragrant, and the vines luxuriant. The grapes are said to be watery. In returning we visited the site of the lake Mareotis, Pompey's Pillar, and the Mahometan burying-ground. We then proceeded through the extensive ruins of the old city to Cleopatra's Needles, two beautiful obelisks, one lying flat, half sunk in the ground, the other still standing erect. Both are covered with hieroglyphics, fi-esh and unchanged by time. Near the Coptic Convent we examined with much interest the site and remaining traces of the church of the great Athanasius, who was Bishop here a. d. 326, God's witness for the truth against many kings and people. Some broken pillars and frag- ments of "the foundation are all that remain. Not far from this is the ancient Jewish burying-ground ; but the Jews are now forced to bury outside the walls. In the course of our ride, one of our friends, who had resided long in Egypt, stated a remarkable fulfilment of prophecy. — Scarcely any of those reeds for which the Nile was once famous are now to be found upon its banks. The lotus in particular has disappeared, so that it is neai'ly unknown ; and the papyrus is very rare. Now the words of Isaiah are these : " The waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up."* This has literally taken place. In the days of the prophet there were seven mouths of the Nile ; there are now only two ; the rest have been wasted and dried up. But farther he predicts,! " They shall turn the riv- vers (/. e. the canals) far away, and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up : the reeds and flags shall wither. The paper-reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and every thing sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more."]: These words have come to pass, while at the same time it is interest- ing to remark, that Egypt is as famous for its melons and cucumbers, its leeks and onions, and garlick, as it was in the days of Moses. 5 The reeds were commanded to wither, and they have fled away ; the other productions, against wliich no word of threatening went forth, are as • Isa. xix 5. t Verses 6, 7. X Some have rendered verse 7—" Nakedness on the river, on the mouth of the river," which would be a striking reference to the live dried-up branches "^im^ »£) ^y iin'-S;; nn;? 5 Num, .\i. 5. DEPARTURE FOR ROSETTA. 53 luxuriant as before. The shelving banks of the river, down which Pharaoh's daughter went with her maidens to bathe, have been much elevated, owing to the vast deposite of alluvial soU which the Nile is making every- day. We returned about sunset, — one of the Moslem hours for prayer, — and observed for the first time the Mahome- tans bending to pray on the deck of the ship, the retired corners, and even in the streets. The same evening, in the Bazaar, we met two of our Jewish friends who had sailed to Egypt with us. They were kinder than ever, and told us that they were going to sail for Beyrout. Next morning (May 16), before dawn, we Avere awa- kened by the arrival of the asses and drivers, that had been engaged to convey us as far as Damietta, the sand of the desert being so far hard and suitable for the asses' feet. Notwithstanding the continued knocking of these drivers, we refused to start so early ; and it was not till seven that we were fairly mounted on the nimble little animals, our carpets serving the purpose of a saddle. Our train consisted of sixteen asses. Our servants Ibraim and Ahmet rode by our side, and ten Egyptian lads ran beside the asses that bore the luggage. Soon after, our train received the addition of two more asses, one to carry the water-skins, and another to be ready for ser- vice in case of any of the rest becoming exhausted. We soon passed through the Rosetta gate, and bade farewell to Alexandria. It was the morning of the day on which our Cieneral Assembly was to meet in Edinburgh, an assembly in which the important question of the Spiritual Indepen- dence of our Church, and the privilege of its Christian people, were likely to be keenly discussed. As we rode along the sands, sometimes meeting the palm-tree, some- times a cluster of lowly shrubs, with flocks of goats browsing near, we spoke to each other of the day, pray- ing that the crown might be set on the head of the Anointed One, and that the dry land of our parishes might be turned into water-springs. We thought of the Judges of Israel riding on asses, * and of the many refei^ences to this custom in the Bible. We remembered above all that Zion's King came thus to Zion, " Meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of anass."t The palms seemed frequently to spring * Judg. V. 10. t Matt. xxi. 5. 54 JOURXEY TO ROSETTA — THE MIRAGE. up immediately from out of the sand, their root no doubt being nourislied by unseen moisture. Does the Psahnist refer to this circumstance, when he says, " The right- eous shall flourish as the palm-tree ?" * At all events, there is reference to its regular, steady growth, year after year, marked by a new circle upon the bark. The beautiful waving of the branches also, when moved by a passing breeze, showed us how they came to be so fre- quently used in triumphs; a custom alluded to in Reve- lations, f where the great multitude who have overcome all their enemies and stand before the throne, are clothed in white robes and hold " palms in their hands." Lizards were every where basking in the heat of the sun ; and sometimes in the distance a group of camels were seen feeding on the stunted shrubs of the desert ; while the only sounds that broke on the ear were the cries of the driver, "ruach" "get on," and "iizbef" "stop;" or sometimes the voice of the older men calling " icaled,'^ "boy," to the younger lads. The boys took great de- light in teaching us the Arabic for the numbers one, two, three, &c., and for some of the common phrases of life, interpreting them by signs. Dr. Keith engaged himself in questioning our servant and guide Ibraim about Petra ; for he had been there with Dr. Robinson of America. From him we learned that a rough, hairy animal, which we understood to be the porcupine, abounds in Wady Mousa, and that the Arabs call it " ktingfud," which is evidently the Hebrew -^lop (kippod), the word used in Isaiah, | though translated " bittern " in our version. Our course lay across the head of the ancient Lake Mareotis, and some other salt-lakes, now dried up by the sun. A white crust of salt often covered the hard sand. In the distance, we observed the well-known phenome- non of the mirage, to which the prophet Isaiah is sup- posed to allude, " The parched ground shall become (reaUy) a pool."^ At one time, we saw what seemed to be a calm flowing water, reflecting from its unruffled sur- face trees growing on its banks, while some object in the background assumed the appearance of a splendid resi- dence amidst a grove of trees. At another time, there ap- peared castles embosomed in a forest of palms, with a lake of clear water stretched between us and them. Generally * Ps. xcii. 12. t Rev. vii. 9. t Isa. xxxiv. 11. $ Isa. XXXV. 7. The Hebrew word (3-\tt') employed in this passage for " parched ground," is exactly the Arabic name for the mirage, viz. serab. BAY OF ABOUKIR — ARRIVAL AT ROSETTA. 55 the mirage may be known by its continually shifting the view, and by the hazy movement of the atmosphere over the apparent waters. Suddenly we came upon the Bay of Abouklr, and were refreshed by the cool breeze from the Mediterranean. This bay is famous in the warlike annals of our country, and here the Canopic mouth of the Nile used formerly to empty itself into the sea. About one, we rested, taking shelter from the heat under the walls of a wretched khan, which was so small that we preferred putting up our tent, while the Arabs opened their sacks and gave the asses provender, — re- minding us of Jacob's sons.* At three, we resumed our journey, enjoying the plea- sant air from the sea till toward evening, when we left; the shore. The road was now marked by pillars, com- posed of heaps of brick, at distant intervals. The Arabs called these ^'Ahmoad,'' that is "pillars." They are pe- culiarly useful to the traveller, for it is as easy for one to find his way amidst drifted snow that has covered the tracks and lines of a road, as to find it in this sandy de- sert;— and no doubt, to these allusion is made by the prophet,! "Set thee up way-marks, make thee high heaps." When a hurricane has passed over the desert, the traces in the sand are easily obliterated, which may be alluded to by the prophet,J " O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy (swallow up) the way of thy paths." We descried Rosetta about two hours before we reach- ed it, at the extremity of a long flat valley of sand. The rays of the setting sun gave a red tinge to the surface of the desert, and as we approached the town, we enter- ed a beautiful grove of palms, growing luxuriantly out of sandy hillocks. Some of our attendants had got be- fore us, and were waiting for us, in eastern style, at the gate — "i?/ Bab Kashid," the gate of Rosetta, as they said. All was now truly oriental, and the scenery of the Arabian Nights occurred vividly to our mind, as we rode through streets silent as the grave, with not even a soli- tary lamp to cheer the eye. The houses seemed nothing else than lofty walls of brick or red granite. Many of them appeared to be wholly deserted, though sometimes a turbaned head was dimly seen at the narrow windows * Gen. xlii. 27. + Jer. xxxi. 21. The Hebrew word is pnnsn, " obelisks or col- umns." t Isa. iii. 12. 56 ROSETTA — LATIN CONVENT — AN EASTERN MARRIAGE. of these ominous-looking dwellings. The darkness of evening, the gloom of the buildings, and the silence of the town, made our entrance into Rosetta peculiarly- sombre. We lodged at the Latin Convent, wearied with our journey, having travelled thirty or forty miles in nine hours. This Convent was erected about thirty-five years ago, chiefly with the view of accommodating travellers, and is a large brick building, in the form of a square, with a court" in the midst, like all eastern houses. We were guided by the aid of a lantern up a dark irregular stair to the highest story, where we found the apartments for strangers, far from being either airy or clean, but very acceptable after a day's journey in the wilderness. There are about fifteen Roman Catholics in the town, and a superior (who was absent at Jerusalem) generally resides in the Convent ; but at the time of our visit, there were no inmates except a solitary Monk, — an amiable Italian, with a little native boy attending him. We were refreshed by a draught of the water of the Nile. It is certainly peculiarly sweet and soft — very palatable at any time, and not less so after the heat of the day. Perhaps the peculiar pleasantness of these waters is referred to by Jeremiah, "Now what hast thou to do in the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Sihor?"* We had scarcely sat down when we heard the sound of music and mirth, and running to the window observed the glare of torches in the street. We were told that it was" the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride."! Some of us instantly set out to witness the spectacle of an Eastern Marriage. We wished to see the parable of the Ten Virgins illustrated, and our wish was gratified. The bridegroom was on his way to the house of the bride. According to custom, he walked in procession through several streets of the town, attended by a nu- merous body of friends, all in their showy eastern garb. Persons bearing torches went first, the torches being kept in full blaze by a constant supply of ready wood from a receiver, made of wire, fixed on the end of a long pole. Two of the torch-bearers stood close to the bride- groom, so that we had a view of his person. Some were playing upon an instrument not unlike our bagpipe, oth- ers were beating drums, and from time to time muskets were fired in honour of the occasion. There was much mirth expressed by the crowd, especially when the pro- * Jer. ii. 18. t Jer. xxxiii. 1 1. JEWS — FRANCISCAN MONK — CONVENT LIBRARY. 57 cession stood still, which it did every few paces. We thought of the words of John, " The friend of the bride- groom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice."* At length the company arrived at the entrance of the street where the bride resided. Immediately we heard the sound of many female voices, and observed by the light of the torches, a company of veiled bridesmaids, waiting on the balcony to give notice of the coming of the bridegroom. When they caught a sight of the approaching procession, they ran back into the house, making it resound with the cry, "Halil, halil, halil," and music both vocal and instru- mental commenced within. Thus the bridegroom enter- ed in, "and the door was shu*^ " We were left standing in the street without, " in the outer darkness." In our Lord's parable, t the virgins go forth to meet the bride- groom with lamps in their hands, but here they only waited for his coming. Still we saw the traces of the very scene described by our Lord, and a vivid repre- sentation of the way in which Christ shall come to his waiting Church, and the marriage supper of the Lamb begin. In India and other parts of the East, it is the custom for the friends of the bride to go out to meet the company. There are a few Jews in Rosetta, but no synagogue. The whole population of the town consists of 6000 inha- bitants, and about 3000 soldiers. The ancient Canopus stood near the site of the town, but Rosetta is believed to be the ancient Uolbotine, and the branch of the Nile that flows past Rosetta is the Bolhotimcum ostium. The Monk in the Convent proved very affable. His name was Jeremiah Galazzo, a Franciscan, from Italy, He had never read the New Testament in any language but Latin; and when we offered it to him in Italian, re- . ceived it with a smile of delight. Shortly after he came back to us, and asked if we really meant to make the book his own; and then requested us to write our names upon it, mentioning that it was our gifl to him. This we gladly did, and also left some Italian tracts in his library. Perhaps tlie Lord may some day make these seeds of divine truth spring up in his heart, as they did in Luther's within the walls of a monastery. At one end of the room where we slept, there was a small library, containing such books as these : — " Officio. • * John iii. 29 t ISIatt. xxv, 1, 68 ROSETTA — THE NILE — RICE-MILL. Sanctorum r *' Corpus Christie " Scopa ;" ''Gramma- tica Francese;" Jerome's Epistles in Latin; " La Dot- trina" of Belhn-niine ; AiUoine's '■'■ TheoLogia Moralis ;" "■Pictavii Compendium Historiae Universalis." There was a work on the Incarnation, in Arabic ; a copy of Bel- larmine's " La Dottrina"' in Arabic and Latin, and Mis- sals in abundance, two large folio copies in Latin, and one in Arabic; — but no Bible among all! In the corner of the room was a small cupboard, neither neat nor clean. On the table stood a tinder-box, a vessel of olive-oil, and some cups. On the wall hung a rosary, with the image of the Virgin, bearing this inscription, '■'Maria concepta senza peccato originale precate pro noi die a voi recori- amo ;" i. e. " Mary, who wast conceived without ori- ginal sin, pray for us who betake ourselves to thee." On the back of a chair hung a monk's brown, dirty dress ; and a skull cap lay on a shelf above. ("May 17.) Next morning when we rose we gazed for the first time upon the river Nile; and in the fore- noon walked along its banks, drinking of the " water of Sihor," those pleasant waters that were once turned into blood. The fact that these waters were so highly prized must have made that amazing miracle to be the more deeply felt, and gives singular force to the words, " The Egyptians shall loathe to drink of the water of the river."* So much is the water esteemed down to the present day, that the Turks say, "if Mahomet had tasted this river, he would have prayed for a temporal immortality that he might enjoy it for ever." We visited a rice-mill which is in the course of erec- tion ; and found that the principal workmen in it were four Americans employed by the Pasha. They were very happy to meet with us, and invited us to their lodg- ing. One of them begged us to leave any English books which we could sparer as they had read over all their store. They said they kept the Sabbath every week, for when engaging with the Pasha, he allowed them this privilege, that they might take either their own Sunday or the Mahometan Friday for rest. We next went to the Bazaar, a strange scene of filth and wretchedness. The shops were poorly supplied, except in the article of cucumbers; but the miserable objects that were crawl- ing about, — sore-eyed children perched on their mother's shoulder, with faces half devoured by flies, — old men half blind,— and all filthy in the extreme, presented a * Exod. vii. 18. THE MUEZZIN — A CEREMONIAL PROCESSION, 59 scene that cannot be described. Water is universally carried in skins of animals, sewed up in the form of a bottle. The women always carry their burdens, how- ever light, upon the head. At twelve o'clock, the Muezzin, who were standing on the minaret of the Mosque, called the people to prater, for it was noon. The deep-toned and prolonged cry of these watchmen is heard over the whole city, and if it were a call to the worship of the true God, would have a solemn effect. It is repeated at set hours every day, and is to be heard in every Mahometan town. Did Ma- homet think upon the words of the Psalmist when he instituted this practice, " Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud; and he shall hear my voice!"* As it was Friday the Mosques were all open. Looking into one of them, we observed a row of tur- baned worshippers all kneeling at the same time. On approaching too near the door, we were warned to with- draw. Looking into another, we observed a man in a kind of pulpit, addressing the worshippers, who were seated in a row upon a marble floor, with their eyes directed towards the preacher. The attitudes of devo- tion in the East are singularly beautiful. In returning to the Convent, we had an opportunity of witnessing the procession that takes place upon the event of a circumcision. The Arab.s, with a reference to their progenitor Ishmael, circumcise their children when thirteen years old, and perform the ceremony with great pomp.f The boy, on whose account the ceremony was to be performed on this occasion, was handsomely dressed, and seated upon a white horse, with his head garlanded with flowers. The attendants stopped every now and then, and were entertained with music, firing of muskets, and merriment of various kinds, as in the marriage procession. The women wearing the veil seat- ed themselves on the ground, and sang with shrill voices: sometimes they threw a fratrrant liquid over the boy, reminding us of the words of the Psalmist, "All thy gar- ments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad." | We observed more narrowly the bracelets and orna- ments on the forehead worn b}^ the women, and their eyes painted with stibium, and also the silver anklets worn by the children. The men together played at single-stick, keeping time to the music in a very dexterous manner. * Ps. Iv. 17. t Gen. xvii. 25. X Ps. xlv. 8. 60 DEPARTURE FROM ROSETTA — EASTERN PLOUGH. At four in the afternoon, we took leave of Rosetta and of our friendly monk, and crossed the Nile, which is here ISOO feet broad. We and our servants were a sufficient load for one small boat; our luggage occupied another; and our asses a third:— and thus we floated slowly to the other side. A rice-iield was near the spot where we landed ; the rice was springing up through the water, which still drenched its surface. We saw a man plough- ing with oxen ;— the plough seemed nothing more than a piece of wood, shaped so as to be capable of piercing the ground. Some of the women of the villages were using the distaff, and the children were gathering mul- berries. We had now a pleasant ride down the right bank of the Nile, among very rich gardens of melons and cucum- bers, with fis:s"and mulberry trees, and the finest palms we had yet seen. The croaking of frogs in all the rice- fields was incessant, and the pigeon, called by the Arabs Tur, was cooing among the trees. From time to time we had to cross little canals formed to carry water from the Nile, and supplied by the oxen turning round a wheel. Into one of these one of our baggage asses was pushed headlong by his fellow ; and the patient animal lay qui- etly at the bottom till it was lifted out. One of our attendants went to drink at a tank by the roadside. At all these tanks there is a small pitcher for the accommodation of travellers; sometimes fastened by a chain, and sometimes without it, but even if left loose it remains untouched. The villages are wretched. The people seem almost naked, and excessively dirty ; most of them, too, are old people ; very rarely did we meet any healthy youne men. The reason is, that all such are obliged to enter the army; and Egyptian villages and lands are left to the care of women and old men. It seems still the case that taskmasters rule over Egypt- it is a ''house of bondage'' at this day. God remembers how Egypt kept his chosen Israel 400 years in slavery, DANCE AND SONG BY THE ARABS. 61 and therefore has poured out upon it the fulfilment of tliat humiliating prophecy, " It shall be the basest of king- doms." * If God fulfils so accurately the threatening- against the enemies of Israel, will he not as literally fulfil the blessing which he has promised to the J'riends of Israel J And has he not said, " Blessed is he that blesseth thee !" f About sunset, we left the rich banks of the Nile, and entered again upon the j)athless desert. We could not observe so much as one foot-print of man or beast upon the smooth sand. Soon we came upon the sea-shore, and rode along the margin, the-waves washing the asses' feet, while thenioon rose to light us on our way. At one point, our drivers being weary, proposed encamping for the night ; but Ibrainr advised us to advance a little further. Upon tiiis the young Arabs proceeded without a murmur, and in order to cheer the way commenced a native dance and song. One of them, advancing a little before the rest, began the song, dancing forward as he repeated the words, when the rest, following him in regu- lar order, joined in the chorus, keeping time by a simul- taneous clapping of hands. They sang several Arabian songs in this way, responding to one another, and danc- ing along the firm sand of the sea-shore, in the clear beau- tiful moonlight. The response, the dance, and the clap- ping of the hands, brought many parts of the word of God to our minds. We remembered the song of Miriam at the Red Sea, when " the women went out afier her with timbrels and with dances ; and Miriam ansicered them,'" that is, " jMiriam sang responsively to them ;" | and also the song of the women of Israel after David's victory over the giant, " They answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." 5 The words of the Psalmist were like- wise brought to mind, " O clap your hands, all ye peo- ple; Shout unto God with the voice of triumph ;" || and again, "Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills be joyful together" '! — /. e. in Hill choir. The responsive form of the ISGth Psalm, and others of a like kind, was fully illustrated by this interesting scene. * Ezek. xxix. If), " Basest of kiniidoiiis," is every where seen fulfilled in the fact, that na/lie Kii:n/}lia>is have none of tiiu power or wealth of the land. Every appearance of power or greatness in it belongs to its foreign governor and his olHcers, not to natives. The Pasha is the gulf in which the produce of F.gvpt is swallowed up. t Numb. xxiv. 9. t F.xod. xv. 20. 'J 1 Sam. xviii. 6, 7. 11 Ps. xlvii. 1. 11 Ps. xcviii. 8. 62 JOURNEY TO DAMIETTA — TENTS — COURLOS. We slept this night on the sea-shore. And in putting up our tents, we began to understand better the circum- stances attending this manner of life. We learned how to '■'■ enla7'ge the place of the tent,'"* by "stretching out the curtains." We saw how by " lengtiiening the cords," we drew wider the covering; and as we drove in the pins "or stakes" into the sand, we learned tlie necessity of "strengthening the stal^es," if they were to endure the tugging of the wind and weight of tiie canvass. Israel is yet to dwell at large, under a tent widely spread ; but not a temporary abode, shifted at next morning's dawn. Jerusalem is to be "a tabernacle that shall not be taken down, not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken." f There may be a reference to the falling of the tent when its cords are loosed, in Job, " He hath loosed my cord and afflicted me." | And perhaps also in the Epistle to the Corinthians, "If our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved," 5 where the original word is KuraX-Sn, "loosened." Then verse 4th has this meaning, "We groan, not to be left without a tabernacle altogether, but to have the glory enveloping our tent, to have an addi- tional and far more glorious covering." Jael's tent-nails and hammer |1 could not fail to occur to us. When Zechariah says, " out of him came the nail," H he refers to the fixing of the tent. And when another prophet says, " the nail that is fixed shall be removed," ** he may allude to the tent-pin pulled up when the tent is shifted. (May 18.) We started early next morning, and were soon on our way. We had already learned how natural were the words, " Take up thy bed and walk ;" f f our simple beds costing us no trouble, and serving us for a softer seat on the asses' back. About one o'clock we reached the lake Bourlos, an- ciently lake Buteo, where the Sehennetic branch of the Nile once discharged its waters into the Mediterranean. It is a fine expanse of water, communicating with the sea by a narrow outlet. Multitudes of large porpoises were swimming about, whose playful motions amused us as we sailed across. They repeatedly darted out of the water in pursuit of smaller fish. The fishermen on shore were using the diiSheikh or Governor of the place came down to our tent, attended by his Secretary — whom we found to be an Arabic Christian— and by his Pipe-bearer. They drank tea and ate sugar with great good humour, and seemed delighted at the attention paid them. They gladly accepted a pencil-case and knife, and promised to Dr. Keith to take Arabic tracts if he would send them. The Governor's brother was next introduced, that we might heal him of blindness. We found that one of his eyes was obscured by cataract, which we assured him it was beyond the reach of our skill to remove. Upon their leaving us, we received a hint to give a small bacshisli, or present, to the Pipe- bearer, as a token of respect to the Master for the hon- our he had done us in visiting our tent. (May 20.) Owing to the restless impatience of our guides and servants, we were obliged to strike our tents at midnight. The moon was nearly full, and the sky without a cloud as we travelled onw^ard for some hours through a much richer and more undulating country than that which we had passed. The palms and other trees of the desert gave beauty to the scene, while the hoarse croaking of the frogs told us that water was plentiful. Sometimes we came upon Arab huts made of branches of the belach or palm, and were saluted by the angry howl of dogs. Arriving at the sea, we rode along the * Isa. xxviii. 27, 28. ASSOUM — SENNA — PASHA's TROOPS. G5 shore, the waves frequently washing the asses' feet. We now felt great difficulty in preventing ourselves from falling asleep, and were often on this account pre- cipitated to the sand, to the great amusement of our Egyptian attendants. Frequently we were roused by the vivid flashes of lightning, which played beautifully from the bosom of the dark clouds above the sea. After riding ten hours in this manner we came to Assoum, an unsheltered village, consisthig of a few wretched huts, and with very bad water. To save time, our tents were not erected ; but we cast ourselves down, wearied and sleepy, upon our mats, under the shelter of the coverlets thrown over us, and tried to find a little rest under a scorching sun and upon glowing sand. It was easy now to understand the murnuuings of the children of Israel in the desert ; for heat, tiiirst, and a long jourjiey over burning sands, made us exjierience feelings of misery which we had not known before. After two hours of repose, a dip in the sea, and a spnring meal of rice and dates, we resumed our journey, being anxious to reach Damietta this evening. About three o'clock, as we left the sea-shore, the Minarets of the town appeared in the distant horizon. We rode through an undulating pass of low sand-hills, the air resembling that of an oven. Coming in sight of a well, our guides ran to quench their burning thirst. To us, however, this only afforded a trial of patience, for the water was so muddy that we could not drink. In a little time we arrived at Senana, a village on the west side of this branch of the Nile, wiiere the Pasha has barracks for some thousand troops. The troops were exercising as we passed by: — some were in drill, and some shooting at a mark. They wear a white cotton dress, with a deep red snsh, and are far from being a bold-looking set of men. The Nile here is 800 feet broad ; and this was anciently called the Phaini- tic or Bucolic branch. We sat down upon the bank, and drank freely of the water, which, when passed through a filter, was jiure and delicious. An Egyptian officer brought us out chairs, and sat down with us in the shade of his house. He spoke with deep admiration of Mehemet Ali, and told us anecdotes of his unwearied activity. The houses and mosques of Damietta looked very beautiful in the evening sun on the opposite bank of the river, — a sad contrast to the filth, poverty, and guilt, to be found within. This is the ancient Tarniatis; it occu- pies a fine situation, and has well cultivated lands in its 66 DAMIETTA — INTRODUCTION TO VICE-CONSUL. vicinity. We had sent Ibraim across the river with a letter to the Vice-Consul, the only representative of Eng- land in this place, to make known our arrival. He re- turned with a message from the Vice-Consul inviting us to his house ; upon which we immediately embarked, and were soon rowed across the gentle stream, and up one of the canals, till we landed in Damietta, immedi- ately under the C'onsul's garden. We were received into a large hall, with a stone floor, and a broad divan at the far end. In the one corner, * which is the place of state, we found the Vice-Consul, a smart-looking Egyp- tian, in a Greek dress of dark green, with yellow slip- pers. He received us very graciously, and made us sit beside him on the divan. Long pipes, highly orna- mented, were immediately brought to us by the attend- ants. We felt it not a little teazing, after all our fatigues and sleeplessness, to be compelled, out of politeness, to go through these eastern formalities, and to recline with him for nearly two hours, until a repast was prepared such as he thought suitable for British travellers. How- ever, we were deeply interested by observing many eastern customs, which we had read of from our youth. We were introduced also to the Consul's brother and nephew ; the latter a fine-looking yovmg man, with a pointed moustache, who had singular command over his features. He spoke to us in the Italian very fi"eely ; told us with great sang-froid of the poverty and misery of the inhabitants of Damietta ; and when we informed him that we were Ministers of Christ, said that he admired our religion very much, because it appealed to reason.- An old Bedouin sheikh was brought before us, who promised to do his best to procure camels for our future journey through the desert. At last the re- past was served up. It was much after the English fash- ion, our host shewing us the greatest kindness. After all was over, we were guided by the janissary, carrying a silk lantern, through the dark streets, to rooms belonging to the British consulate. Our mats were spread upon the floor, and we slept soundly, although the mosquitoes annoyed us not a little. A locust also "dropt in at one of the lattices of the room. Our chamber was fitted up in the true oriental style, for the part of the room assigned for the bed was about a foot higher than the rest of the floor. We saw the meaning of " going up to the bed." f The windows were completely shaded by a wooden lat- tice-work on the outside, which we found universal in * Amos iii. 12, and Zech. x. 4. t Psacxxxii. 3. VICE-CONSUL — GOVERXOR OF THE PROVINCE. G7 Egypt. It is probably the same thing that is spoken of by Solomon, "shewing himself through the lattice."* (May 21.) Early next morning, we settled accounts with the Egyptian donkeymen who had brought us thus far on our journey. Soon after which the Consul's janis- sary, dressed in white, with red shoes, came to invite us to our forenoon's repast. We then found that it is the custom in the East, to send for the guests when the feast is prepared, saying, "Come, for all things are now ready."! ^^^^ Consul was sitting as usual in the corner of his divan, along with some Egyptian friends, among rf.ni whom was the Governor of the province — a rough-look- ing man, with a grisly beard, snow-white turban and _s^SV<; Song ii. 9. t Luke .\iv. 17. Esther vi. 14. 68 DAMIETTA — DINNER AT VICE-CONSUL's. piercing eye. He was very kind to us, and examined all our clothes, even the pockets and lappets of our coats, our watches, outside and inside, with uplifted eyebrows, adding " Buojio, huono" at every discovery. The colla- zione was in the English fashion for our sakes, and the Governor for the first time, as he told us, attempted the use of the knife and fork. After the repast, the servants carried round a brazen basin, and out of a jar poured water on the hands of every guest. We remembered Elisha pouring water on the hands of Elijah.* Returning again to the hall, and squatted once more upon the divan, coffee was brought in very small cups, each cup being enclosed in a small silver case. The long pipes were next carried in by six attendants. Each servant stood at a reverent distance, and kept his eye fixed upon the hand of the guest whom he was serving, watching the slightest motion. This vividly recalled the allusion in the Psalms, " Behold as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters."! While we were thus seated, a tall old man came in with a petition in his hand. He took off" his shoes, and approached the Gover- nor barefoot.t The great man glanced rapidly over the paper, and without speaking a word, gathered his brows into a terrible frown ; whereat the poor man retired as if from a serpent. At parting, we were invited to return to the evening meal. No hour was fixed ; but towards evening, we were sent for by the secretary, whose name was Salva- tor Strigelli, an intelligent young Italian, fantastically dressed,"with long black hair curling upon his shoulders. We asked him when his master usually dined ; he said, " About half an hour after sunset," which proved to be half-past seven. We had an opportunity of speaking to this secretary very directly on the necessity of a per- sonal interest in Christ. He seemed, however, to have a strong leaning to scepticism, and was of a romantic turn of mind. At the door of the Consul's house were many poor and diseased, hanging about in expectation of getting help from those who visited him. We remembered La- zarus laid at the rich man's gate. 5 At dinner we were still more interested in observing a custom of the coun- try.— In the room where we were received, besides the divan on which we sat, there were seats all round the walls. Many came in and took their place on those * 2 Kings iii. 11. t Ps. cxxiii. 2. X Exod. iii. 5. $ Luke xvi. 20. ILLUSTRATIOXS OF JEWISH CUSTOMS. C9 side-seats, uninvited and yet unchallenged. They spoke to those at table on business or the news of the day, and our host spoke freely to them. This made us understand the scene in Simon's house at Bethany, where Jesus sat at supper, and Mary came in and anointed his feet with ointment ; * and also the scene in the Pharisee's house, where the woman who was a sinner came in, uninvited and yet not forbidden, and washed his feet with her tears, f The chief dish at the table was a highly-sea- soned pilau of rice ; but the Consul pressed us nmch to another, which he described as a dish peculiar to Egypt, made of an herb like clover, called meiuhieli. It has a saltish taste, as its Arabic name indicates. Several armed Arabs were serving us, but the favourite attend- ant was Hassan, who was always summoned into the room by a loud call "■If'a-hassan" accompanied by clapping the one hand very sharply on the other. The conversation was of a more serious cast than previously. The Consul, whose name is Michael Suruff, is by birth an Egyptian, and his father was a native of Damascus. He is a Greek Roman Catholic, but so liberal, that he de- clared he believed our Protestant worship to be much nearer the form which Christ would approve. He thought that there were no traces in Scripture of any such orders in the church as their bishops. At the same time he reckoned it a disgrace for any man to change his religion. (Wednesday, May 22.) In the pleasant air of morning the flat roof of our house aiTorded us an opportimity of realizing Peter's position in Acts x. 9, and of imitating his examjile. Immediately below our apartment was the Graeco-Romish cliapel, a very small ajiartment, filled with the fragrance of incense. Two priests stood at the altar and two monks were reading the Arabic ser\ice. Two little boys also were assisting; but we were the only au- ditors. The half of the population of Damietta is pro- * John xii. 1 — 3. t Luke vii. 3(i — 3''. We afterwards saw tliis custom at Jerusalem, and there it was still more fitted to illustrate these incidents. We were sitting around Mr. .Xicolayson's table, when first one and then another stranger oj^ened the door and came in, taking seats by the wall. They leaned forward and spoke to those at table. .Now, in the case of the woman that was a sinner, Christ is dining at a Pharisee's table. As tiie feast goes on, the door opens, and a woman enters and takes her seat by the wall just behind bim. The Pharisee eyes her with abhorrence; but as custom permits it, he does not prevent her coming in. After a little time, as Jesus is reciininu, with his feet sloped toward the back of the couch, the woman bends forward, pours her tears on his feet, and anoints them with precious ointment. 8* 70 SCHOOLS — DEPARTURE FROM DAMIETTA. fessedly Christian, but most of these belong to the Greek church. In one of the streets we were attracted, by the sound of bawling voices, to a native school. Eight children were seated on the floor, with their books placed before them, not on a desk, but on a sort of hurdle. The children kept up an incessant rocking motion of the body backward and forward at every word they repeated, and all seemed to speak at once at the pitch of their voices. At the corner of another street we were attracted by a similar sound to a school up a stair, attended by about thirty children, with two teachers. They sat in regular rows on the floor, with their books, which were all Arabic, in their hands ; their shoes had been left in a heap at the door. Three repeated their lesson at once, rocking to and fro. Quickness and loudness of utter- ance seemed to be aimed at as the chief excellence of the scholars. We visited the Consul once more, to thank him for all his kindness and bid him adieu. The common salutation at meeting and parting is to put the hand first on the breast and then on the lips, as if to intimate that what the lips utter the heart feels.* But no custom of the East struck us more than their manner of squandering away time : drinking coffee, smoking, and sitting indolently on a couch, seem" to occupy many hours of the day. In the forenoon, our arrangements for traversing the desert being completed, we set out for the lake Menza- leh, about a mile from Damietta. Many of the people whom we passed on the way were preparing chopped straw and camel's dung mixed with earth for fuel.f Many of the children were absolutely naked. Reaching the lake, we embarked in a large open boat, spread our carpets on the floor, and formed an awning with our mats. A large sail was raised, and a gentle breath of wind carried us slowly along; the sail and ropes were weU patched, and would have fared ill in a gale. Lake Men- zaleh is the ancient Mencles, and is in general four or five feet deep. The bottom appeared to be a very rich allu- vial soil, and were the lake drained would form a splendid plain. The banks are all cultivated for rice. In the mid- dle of the deck of our boat stood a large earthen jar with water, of which the sailors drank from time to time. The Bedouin sheikh, Haggi Mater, sat beside us. He was an * See Job xxxi. 27. " My mouth hath kissed my hand." t This may explain what is said in Ezek. iv. 14, 15. LAKE MENZALEH — BEDOUIX SHEIKH — VILLAGES. 71 elderly man, of a very mild and pleasant countenance, and yet it was easy to trace beneath tlie numerous folds of his turban the cunning- of liis nation. He was in great good humour when we gave him dates and other fruit, and still more in the evening when we offered him tea and sugar. The thermometer was 74° under our awn- ing, and the vessel moved very slowly, so that we found it pleasant to bathe in the lake. We sailed past two villages that lie close to each other, Ugbieh or Menzaleh, and Maturieh. The former is on the neck of land, and both had a lively appearance, presenting the aspect of more industry than any Egyptian town or village we had yet seen. There were many boats at the quay; some carrying lime, others rice, others fish. The Mosque, rising over the houses and palm-trees, and seen against the deep blue sky, gave a truly picturesque ef- fect to this quiet but busy spot. Towards evening, we observed the shore covered with immense reeds, from ten to twenty feet high ; the water-fowl, and the fish leaping out of the water, seemed to be innumerable. The unbroken stillness of the evening scene was .strangely solemnizing, and after singing the 23d and l"21st Psalms, we committed ourselves to repose in the bottom of the boat. (May 23.) We were roused before sunrise. Our boat had reached during the night a narrow embankment, which divides this part of the lake from the next. The jiart we had sailed over was anciently tJie Mendesian branch of the Nile : and the part we were now to enter upon was the Tanidc or Saitic branch, now called Moes. The place was called Sid, perhaps a remnant of the ancient Sais. While the men were transporting the luggage over the slender isthmus, we wandered along the shore. It was a beautiful morning, and the air was soft and balmv, — ^just such an atmospliere Joseph used to breathe when he was governor over the land of Egypt. We came upon two Arabs sitting by a smouldering fire of camel's e quarantine estabhshed here for all who come from Syria going down into Egypt, prevents the increase of traffic, people being unwilling to come to it from Syria, since they must tarry so long in the Lazaretto near its walls. We were told that, at one time. El Arish was surrounded with beautiful gardens, but these have been completely covered by the desolating sand, and now the only remains of fertility is a grove of young palms which shelter the eastern side of the town. We were rejoiced to find that the quarantine was not yet established for those going to Syria, so that we had attained the object of our journey through the desert. This was a new and special call upon us to give thanks and praise, especially now when we were in sight of the Promised Land, and our eyes rested on some of the hills given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We were outside the wall, but we heard the call to prayer from the Mosque, whose minaret rises con- spicuous above the common dwellings. The cry of the Muezzin was louder that evening, and more prolonged, because it was Thursday, the commencement of the Mahometan Sabbath. The Mahometans begin their Sabbath, like the Jews, at six o'clock in the evening, and Friday is the day which they keep sacred. The call to prayer is certainly one of the most solemn and affecting parts of their worship; but the Mahometans themselves seem not at all affected by it. Indeed, their whole re- ligious services appear to be empty forms, all voice and gesture, and no feeling. VISIT FROM THE GOVERNOR. 87 (May 31.) In the morning, the place was enlivened by * the nuiititude of little birds that chirped and sung among the trees near our tents. So small is the traffic existing at present between Egypt and Syria, and so little plenty is poured over the borders of the Promised Land, that no articles of food were to be had in the town, except milk and Arab bread. However, in the midst of our difficulties, Ibraim came to tell us that a man Iiad brought a sheep to the tent-door, wishing to sell it to us. We gladly bought it fen' twejity-live piastres, about five shil- lings of our money. Our servants appropriated the skin and wool ; and what became of the head and feet we know not, only they were not served up to us as they would have been in Scotland. A more serious difficulty than want of food presented itself in the want of camels to carry us on our way. Our Bedouins had bargainetl to carry us to El Arish, and this they had faithfully i)erformed. But nothing would per- suade them to carry us farther. In this dilemma the Governor of the town sent us word that he would come and visit our tent. There is a degree of real authority suggested by the dress and air and attendants of such a man. He came riding upon a cream-coloured Arab horse, small but fleet, with silvery mane, flowing tail, and rich caparisons. His attendants rode by his side, and even they assumed an air of importance with their ornamented girdles, crooked scimitars, and elegant east- ern attire. Their favourite feat of horsemanship was to gallop at full speed along the sand or among the palms, and then suddenly to draw the rein and stop, making the sand fly in all directions. When the Governor was fairly seated in the corner of our carpet, he evidently wished to shew his authority and importance, and to get money from us by iiretending causes of delay ; but after much arguing and annoyance, he at last agreed to arrange with the camel-driver who had brought us thus far, to take us to Gaza for GOO piastres (about £G Ster- ling)— a price double what ought to have been charged, but demanded at present as necessary to remunerate the men who would be kept in quarantine on their re- turn. Part of the price was accordingly paid into the Governor's hand, and the interview ended. He after- wards sent us a jar of cold water as a present; for "a cup of cold water only " * is a real gift in this country. ♦ Matt. X. 42. bd EL ARISH. In the afternoon he visited us again, to announce that the Bedouins refused to observe the contract, but that he himself would provide us with camels to-morrow. We suspected some fraud in this, but had no remedy. One of the Bedouins on taking leave of us, shewed a good deal of feeling, and while all of them kissed our hands, Ibraim was treated in tlie true oriental style, being kissed on the cheek half a dozen times ere they parted. The sight of these poor ignorant Arabs, often deeply im- pressed us with wonder at God's kindness to ourselves. Here is election ; — sovereign grace alone makes us to differ from them ! Although our desert wanderings had delayed us longer than we could have wished, yet we could see a kind Providence leading us this way to the land of Israel. We were made to sympathize for more than we had ever done with the trials of Israel in the wilderness, and to understand better how they were so much discouraged because of the way, and how they were so often tempted to murmur against God. How great a blessing "the pillar of the cloud" must have been! Towering over the camp, it cast a delightful shadow upon the sand over which they moved. But still more, what a gracious pledge it was that their heavenly Guide would lead them in tlie right way to the place of rest. Now, too, we were taught the meaning of " dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob." * Such a hfe is one of constant dependence and faith. In the morning when the tent is struck, the traveller never knows where he is to pitch it at noon or evening; whether it is to be beside the palm and springs of water, or in solitude and sand. The description of the joyful state of the redeemed given in the Apocalypse,! seems to be formed in reference to such a life as this. There shall be no more hunger, thirst, nor burning sun, but green shady pastures and living fountains of water, and the Lamb shall dwell as in a tent \ among them. And all this because they have reached the promised inheritance ; — their desert life has ended, and the Promised Land begun. We noticed that when camels are sent out to feed they often stray over a wide surface. At the place where we now were, the reason alleged for keeping us till next day was that the camels had been sent out to feed and could * Heb. xi. 9. t Rev. vii. 16, 17. | aKnvoxra- # J i^ EL ARISH. 89 not be found. A man had been sent upon a dromedary to louk for them, but could not discover what direction they had taken. This circumstance reminded us of Saul being sent to seek his fatiier's asses, in days when the pastures of Israel may have been equally free.* The evening was beautiful. Indeed, morning and evening here, day after day, have a brilliancy such as we never see more than once or twice in a year at home. The flood of liglit that pours out of the clear, unclouded skies, reminds us of the last words of David, where he compares the reigninir of the coming Saviour " to a morning without clouds," f and also of the language of the Psalmist, "Day unto day poms out speech." | The heat having abated, we wandered towards the town. Wc observed two very deep wells, arched over to keep out the sun and the sand. Two marble columns were built into one of them, and broken pieces of marble pillars of the Doric order were lying scattered in vari- ous places near the town. To the east a kind of gar- den, surrounded with a hedge of prickly pear, and planted with palms, aloes, and melons, seemed to strug- gle with the sand for existence. In the ti>\vn several women in tiie streets wore the anklet, "the tinkling ornament about their feet." ^ We heard its sound as we passed along. Most of their children had their heads adorned with pieces of money. The Effendi's child was carried at the side, having six or eight gold coins, called luirii'h, strung together round the front of its cap. Most of the houses are built completely of mud. At present they are /is hard and as dry as stone, but we could readily imagine how easily the overflow- ing shower would destroy them, and the stormy wind rend the wall.|| The roofs of the houses are all flat, and communicate with one another. Oflen they are made of the branches of the palm and other trees, with the leaves remaining on them, and coated over with mud. If the house mentioned by MarklT had a roof of this description, how easy it would be to break it up. In the court of one of the houses (for every house, however * 1 Sam. ix. 3. t 2 Sam. xxiii. 4. ti?»3> (yal)bia.) Ps. xix. 2. Kcble expresses the idea when he says, that day after day is a " gus/iin:! fount of praise." $Isa. iii.18. II Ezek. .\iii. U. ? Mark ii. 4. 10 90 EL ARISH — ARAB OVEN. humble, has its court,*) we examined the Arab oven, a rude and simple contriv- ance. It is made of clay- like their houses, quite dry and hard. The low- er aperture is to admit the fire, a few cinders of charcoal, or some heated stones. Over the fire there is a floor of clay, where the dough is fired. The upper aperture is for _ putting in the dough when ^i^ it has been kneaded and divided into cakes. The loof of the vhole, suiiounded by a parapet, affords a convenient place for the bread gradually to cool. The kneading trough is a large wooden bowl, not unlike that used in our own country. In the middle of the town there is a very fine well, the water of which is drawn up by a wheel. We drank freely for the first time since entering the desert. No one who has not wandered in arid regions, can imagine the delight which cold water gives to a thirsty soul.f Toward sunset, two of our number crossed the hills of sand which enclose El Arish, till we came to the ancient bed of a broad river, about half a mile east of the town. The channel is about two hundred yards in breadth, distinctly marked by banks on either side. The bed was perfectly flat and dry : but in other days, when Ju- dah's rivers flowed with water, it must have been a ma- jestic stream, not unworthy to form the boundary of the land, if indeed (which is doubtful) this was " the river of Egypt,''' so often referred to as the limit of Israel on the south. I A little way further inward, the channel seemed to be filled up by sand drifted from the hills : but from the spot where we were, down to the sea, a distance of two miles, we could distinctly trace its ancient course. We stretched ourselves under one of the bushes that still overhang its banks, and remembering with gratitude that we were now within the border of the Promised Land, united in prayer for Israel, our Church, our distant flocks, and our own souls. We then wandered home- wards, that is, to our tents — our only home in this strange land. The hills of El Khalil were full in sight, and to- ward the sea the Lazaretto attracted our notice by the * 2 Sam. xvii. 18. t Prov. xxv. 25. I Gen. xv. 18. ARAB SCHOOL — THE FORT — THE GATEWAY. 91 patches of verdure round it. A few palms, fig-trees, aloes, and bushes of prickly pear, also reliev^ed the eye. Darkness came on before we reached our encampment. Next morning- (June 1), we found that our patience must be still further tried, no camels having arrived. We visited an Arab school, and found it very clean, be- ing all white- washed within, thoajrh built of mud. Nine- teen boys were present, dirty and ill clad, several of them affected in the eyes, and one blind. Two or three had Arabic books in MS. ; the rest sat in groups, cross- legged, upon the ground, rocking to and fro as they bawled out in one shrill voice words and syllables, which they were reading from a board held in their hand. No master was present, and all went on repeat- ing \vithout any one superintending. One boy brought in a jar of water, from which all inlurn drank greedfly. On the wall were slates of tin with Arabic traced upoii them. This being Saturday, we remembered in looking across the bed of the ancient river, that on the other side in former days, Israel would have been keepino- their Sabbath, and Egypt would hear the praises of Je- hovah floating across the stream. Entering the Fort, we examined an old trough of very hard granite, quite covered with Arabic wrtting, well engraved. At midday, we went to the gate to enjoy the coolness. The arched roof affords a complete shade at all times, and often a pleasant breeze passes throuffh. Under such a gateway probably Lot was . seated, for coolness' sake, when the angels came to Sodom ;* and for the same reason, the people of old used to resort to it, and it became the market-place.f We saw how the gate became the seat of judsrment,| when a little after the Governor and his Effendi appeared. His attendants having spread a mat and a carpet over it, and a cushion at each corner, he took his seat, inviting us to recline near him. We took off our shoes and sat down. Our conversation was very limited, as Ibraim was not with us to interpret, but we partook of coffee together, served up in little cups, which are every where "in use. The Governor was interrogating a native Christian who stood by. This man was a Christian Copt. He told us in broken Italian that he was rejoiced to meet us, because, being almost the only Christian in the place, he is much • Gen. xL\. 1. t Ruth iv. 1, 11. Ps. lxi.\. 12. Jer. xvii. 19. ; Job 15,4. Jer. x.xxviii. 7 : .\xxix. 3. Amos v. 15. Matt. xvi. 18. 92 EL ARISH — INKHORN CHRISTIAN COPT. despised. He wore " a writer's inkhorn by his side," * which intimates that the person is so far superior to the generality that he can at least read and write. The ink- horn has a long shaft which holds the reeds, and is stuck into the girdle, while the place for the ink forms a head at the one end. At our request the Copt took out his reeds and wrote very elegantly. On one of his arms, he showed us the figure of Christ on the cross and the Vir- gin Mary, punctured apparently either with henna or gunpowder. This is a remnant of an ancient custom (common even among heathens), by which men would show their anxiety to keep a beloved object ever in mind. There is no doubt a reference to this custom in the beautiful words, " Behold I have graven thee on the palms of my hands ; thy walls are continually before me ;"t and also when it is said, " Another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord," or more literally, " Another shall write upon his hand. To the Lord,"]. — words intended to express the complete surrender which a believer makes of soul and body to the Lord who bought him. This day we experienced the effect of the wind raising the sand. The wind was not remarkably strong, but the sand was so fine that it penetrated every where. No tent nor portmanteau could shut it out. Our clothes, our food, the water we drank, all were filled with sand. At length eight camels arrived. We joyfully struck our tents, and were conveyed to the Lazaretto close by the shore. In our way down we passed the rude booths of palm- branches which we had elsewhere seen, and heard the sound of the mill-stone, coming from one of them, it being now near sunset, the time for the evening meal. In the dry channel of the river many fine palm-trees were growing, and several luxuriant plants, cultivated in holes dug for the purpose. Several gardens also were laid out with small canals intersecting them, so * Ezek. ix. 2. t Isa. xlix. 16. t Isa. xliv. 5. nrnS it :3n3' LEAVE EL ARISH CAMEL AND OROMEDARY. 93 that the streams of water might be conducted to the dif- ferent beds when needful. These are the " rivers of water" mentioned by the Psahiiist.* Nearer the shore we saw rushes, a proof tiiat the bed of the ancient river is still occasionally moistened with water. The Gover- nor of the Lazaretto, a pleasant Arab, wearing the hyke or wide mantle, came and conversed with us. We now exchanged the camels which had brought us from the town for seven camels and a dromedary belong- ing to the quarantine. The camel and dromedary re- semble each other in appearance, but the difference between them is not, as commonly stated, that the one has two hunches on its back and the other only one. It is like the difference between a heavy cart-horse and a swift riding-horse. The dromedary is much lighter, swifter, and quicker in its motions; but the Arabian camel and dromedary have both only one hump, though the camel of Bactria and other regions is said to have two. One of our camels had a young one running by its side. Under the conduct of Mustapha — another Be- douin with fine Eastern features — Mahommed, and a boy, we proceeded across the bed of the river, and ascended the opposite bank, entering with joy the Land of Israel. The country was now very different from the desert. A range of low sand-hills lay between us and the sea- shore, ready to fulfil God's work of desolation on the land within ; but the valley through which we were pass- ing had verdure and pasturage, and opened into other valleys of the same character. The ground was full of holes, which we were told were made by the jerboas. Darkness soon came on, and we rested a short time at the command of our Bedouin, who wished to feed his camels. We kindled a blazing fire in the manner of the Bedouins, whose fires we saw in several places round about us. The moon rose most splendidly as we pro- ceeded, and the birds in the bushes round about began to twitter and sing, as if mistaking the bricrht moon for the rising sun. Though much oppressed with sleepiness, and often in danger of falling from the camel's back, yet the pleasantness of the air, the change of scenery, and the knowledge that we were now traversing the portion of the tribe of Simeon, made our journey comparatively easy. We arrived at Sheikh Juide, once a village, now only a station and a burying-place, marked by the white * D'D 'jVd Ps. i. 3. Also Prov. xxi. 1. 10=*= 94 STATION OF SHEIKH JUIDE. tomb of a Mahometan saint. It has a good well, some fields of tobacco, and several palm-trees. We pitched our tent under a nabhok-iree, resembling a plane-tree, and felt how naturally it is recorded, " Deborah dwelt under the palm-tree," * " Saul tarried under a pomegra- nate-tree ;"t and of Abraham, who had received the three angels into his tent, that " he stood by them under the tree."! We spread our mats and fell asleep, thinking over the Promised Land, and how in some part of this very country, God, had said to Jacob, as he was stretched out for rest with a stone for his pillow, " The land where- on thou liest, to thee will I give it."^ (June 2, Sabbath.) Awaking, we felt the solemnity and privilege of spending a Sabbath-day in the land of Israel. We had worship together in the tent, and sang with joyful hearts, " In Judah's land God is well known, His name 's in Israel great," &C.1I With what appropriateness we could look round on every plain and hill within our view and say, " There arrows of the bow He brake ! The sword, the shield, the war — More glorious thou than hills of prey, More excellent art far." We had leisure to meditate on those portions of Scrip- ture that peculiarly refer to God's wonders done here. Between us and, the range of hills to the east, we had reason to believe, lay th"e valley of Gerar, the valley where Abraham dwelt,ir the land where Isaac sowed, and received in the same year an hundred-fold, and where he digged so many wells.** In this region, too, the Avims dwelt till they were destroyed by "the Caph- torims out of Caphtor,"tt the ancestors of tlie Philistines, who in turn yielded to Judah and Simeon. This is the highway down into Egypt; so that by it the Ishmaelites would carry youthful Joseph into Egypt, with their camels bearing spicery, and balm, and myrrh, || and by this way Jacob would come down with the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him.^^ This tract was in the portion of Simeon. Seventeen cities with their villages are recorded as belonging to it.|||| But, where * Judges iv. 5. t 1 Sam. xiv. 2. t Gen. xviii. 8. $Gen. x.xviii. 13. II Ps. Ixxvi. 1. IT Gen. xx. 1. ** Gen. xxvi. 12, 18. tt Deut. ii. 23. \\ Gen. xxxvii. 25, 23. ^5 Gen. xlvi. 1. • li|| Josh. xix. 1—9. FIRST SAIiBATH IN HOLY LAND— COLONY OF ANTS, 95 are they now'i The answer is to be fJmnd in the words of Jeremiah, " Oh, thou sword of the Lord, how lono- will It be ere thou be quiet? Put up thyself into thy scabbard, rest, and be still. How can it be quiet, seeing the Lord hath given it a charge against Ashkelon, and against the sea-shore? there hath he appointed it."* Tlie day was very warm, but far j)leasanter than in the desert ; the breeze not having that dry, scorching feeling which is so overpowering amid the sands of the desert. We observed fields where barley had been cut down, and found ten or twenty stalks which appeared to grow out of the same root. We learned that this is the way in which they frequently sow the barley, making a hole and putting in many seeds together. When the heat of noon abated, we walked to a grassy eminence to the eastward, and found that the country rose into a scries of gentle elevations, bounded by a range of hills running parallel to the sea. Herds and flocks of goats and asses were feeding in several places. It was pleasant to think of Isaac and his herdmen having Avandered here. We came upon an immense colony of ants, all busily employed. They had made a highway Irom their dwelling of about forty yards in length, and this was literally covered with a black dotted' line of these moving insects. Those going out carried nothing but liurned along with great^speed. Those returnin°f^ carried a seed or piece of straw. Another band were employed in carrying out a grain of the soil from the camp, makmg room for the new supply. The Arabs call them by the Hebrew term nim/a. We read over- Proverbs vi. G-11 ; and thus got a Sabbath lesson applied with power even in the wilderness— a lesson of constant untiring diligence in the work of the Lord. We praye.l together, feeling that the land was fitted to make us ask much, for from these heavens the Holy Spirit had de- scended on many a projihet and many a saint. May such men be raised in our day, and Israel be so blessed again, and tiie same Spirit who visited them visit our land! The evening closed calmly round us in our tents (June o.) We left Sheikh Juide ben)re 6 a. m., pleasant clouds veiling the sun. Our course lay northward on the road to Gaza. The same low sand-hills were still between us and the sea, but there was considerable ver- dure on the undulating plains through which we passed. 1 he road is not like a king's highway with us, made be- * Jer. .\lvii. (i, 7. 96 ROAD TO GAZA — KHANOUNES. fore it is travelled, but is made by thie feet of the animals that travel it ; and as camels generally follow one ano- ther, it consists of many narrow paths in one broad way. We counted fifteen or twenty of these narrow paths mingling with each other, in a breadth of thirty or forty yards. Verdure and wild genista often occurred between the paths, so that the camels were frequently bending their long necks to feed as we journeyed. We notice this, because it seems to illustrate the description of wis- dom in Proverbs, " She standeth by the way in the places of the paths* Hence also the expression. " Hold up my goings in thy paths f^ and in the 23d Psalm, "He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness ;" J and the declaration, ^^ Broad is the way which leadeth to de- struction," 5 hints at its many paths. The country we passed through this day was a light pasture land, with plains and straths of vast extent. We observed all the animals mentioned in Scripture 1| as belonging to the original inhabitants, — sheep, oxen, asses, and camels. In some places the divisions of the fields were marked out ; a bunch of broom tied up formed the landmark. Some fields had been ploughed in a very slight manner. These signs of approaching cultivation were pleasant as we came up from the wilderness. Our guides pointed out the site of Kapha, the ancient Raphia, on our left near the sea, hid from our view by mounds of sand. At midday we arrived at Khanounes, the ancient Je- nysus; — its Scripture name is unknown. We had ex- pected to find rest and refreshment here, but a complete hurricane of wind blew the small dry sand full in ovir faces for about an hour. In was vain to attempt putting up the tent, so that we were forced to shelter ourselves * Prov. viii. 2. § Matt. vii. 13. t Ps. xvii. 5. II 1 Sam. xxvii. 9. I Ps. xsiii. 3. A HURRICANE — DAZAAR — INHABITANTS. 97 from the combined heat and storm of the sirocco, by wrapping ourselves in our carpets, and lying on our faces at "the roots of some large sycamore-trees, till it abated. We thought of Isaiah, "A man shall be as an hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the tem- pest ;" * and " a refuge from the storm, a sliadovv from the heat, when tiie blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall/'f An old Arab took special charge of us, asking our names, and leading us through the town in a most friendly manner. Khanounes is beautifully situated amidst many trees, chiefly of the species called " Ujumaiz" or sycamore, which bears a fruit very like a fig, while its leaves are like those of the mulberry-tree. The village is surrounded by fields of tobacco planted by their Mahometan posses- sors, and this is one of the commonest productions of the Holy Land, showing that it has become the heritage of the heathen, who sow Israel's fields. The houses were as substantial as mud-brick walls can be supposed to be. The old fort seemed to be a place of distinction, having a long inscription in Arabic round the interior of the porch. The bazaar consisted of a small row of wretched shops ; whose owners were squatted each before his door, smoking his pipe, and selling barley, beans, apricots, cucumbers, raisins, charcoal, pipes, and a few trinkets. We sat down in the shade, and all the inhabitants, young and old, gathered round ; but unable to speak their lan- guage, we could only minister kindness to them, allow- ing them to examine our veils, straw-hats, and watches, which were subjects of endless wonder. One man wore two or three beads pendant from his forehead. He said it was a charm to keep his eyes from blindness. An- other came with a diseased neck, to wiiich he pointed in silence with his finger, intimating that he desired to be healed. This brought Jesus and his wonders of mercy to mind in a most affecting manner. We assured him that we had no girt of healing. Meanwhile Ibraim had searched the town to find substantial provisions, but in vain; he could not even procure a cake of bread. We were offered unground barley, which a native could have used without much trouble by means of tiie hand-mill ; for we learned by experience that it is the custom in the. East to grind morning and evening just as much as serves for daily use. llence the necessity of the law, " Xo man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to * Isa. x.xxii. 2. t Isa. xxv. 4. VILLAGE OF BENNISHAIL. pledge, for he taketh a man's life to pledge." * We learn- ed also that this country is not now what it once was, " a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, and not lack any thing in it."t In the market the people were using stones instead of regular weights, according to the ancient mode.f The writer's inkhorn was worn by two or three at the bazaar. At the entrance of the town stands the chief object of interest, tlie public well, at which we drank large and refreshing draughts of de- lightful water. A camel turned the wheel, and" the water was brought up in small earthen jars, which emptied themselves into a trough. This is called the Persian wheel. The well is evidently the rendezvous for idlers, gazers, and talkers, and as much a place of public resort as the market. Old and young, cattle and camels, were gathered thither. The coolnes's of the spot, and the pros- pect of meeting others, no doubt induce many to take their seat by the well's side. A httle way out of the town was the burying-ground. Some men were dig- ging a grave. One man dug with a pick-axe, then took a basket and with his hands scraped into it the earth he had loosened, and handed up the basket to those above. At the same place, one of our attendants was met by an old acquaintance, a Bedouin. They saluted each other kindly, kissing three times. After partaking of some rice and ripe apricots, we re- sumed our journey about six o'clock in the evening. The camels moved on through a very level and broad plain, which retained more of its grassy verdure than any we had yet passed through. The descending sun shone mildly, the stormy wind had fallen, many flocks wei'e browsing on each side of the road, and there was I'eviving freshness in the evening breeze. About half an hour N. E. * Deut. xxiv. 6. t Deut. viii. 9. t Deut. XXV. 13. Prov. xvi. 11. See margin. ROAD TO GAZA — SYCAMORES. 99 from Khanoiines is a small village called Bcnnishail, built apparently of mud bricks, but embosomed in trees, among which a solitary palm raised its head. The name of the town is taken from the Arabic name of one of the con- stellations. It stands upon the summit of a rising ground, and the channel of a stream, which at one time had watered its gardens, but is now dry, can be plainly traced. It may occupy the place of some of Simeon's cities, " Hazar-Susah," or " Baalath-beer, Ramath of the south." * Some, indeed, have supposed Khanounes to be " Ramath of the south,'" but the word " Ramath" means " high ground," a name which could not apply to Kha- nounes, but would suit well the situation of this pleasant village, for the towers (Rawoth) on that slope would glance beautifully in the setting sun, even as do now its figs and solitary palm. The birds were singing very sweetly. Many old and verdant sycamores, with gnarled trunks and branches spreading out toward the east, adorned the plain. If the sycamore of Zaccheus was like these, we see how easily he could climb it, and how safely he could lie upon its branches, and see Jesus pas- sing beneath. f .The height of it, also, (for it is among the highest trees in Palestine.) mny have afforded another reason for his choice. It is said of Solomon, that "he made cedars to be as the sycamore-trees that are in the vale for abundance,"| which shows that in his day the sycamore grew in great plenty, probably in this very plain along the Mediterranean. At present they are far from being abundant. Indeed, trees of any kind are * Josh. xix. 8 t Luke .\ix. 1 — 4. I 1 Kings X. 27. 100 VILLAGE OF DAIR — THE BROOK BESOR. few in the Holy Land. The palm especially occurs only here and there, for it requires cultivation, and has therefore gradually decreased in a country where it was no more attended to. The emblem of triumph has with- ered away from the land of Judah ! The terebinth also (generally rendered oak in our version) is very rare.* " All the trees of the field are withered, because joy is withered away from the sons of men."t We met several of the Bedouin Shepherds riding on asses, driving home their cows, sheep, and goats. "Our guides told us that in all this region they drive their flocks home at evening, because of the many wolves, which would render it hazardous to leave them in the open fields during night. In this way the prophecy is fulfilled, "And the sea-coast" shall be dwelhngs and cottages for shepherds and folds for flocks."| A httle after we heard for the first time the loud painful cry of the wolf not far off. Passing up a gentle ascent, there was a village on our left, called Dair or Adair, conjectured by some to be the Adar of Scripture, ^ but as darkness had come down upon us, we could only hear the barking of its dogs. We had already crossed the dry beds of two torrents, and now came to a third, broader than any of the rest, but quite as dry, called Wady Saiga. Perhaps this may- be the brook Besor, memorable in the history of David,|| as the place where 200 of his valiant men remained be- hind when he pursued the Amalekites. In comparing the narrative of that pursuit with the features of the country, there are minute coincidences worthy to be ob- served. The young Egyptian said to David, "I will bring- thee doivn to this company."ir The reference here is evidently to those gentle ascents up which we were travelling. David and his men were coming from the north, hence it is truly said that they were " brought down." Again, it is said of the Amalekites, " Behold they were spread abroad upon all the earth." ** They were scattered over those open fields and plains, care- lessly enjoying themselves. Some hours'after we crossed another bed of a river, which the Arabs called Wady Gaza. The banks were steep and the channel broad at the point where we crossed. When we met with so * Rosenmueller supposes that the rareness of this tree may be account- ed for. It produces turpentine ; and if incisions are not made during summer in its bark, the resinous matter accumulates, swells the bark, cracks the stem, and then exudes in such quantity that the tree is often destroyed. t Joel i. 12. t Zeph. ii. 6. ^ Josh. xv. 3. 11 1 Sam. XXX. 10- IT 1 Sam. xxx. 15. ** lb. verse 16. ENVIRONS OF GAZA. 101 many dry channels of streams in the south of the Holy Land, we remembered with interest the prayer of Israel, "Turn again our captivity, O Lord, a.y the streams in the south:''* These have no water within their banks, except when the rain descends ; they wait for rain, like the souls of the men of Israel ! We encamped at midnight upon the sand-hills, within half an hour of Gaza. In the morning (June 4) we were told that the plague was raging within the walls of Gaza, and that fifteen persons had died that week. Our camel drivers now refused to carry us any farther, having completed their contract; and as there had been neither camels nor mules to be had in Gaza for thirty days, the plague hav- ing suspended all intercourse with other places, we had to make up our minds to remain here all day. Our ser- vant Ibraim was despatched to lay our case before the Governor, and try to get an arrangement made. The Governor behaved with great politeness, only regretting that we had not a firman from the Pasha of Egypt, in which case he could have compelled the men to carry us forward. This was almost the only instance where we had any reason to regret the want of a firman. As it was, the Governor, finding that we had no other hope of getting away, took it upon him to command the camel- driver to arrange with us and go forward next morning. Meanwhile, we wandered over the sand-hills on which we had pitched our tents, that we might view the town and adjoining country. Beneath us on the north-west lay the high road to Gaza, the same as in ancient days, but lonely and still, except when the shepherds and their flocks passed by. " The earth mournotii and fadeth away, few men are left."t Whether the Ethiopian eunuch had come thus far or not, it was this tract of road he was traversing: and it may have been, while his chariot moved heavily and noiselessly over these sands, that Philip had the opportunity of running up to him, and speaking the words of eternal life.]: We sat down on the northern extremity of the mounds of sand, a spot which beautifully overlooks the modern town of Gaza. The evening sun shone sweetly through the beautiful gardens, fine old fisrs and sycamores, and curious hedges of prickly pear. Tlie minarets and other buildings rose above the trees, and we listened with delight to the soft ♦ Ps. cxxvi. 4. Josh. xv. 19. + Isa. x.\iv. 4, 6. % Acts viii. 26. I] 102 GAZA — VIEW OF THE COUNTRY. voice of the turtle heard m the land, and tlie voices of the little children at play. Vve were told that there are about 3000 inhabitants, though others say above 10,000. Whilst M'e gazed upon this peaceful scene, we felt it hard to think that this was a land on which God was " laying his vengeance."* It appeared at first as if there had been no fulfilment of those distinct predictions, " Gaza shall be forsaken,"| and " baldness has come upon Gaza."f But when we had completed our investigation, we found that not one word had fallen to the ground. We separated in order to obtain different views of this interesting spot. Dr. Black remained to examine more fully the hills of sand. Dr. Keith took the direction of the sea, which is about three miles distant from the mo- dern town, starting the idea, that in all probabilitj' these heaps of sand were covering the ruins of ancient Gaza, The ancient town occupied a site much nearer the sea. The rest of us took the direction of the most prominent hill in the landscape lying N. E., and overhanging the modern town. Crossing a wady quite dr)s we climbed the hill, which is less than 100 feet high. Wild thyme is the chief plant upon it, loading the air with fragrance, and a torrent forces its way down a ravine in winter. The top is ornamented with the white tomb of a Maho- metan saint. The evening was uncommonly sweet, and the birds were singing among the olive and fig-trees in the gardens that stretch from the town to the base of the mount. From this point, the town appeared much poorer and more wretched than we had supposed. The flat- roofed huts without windows seemed to be all of mud. The four mosques, the ruins of an ancient church, and other edifices among the beautiful trees, were the chief ornaments. Looking to the east, we enjoyed a pleasant view of the undulating pasture-land, not unlike some parts of Dumfriesshire"; while to the north, gardens and olive groves were stretched out as far as what we thought' might be the valley of Eshcol. As we stood among tombs on the top of the mount, we concluded that this was the hill to the top of which Samson carried the gates of Gaza, the two posts, the bar and all,^ a monument of triumph in view of the whole city, whom, as leader of Israel, he had baffled even at the time when his own sins hung heavy upon him. Although it is not high, yet from its top you may see the heights that overhang Hebron, * Ezek. XXV. 17. + Zeph. ii. 4. t Jer. xlvii. 5. ^ Judg. xvi. 3. FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY. 103 SO that it is called " the hill that is before Hebron." The ridge of hills lying to the east, is probably Ramath-lehi, " the heights of Lehi." * Returning to our tents, we were now prepared to verify Dr. K^eith's conclusion, of the truth of which he had been fully satisfied, namely, that these hills of sand, where we had pitched our tents, really cover the ruins of ancient Gaza. Each of us liad found fragments of polished marble in the flat hollows between the sand- hills, the remains no doubt of "the palaces of Gaza;" and also masses of fused stones, proving that God had " sent a fire on the wall of Gaza." f We now saw in a manner we had never done before, that God had fulfilled his own word, " Baldness is come iq)on Gaza.'''' | We saw that not merely mourning, such as "baldness" indi- cated in ancient times, but literally and most remark- ably the appearance of baldness has come upon Gaza. No sort of verdure, not a single blade of grass, did we see upon these sand-hills. One solitary tree there was, which only served to make the barrenness more remark- able. This barren, bare hill of sand is the bald head of Gaza.5 How awfully true and faithful are the words of God! All along the coast of Philistia, we had seen how ac- curately these words are fulfilled, " I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Chere- thims, and destroy the remnant of the sea-coasts," || there being now none of all those ancient warriors that used to issue from these coasts and penetrate into the heart of Judah. We saw also the iuLUlment of this word, " The king shall perish from Gaza," IF a paltry governor being novv its ruler, not engaged in affairs of state, but in helping travellers to find camels for their journey. We were much struck likewise by observing how truly "the sea-coast had become dwellings and cottages for shepherds and folds for flocks,"** for few of the fields are cultivated, and the hills and vales are so completely pastoral, that from one rising ground we counted ten larsre flocks and herds. One proi)hecy, however, re- garding this region remains yet to be fulfilled, "The coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah ; they shall feed thereupon : in the houses of Ashkelon * Jud''. XV. 17. t Amos i. 7. X Jer. xlvii. 5. 5 See^Dr. Keith's remarks made on the spot, at p. 253 of his Evi- dence of Prophecy, 23d edition. II Ezek. .\xv. IG. ^ Zech. i.\. 5. ** Zeph. ii. 6. 104 GAZA — ARAB CUSTOMS — WINNOWING BARLEY- shall they lie down in the evening ; for the Lord their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity." * Precious ray amidst the gloom ! Speedily may the pro- mise come to pass ! During our ramble, we had met with some interesting customs of the East. A kind Arab came forward from his tent as we passed, offering us the refreshment of a drink of water, saying, " Tesherbetu moie," "Will you drink water !" The promise of our Lord,t seems to refer to cases like this, where the individual, unasked, seeks out objects on whom to show kindness. The least de- sire to bless one who is a disciple shall not lose its re- ward. At another place we came upon " the tents of Kedar." f The tents of the Bedouins are of a dark- brown colour, made of goat's hair, and rudely stretched on four poles. How striking the contrast between these and " the curtains of Solomon !" — the splendid hangings of his pavilion, which were no doubt like those of Ahas- uerus, " white, green, and blue, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple, to silver rings and pillars of mar- ble." 5 In one of the Arab huts the inmates were grind- ing at the mill, and we helped them to move round the upper millstone. Again, we came upon an Arab cot- tage, made of branches of trees, and found the whole fam- ily seated on the sand before the door. After the usual salaam, they gave us bread warm from their oven, with a look of great kindness, and refused to take any money in return. In one field, the men were ploughing with oxen. In another under the hill, they were winnowing barley, casting it up to the wind with a sort of wooden shovel or fan. The corn lay in heaps not bound in sheaves. Returning in the evening through fields of melons, we disturbed ""the keepers of a field," the same as those mentioned by the prophet. |1 A rude shed made of four upright poles, that supported a covering of twined branches, protected from the weather an old decrepit Arab, who sat watching against any intrusion that might be made by man or beast upon his field. In passing through a large flock of sheep, we remarked how familiar they appeared to be with the shepherd, showing no signs of timidity at his closest approach. Their large heavy tails are also very remarkable. These are chiefly com- posed of fat, and are particularly referred to in the Mo- * Zeph. ii. 7. t Matt. x. 42. + Song i. 5. $ Esth. i. 6. II Jer. iv. 17. DEl'ARTURE FROM GAZA. 105 saic Law * as tlie pieces that were to feed the flame of the sacrifice. (June r>.) Early this morning seven camels arrived from Ciaza, and Mustapha again took his place at the head of our caravan ; but we had to make tlie condition that our journey should be direct to Jerusalem, instead of by Hebron, as we had previously intended — the camel- drivers pretending that if they went tliat way, we would be stopped by the people, because coming Irom a town where the plague was raging. The policy of Moslems is hard to be understood. " The sun had risen on the earth " ere we left our sandy eminence. Our morning meal was a spare one, a barley-cake and a glass of pure water. We soon passed the foot of Samson's hill, and then the entrance to Gaza, near the public well, where the women were already assembling with veiled faces to draw water. Our road lay between lofty hedges of prickly pear, enclosing luxuriant gardens. In these no care seems to be bestowed upon flowers, but pome- granate, fig, and olive-trees flourished abundantly. Oc- casionally we noticed a fig-tree up which a vine had climbed, so that the combined shade " of their vine and fig-tree "t might here be enjoyed together. Several of the houses in the town had tents erected on their flat roofs ; which we supposed might be especially intended at present to avoid the infection of the plague. A bury- ing-ground a little way from the gate had lamps sus- pended over several of its tombs. "We then entered u}ion the Grove of Olives, which is laid down in maps. The pul)lic road passed through it for about three miles. The trees appear to have been planted at regular distances, — handsome trees with pleasant shade, reminding the traveller of the days of Philistia's glory. "We met many peasant.s, some riding on asses, some on f )Ot, carrying into town vegetables and fruits. Several women carried baskets of mulber- ries on their heads. The Bedouins brought us some of these, and we found them much better than those we got in Egypt. On either side of the road, the ground is covered with verdure, so that the grove is not unlike some nobleman's domain. Tiie constant chirpinirof the grasshoppers, though monotonous, was not unpleasant. There is something stronjily indicative of health and vigour in the fresh look of a flourishing olive-tree, but especially when a grove of them is seen together, and * E.\od. xxix. '2-2. Lev. iii. 9 + Mic. iv. 4. 11* 106 JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM — BET-HANOON, the sun shining on their glossy leaves. The trunk is of a moderate height, and gnarled in a picturesque manner ; the foliage is of a deep and peculiar green, and under a passing breeze, the uppermost leaves turn round, and shew a fine silvery hue. Hence the full meaning of the words of the prophet, " His beauty shall be as the olive- tree."* And again, "the Lord called thy name, A green ohve-tree, fair, and of goodly fruit."t And the joyful song of the Psalmist, " I am like a green olive-tree in the house of God." f It is not merely the evergreen verdure of the tree that is referred to, but its health and vigour. Where could we find a better emblem of the Church in a flourishing condition, than just such a grove of olives as this, with the peaceful notes of the turtle •poured forth from the midst, and the sun's living light over all, like the Sun of righteousness shining over his peaceful Church ! On emerging from this pleasant grove, the country opens out intoa fine plain. In the fields all the opera- tions of harvest seemed to be going on at the same time. Some were cutting down the barley, for it was the time of barley-harvest, with a reaping-hook not unlike our own, but all of iron, and longer in the handle and smaller in the hook. Others were gathering what was cut down into sheaves. Many were gleaning; and some were employed in carrying home what had been cut and gath- ered. We met four camels heavily laden with ripe sheaves, each camel having bells of a different note sus- pended from its neck, which sounded cheerfully as they moved slowly on. Perhaps those bells may be a rem- nant of the "joy in harvest,"^ though this is not the only time when they are used. The practice appears to have been very common in the days of Zechariah, for he makes use of the expression, " On the bells of the horses shall be. Holiness to tlie Lord," |I to indicate the holiness that shall pervade the land, descending to the minutest and most ordinary movements of life. The barley on the plain seemed good, but the crop amazingly thin, and the rank weeds so abundant, that asses and other cattle were feeding on the part of the field that had been newly cut. Bet-hanoon, a small village on the right hand, is the first object of interest in this plain. It is composed of brown square huts standing on a rising ground, and sur- * Hosea xiv. 6. t Jer. xi. 16. t Ps. Hi. 8. §Isa. ix. 3. II Zech. X1V.20. VALLEY OF ESHCOL AND SOREK. 107 rounded with trees. In 1 Kings iv. 9, there is mention made of" Eion-beth-hanan," or *' the plain of Beth-hanan," in the tribe of Dan, a name w liich resembles this. A wady runs past in a northerly direction, and joins what we be- lieve mifrht be the brooii S(jrek several miles further on. This we conjectured to be the channel of the brook Esh- coi. Some have supposed that Sorek is the stream, and Eshcol the tributary, and this agrees exactly with our observation, fur in all this plain we crossed only one channel of a river that communicated with the sea. The tributary stream answering to Eshcol must have been Wady Safia, wliich we crossed soon after. The channel was quite dry, and the road lay through the middle of it for some part of the way. Often the banks were much broken as by a winter torrent, and very deep. Ten or twelve feet of beautiful soil was sometimes laid bare, so that we could not help exclaiming. How fertile this land might yet become, if there were bestowed on it the in- dustry of man and the blessing of God ! About a mile further on we crossed by a bridge another deep and narrow channel, called by the Arabs ^\'ady Djezed, which runs to the sea, and which we conjectured to be the brook Sorek. Although some fix the position of E.shcol nearer IIe!)ron, yet there seems good reason to think that this open vale through which we passed is the true valley of Eshcol, where the spies cut down a cluster of grapes so large that they bare it between them upon a .staff.* It is easy to imagine that this spacious valley, stretching nearly north and south for many miles, an.'nown."\. This plant is some noble shady tree where the flock may find rest and shelter — a wide-spreading c(jvert, renowned for its coolness, under whose protecting branches they shaU feed, and be " no more consumed with hunger." The great Redeemer is thus represented as giving to his own flock first shelter from burning wrath, and then peace to feed in plenty when they are delivered. When shall Israel come to this Plant of renown ! After gathering some of the wild flowers and seeds of shrulxs, as memorials of the hills of Philistia — among others, seeds of the Poterium spinosuw, — we returned to the encampment through fields where some were cutting down the barley, and others gleaninsi bt^hind them, like Ruth in the fiekls of Boaz, not far ofl'; while the feet of oxen were treading out what had been cut. In the vil- • Isa. vi. 11. 12. t Song i. 7. t F.zck. xxxiv. 29. See the whole context, where Israel is compared to a flock of slieep. 110 BEDOUIN MODE OF SALUTATION. lage " the sound of the millstone" met our ears, proceed- ing from several of the huts. It is a clear ringing sound, conveying an idea of peace and cheerfulness, and is more than once spoken of in Scripture.* In the court-yard of one house, the grinders accompanied their occupation with a song.f Before leaving the poor villagers, we partook of the first fruits of the land in the shape of fine ripe apricots, and drank a little of their " Heniat,''' or " Leban-hemat," a kind of sour milk, which is very cool- ing and pleasant when well prepared. It was this which Jael gave to Sisera,| — " She brought forth butter in a lordly dish ;" the word in the original being the same as that now apphed by the Arabs to this simple bever- age. It i^ made by putting milk into an earthen jar, and letting it stand for a day. The taste is not unlike that of butter-milk, cool and most refreshing to a weary man oppressed Mdth heat. The Arabs say " it makes a sick man well." Leaving this pleasant spot about half-past four, we proceeded northward through the plain, crossing the dry channel of a former brook named Wady-el-Abd. There were many fields of tobacco, barley, and dhura, and clusters of silvery olives, to relieve the eye. The dhura is a species of millet or Indian corn ; it grows very rank and strong, bears a heavy crop, and is often roasted and eaten unground. One stalk sometimes fur- nishes a meal to a native. Perhaps this may have been "the parched corn" which Boaz gave to Ruth,^ and David carried to his brethren. || An incidental occur- rence here showed us the meaning of Elisha's command to his servant Gehazi, to salute noinan by the way. IT A Bedouin acquaintance of one of our camel-drivers, meet- ing him on the road, the two friends occupied no small time in salutation. They kissed each other five times on the cheek, holding the hand at the same time ; then asked three or four questions at each other, and not till this was done, did they resume their journey. If Gehazi, a man so well known, had done this to every one he met, he would not have reached Carmel before his master. In less than an hour we came to Bet-Car, a small place, composed of one square of houses for villagers and their * .Ter. XXV. 10. Rev. xviii. 22. t Perhaps this may be alluded to in Eccles. xii. 4, " The ?ou7id of the grinding is low." X Judg. V. 25. nNDn See also Job xxix. 6. § Ruth ii. 14. II 1 Sam. xvii. 17. IT 2 Kings iv. 29. Also Luke x. 4. DOULIS — DRAWING WATER. Ill flocks, a white tower, and Sheikh's tomb, surrounded witli some fine trees and hedges of prickly pear. A httle after, a village called Barbara appeared at some distance on our left, and then nearer us, beside the dry channel of Wady-um-Gersh, another village called Dia, with a large tamarisk-tree. It has about twenty families, and large flocks and herds were gathering round. From this point to the ruins of Ashkelon, there was only a single hour's journey. We would have rejoiced to have seen with our own eyes the fulfilment of the pro- phecy, "Ashkelon shall not be inhabited ;"* and also the place where the remnant of Judah is yet to "lie down in the evening ;" f but the day was too far gone to admit of our visiting it. The hill country of Judah came in sight this evening. The view was distant, but very pleasing, over the vast plain covered with barley. On the right appeared a village, Bet-ima, or " house of eggs;" and in half an hour after, having crossed the dry bed of Wady Rousad, we came to Doulis, a considerable vil- lage, ))laced upon a rock, and overlooking the open vale through which we had travelled. It stands on the left of the road, and is four hours distant from our last sta- tion. Here we encamped for the night. While the serv- ants were pitching the tents, we wandered through the place, and sitting down by the well, observed the women come to draw water. The well is very deep, and the mode of drawing up the water curious. A rope is attached by one end to a large bucket, made of skin, and let down over a pulley ; while the other end is attached to a bullock, which is driven down the slope of the hill ; the skin of water is thus hauled up to the top, where a man stands ready to emi)ty it into the trough, from which women receive the water in earthen - ware jues. To us this was a novel and amusing sight. • Zech. ijc. 5. t Zeph. ii. 7. 112 DOULIS — FOLDS FOR FLOCKS. In some parts of the village fragments of marble pillars were lying on the ground ; and on the side of the hill there are many deep pits, which may have been used in other days as places of concealment for " hid treasures of wheat and of barley." * Many large flocks of sheep and goats were coming into tlie village, and we followed " the footsteps of the flocks," in order to see where they were lodged all night. We found the dwellings to be merely cottages of mud, with a door, and sometimes also a window, into a court-yard. In this yard the flocks were lying down, while the villagers were spreading their mats to rest within. Small mud-walls formed frail partitions, to keep .separate the larger and smaller cattle ; for oxen, horses, and camels, were in some of these en- closures. We could not look upon these "folds for flocks," so closely adjoining the " dwelhngs and cottages for shepherds," and this in the very region anciently called "the sea-coast," without expressing to one an- other our admiration at the manner in which God had brought about the fulfilment of the prophecy already more than once alluded to, "The sea-coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks." t One man kindly invited us to enter his cottage, and sit down on his carpet. He showed us the key com- monly used for the door, which is nothing more than a piece of wood with pegs fastened in it, corresponding to small holes in a wooden bolt within. It is put through a hole in the door, and draws the bolt in a A^ery simple manner. It is generally carried in the girdle; though sometimes we were told it is tied to something else, and worn over the shoulder in the way spoken of by the prophet, " The key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder." J The large opening through which the key is introduced, illustrates these words in the Song, " My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door." g It is possible that Doulis may be the remains o^ Eshtaol, one of the cities of Dan, mentioned in the life of Samson. || Its situation upon a rock, the deep well, and the pits, all show that it is an ancient place ; and the ancient name may be concealed under the modern form. On the way to our encampment, we passed some of the tents of Kedar pitched under a tree outside the village, ex- actly like those mentioned before— low dark-brown cov- * Jer. xli. 8. t Zeph. ii. 6. X Isa. xxii. 22. $ Song V. 4. II Josh. xix. 41. Judg. xiii. 25. BEDOUIN TENTS— DEPARTURE FROM DOULIS. 113 erings. The wanderers were crouching beneath, and not far off a fire of wood was sending up its curling smoke. •£<"^- lit^jPv:'"-^--.^ ^;-^;- The women in all this region wear long veils, which m part cover the lower part of the face, but are not drawn close over it as in Egypt. Long veils seem to have been common, and were used for va^-ious purposes, often like aprons.* The incessant sound of the grasshopper both day and night, made us observe how natural was the imajre used by the spies, " we were in our own siglit as grasshop- pers,"! for, like us, they must have listened to their per- petual chirping in this very resfion. Before fillino- asleep we heard the wild howling of the jackal and the wolf, as if hungry for a prey. (June 6.) We were awakened before break of day by the voice of Mustapha crying to Ibraim and Ahmet, "Koom, Koom," "Rise, rise." The sleepers answered now and then by a groan, till, wearied out by their re- fusal, Mustapha resolved on forsakinsr us, and actually gave orders to his Bedouins to depart. We all started up, and our tents were down in a few minutes. Musta- pha's great anxiety was to get past a certain part of the road, which is infested with flies, before the sun was hot. We were on our camels before five, and the moon was shining sweetly on Doulis as we departed. Instead of going northward, our route now lay directly eastward. We ascended a hilly pass, adorned with wild flowers and perfumed with fragrant thyme. The birds, too, were iilling the morning air with their sweet voices. Looking behind us, we could see, under the risinsr sun, tlie plea- sant village we had left, till we arrived at the top of the rocky eminence. The slopes on each side were bare and stony, but evidently well fitted for trainimi the vine in the days of Eshtaol's glory. We supposed that, in * Rutli iii. 15. 12 t Num. xiii. 33. 114 PLAIN OF SEPHELA — VILLAGES. the region northward to us, lay Zorah, where Samson was born ; and still nearer us the " Camp of Dan," where " the Spirit of the Lord began to move him ;" and not far off, the vineyards of Timnath, where he slew the lion.* Lool<;ing nearly due north, we saw a town upon a conical rising ground, surrounded with trees. This the Arabs called Shdood, tlie remains of Ashdod, v^^here Dagon fell before the Ark of God. f It is about two hours and a half distant. When we were comparing this fra- grant pass of Dan with some of tlie mountain scenery in our own Scotland, suddenly we reached the summit, and a splendid prospect broke upon us. An immense undulating plain was stretched before, lying north and south, and of vast breadth east and west. There were few trees, but the plain was covered with fields of yellow grain, and studded with a goodly number of little towns, the remains of other days. Vast tracts appeared to lie uncultivated, and some parts were covered with sesa- mine, whose white flowers formed an agreeable variety. There were no traces of that arid sandy aspect so cha- racteristic of the country from which we had just emerg- ed. In the background, the beautiful hill country of Judah rose tier above tier, and the sun, which was just rising over them, poured a flood of golden rays into the plain. This is the- great plain of Sephela, called "The Plain."| As we descended into the vale, we inquired of the Arabs the names of the different villages in sight, mak- ing them repeat the name carefully and frequently, that we might not be mistaken. Three villages immediately before us, and not far off, they called Erd Safeen. On the extreme right, under the hill, we were pointed to Aragesh Sueidan, then more to the east to Bet-affa, and farther still, to Karatieh, with a tower, perhaps the an- cient Bethcar ; \ the next we were shown was Hatta, the next Oudsir, and still farther across the plain Thit- crin. They pointed also to the situation of Bet Jibrin, believed to be the ancient Eleutheropolis. Ibraim, our guide, had visited it with Professor Robinson, and de- scribed to us the curious remains of buildings which they found there. On the extreme left, and nearly north from us, was a considerable village, Bet-daras. A dis- tant hill of a conical form to the north-east, they called El-betune. We now came down upon the three villages of Safeen, situated as it were at the points of a triangle, * Judges xiii. 2, 25 ; xiv. 5. t 1 Sam. v. 3. t Obad. 19. $ 1 Sam. vii. 11. PLAIN OF ZEPHATHAH — KASTEEN. 115 and about a quartor of a mile distant from each other. We haltt'd for a few minutes to bre;ik our fast with a little barley-bread and line warm milk. But now we began to experience the annoyance of which we had been forewarned by Mustapha. Ti)e air was filled with swarms of small flies, whose bite was very troublesome, so that we were glad to use every menns to cover our faces. The camels also, stung by these insects, became very restive, and for the first time almost ungovernable. A wolf here started across our path, ;ind fled before us. The last of the three villages has marks of antiquity. There is a large well a little out of the town, from which the water is drawn up in the same way as at Doulis. The women were all busy drawing the morning supply ; some were washing their hands and faces, and their feet, by rubbing one foot upon another. There are also many pits for grain here, large stones and mounds of earth, and a pool of water. A wady winds past, called Wady Safeen, at present dry, but it may have been a considerable stream in winter. The situation and the name of these villages at once suggested to us that this is the valley of Zepluithah, where Asa defeated Zerah, the Ethiopian, with his host of" a thousand thousand." * In this vast plain there would be room enough for all that multitude, and ample scope in these level fields for the three hundred chariots. We remembered with fresh interest also, how the ark of God was carried by the two milch kine from the land of the Philistines to Beth-she- mesh, across this very plain, probably a little to the north of us.f Nor could we lift our eyes to the hill country of Judah without remembering the visit of the mother of our Lord to her cousin Klizabeth. f Once also Mareshah, Lachish, and Libnah stood in this vast plain. At nine o'clock we arrived at Kasteen, where was a well and plenty of water, pits for grain, and mounds of earth. Upon the roof of the houses the inhabitants were spreading out sheaves of corn to dry. "\\> imme- diately thought of Rahab hiding the spies at Jericho. } A solitary palm rises in the midst of the village. On the left side of the road is Hasur, a small village with many trees, perhaps one of the '■'■Ilazors " of Judah. || Half an hour after we rested at Mesmieh, a village • 2 Chron. xiv. 9. t ] .Sam. vi. 1-2. t Luke i. 39. $ Josh. ii. 6. II Josh. .\v. 25. 116 VILLAGE OF MESMIEH — THRASHING-FLOOR. surrounded by prickly pear, and interspersed with olive- trees. The houses were of a wretched description ; but there were deep pits for grain — a large well also at the farther side of the village, and a pool near it, where the oxen were bathing themselves up to the neck to get rid of the flies. We found a scanty shelter under an old decaying olive-tree. At one o'clock we mounted again, — the great heat, the flies, and the bad water, making us very willing to depart. An interesting and lively scene of rural life here presented itself Close to the village lay a thrashing floor, where twenty or thirty pair of oxen were employed in treading out corn. One peasant attended to each pair, and another tossed up the straw with a wooden fork, and spread it out again for them to tread. Few of the oxen were muz- zled. We remembered the commandment, "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn;"* and how Paul says to minis- ters, " For our sakes no doubt this is written, that he that plougheth should plough in hope, and that he that thrasheth in hope, should be partaker of his hope." f The camels, too, were carrying home loads of ripe sheaves, to the sound of the tinkling bell round their neck. On a rising ground far to the south, stands a village with a kind of" fort, which our guide called Assenibba.| Our route now lay by a ruined arch, El-mohrazin. A village stood here a few years ago, but a virulent epi- demic cut off all the inhabitants. " Under another arch- way not far off", the people were winnowing barley, cast- ing it up to the wind with a wooden fan. A woman pa'ssed carrying her child on her shoulder in a cradle. Here we came upon a narrow stream of water called by our guide Wady Maruba, an hour and a half from Mesmieh. The water was very muddy, yet the Arabs drank and bathed in it with the greatest satisfaction. This was the first sight we obtained of running water since entering this land, which was once called " a land of brooks of water."^ We again remembered the prayer of Israel, so applicable at this moment, " Turn again our * Dent. XXV. 4. t 1 Cor. ix. 10. t Probably Neit Nuzib, described by Professor Robinson, having a mined tower; vol. iii. p. 12. The Nezib of Josh. -w. 43. ^ Deut. viii. 7. FIELD3 OF THISTLES. 117 captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south."* And we recalled with a tiirill of interest the clear promise by the mouth of tiie prophet Joel, "All the rivers of Judah shall tiow with waters."t Four hours together this day we travelled through fields of weeds, briers, and thorns, such as we never saw any where else. Sometimes the weeds were as plentiilil and stronger than the barley amongst which they grew. Often there was nothing but weeds. In ploughing, they plough round about them, and in reap- ing they take care not to cut down the giant thistles. The variety of thistles was very great. We counted ten or eleven difl'erent species in the course of tlie afternoon. There were also large fields covered with the " hellah" or sesamine, like " hemlock in the furrows of the field."! Through the whole of the plain the ground is chapped and cracked as if by an earthquake, and to the foot feels hard as iron. All these tilings appear without contra- diction to be a literal fulfilment of the word of God. " Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers," " until the Spirit be poured upon us from on liigh."5 " The rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness."|| " Thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is unt, when we prevailed on our guides to encamp in a stubble field near Deir-Eyub, a small hamlet of two or three houses. The hills around seemed to form a verdant amphitheatre, the terraces of the ancient vine- yards having the ajjpearance of seats. There were many patches of cultivation, and a good deal of brushwood. There were also two line wells of water. We were now many hundred feet aliove the level of the plain, so that the air was delightfully cool and soft. Dr. Keith, observ- ing one of the adjoining hills to be very verdant, and not very steep, set out with the purpose of climbing it. After a short absence, however, he returned to tell us that he had filled in his attempt. He found the surface over- grown with strong briers and thorns, through which he tried to make his way, but without success: "Every place where there was a thousand vines at a thousand silverings, it shall even be for briers and thorns. With arrows and bows shall men come thither, because all the land shall l)ecome briers and thorns." * Many times this day did the words of Isaiah come into our mind : " They shall lament for the teats (i. e. a soil rich as breasts full of milk, the uher ag-ri), for the pleasant lields, for the fruitful vine. Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers ;"t " until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high."| We felt a .secret joy in beholding the deserted terraces and helds overrun with thorns; for when we saw the word of threatening so clearly and literally fullilled, our unbelief was reproved, and we were taught to expect without a shadow of doubt, that the • Isa. vii. 13, 1 J. "t We felt tlie same in traversing the vast plain of Esdraelon, the greater part of wliich is covered over with almost impenetrable thickets of weeds, thorns, briers, and thistles. Some time at'tir when sailing up tlie Bosphoriis, conversing with a gcnileman whom we had met in Palestine, who appeared to be a man of the world, we asked him if he had climbed Mount Tabor, to obtain the dtlii,'hiful view from its sum- mit. His answer was,— ".No. Why should 1 climb Mount Tabor, to see a country of thorns?" He was thus an unintentional witness to the truth of (iod's word. " Briers and thorns" include all kinds of tfiornif rrrowtli. whether the common brier, or the ihorn, or the thistle; perhaps it mii;ht take in even the prickly (lear, now so common as a hedge throughout the country. " 77ior;i.« and tJtislUs" are specially nppropriaie in a land under the curse. See Gen. iii. 18. { isa. x.vxu. 1- — li 120 HILLS OF JUDAH — PASS OF LATROON. promised blessing would be as full and sure. We felt too that it was pleasant to anticipate the time when, as certainly as these thorns and thistles overspread Judea, the Holy Spirit shall be poured out as a flood upon Israel, and both the people and the land shall become a garden of the Lord. As darkness came on, the fire-fly was to be seen moving through the air in all directions. Weary and yet thankful, we committed ourselves to the care of the Shepherd of Israel, and lay down in our tents to enjoy a short night's repose. (June 7.) This day was to be among the most event- ful of our lives, as on it we hoped to reach Jerusalem. We therefore rose very early, and were moimted by four o'clock. The morning had not yet dawned, but the moon poured its silvery light up the valley, and enabled our guides to find the track. Even at this early hour, the birds had begun their song from the brushwood on the hill-side, and increased in number and in fulness of song as the sun arose. PeHiaps the Psalmist had reference to such a scene when he sang, " He sendeth the springs into the valleys which run among the hills." " By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches."* At least it was peculiarly plea- sant to remember these words in such a spot, so near the place where David learned to sing. We came upon many small mountain streams, on the banks of which grew luxuriant bushes, and from the branches of which the blackbird, lark, and others were pouring forth their lays. About five o'clock we reached the head of the valley in which Latroon is situated, and began to enter a singular mountain defile, called the Pass of Latroon. It is supposed that the " Descent of Beih-horo/i.'" and the " Ascent" is this defile. Other travellers have found the name Betur in a village not far off", and the entrance is called Bab-el-Wady, or " Gate of the Valley." The sun rose upon the tops of the mountains soon after we enter- ed this defile, revealing a scene truly wild and romantic. The path is steep and rocky, and especially difficult for camels, whose feet are better fitted for the soft sands of the desert, yet they pressed on with wonderful perse- verance. Around and above us were rocks of the wildest description, yet adorned with the richest vegetation. Trees of considerable size occasionally lined the Pass: the largest were called by the Arabs the balut and balur. IPleasant shrubs and flowers also attracted our eye, • Ps. civ. 10, 12. VINE TERRACES. 121 among: which were the oleander, the cistus, the lavatera, and wild pinlt. The frairrance diffused by them was truly delightful, and the voice of the turtle saluted our ears again and again. The eastern attiie ol' Mustapha and the rest of our band as they urged on tlieir camels, correspontled well with the character of the scene. A more suitable fastness for banditti could hardly be found, and it was actually so employed in former times. In- deed, the name Latroon is given to the Pass in virtue of a monkish traditi(jn, that it was the resort of banditti of which the penitent thief (/a/?-o) was one. As the hills opened we began to trace more distinctly the terraces upon their sides, where in former days the vine used to be trained. But we were especially struck with the fact, that on many of the hills these terraces were natural formations;* the industry of man in other places had only followed the suggestions of nature. God himself seems to have so formed these hills, that the na- tural strata of limestone wind round tliem in concentric circles, and at regular intervals. On these natural ter- races they planted the vine and olive. The God of Israel thus taught them thriftily to use every spot of their fruit- ful land, and to cover the very rocks with the shadow of their vines. Frequently when we halted and looked calmly round, we could not discover a single spot, either in the channel of the ravine, or on the mountain side, that was not ter- raced in some wa3^ Often the natural rock was suffi- cient of itself to preserve the soil from being washed down. Rough stone-dykes were built with amazing pains along the ledge of rock, but freipiently there was no rock, and the terrace was entirely the work of men's hands. In many of the mountains the terraces appeared to be perfectly entire, and the soil fully preserveil to this day, enriched no doubt by liaving lain fallow f(>r ages. The vines and the inhabitants alone are wanting, and the blessing from above. In the hollows of the ravine we sometimes came upon a small field of barley, often a fine olive-yard, and sometimes an orchard of lig-trees, but not the vestige of a vine did we see during the whole ascent. At a step or turn of the Pass, near the ruins of a small * Richardson has noticed these. He first remarlis (not quite accu- rately) that there are no traces of arlijlcial tiTracfs, and then describes " tlte horizontal strata, which have exactly the ai)pearance of the stonc- coiirsea in a building." 122 PASS OF LATROON — RAMLA — SHARON. building, we looked back and obtained a delightful view of the valley through which we had come. The sight of the terraced hills, with their bright verdure, lighted up by the brilliant beams of the morning sun, made us think how lovely this spot must have been in the days of David and Solomon, when its luxuriance was yet unblighted by the curse of Israel's God. At length we reached the plantation of olive-trees, and the ruins of a small fort, perhaps the Modin of many travellers, which mark the summit of thi.s interesting Pass. We had been ascending for four hours and a half from Latroon. From this point we obtained a beau- tiful glance of Ramla, lying to the north-west, in the plain of Sharon. Its tower, houses, and minarets were conspicuous. It has long been regarded as Arimathea, the city of the wealthy Joseph, whose noble character is referred to by each of the Evangelists. We felt that perhaps the rich man came by this very route to Jerusa- lem on the awful day of the crucifixion. Possibly we were in his footsteps, for this is still the Jaffa road. By this route also would Peter* go down to the saints who dwelt at Lydda, which is within an hour of Ramla, when, he healed Eneas, and drew the eyes of all in that beauti- ful plain to the Rose of Sharon. We now began to descend, and came down upon a beautiful village which the Arabs called Karieh or Ku- rieh.f It was the residence of a famous native chieftain named Abugush, and still belongs to his family. The houses are solidly built of stone, and there are ruins of ancient buildings, especially a large church or abbey in the Gothic style, which Ibraim told us was now turned into a mosque. The village is literally embosomed among olives, pomegranates, and very large fig-trees, and a solitary palm rises above the cluster. The pome- granates were in full bloom, the scarlet flowers shining brilliantly from among their deep green leaves. A flock of goats was browsing beneath the trees. Many of the terraces around were finely cultivated, showing what these mountains might soon become. * Acts ix. 35. _ + Professor Robinson shows that this may be the site of Kirjnth- jearim, where the ark of God remained for twenty years. 1 Sam. vii. 1,2. Perhaps Kuryet-el-Enab may be a corruption of Kirjath-Abiiia- dab, city of Abinadab, as Bethany is now called by the name of Laza- rus. Richardson calls the place Karialoonah, but the proper name is Knryet-el-Enab, " city of grape.=," — the woods of the ancient Knjath- jearim having given place to the vine. VINE TERRACES. 123 Descendinpr to the bottom of this deHghtful valley, the hills on either side were terraced in still greater perfec- tion than any thing we had yet seen or imarrined. These hills are not peaked, but are placed side by side, " like round balls placed in juxta position." We often counted forty, fifty, sixty, and even seventy terraces from the bottom of the wady up to the summit of the mountain. What a garden of delights this must have been, when, instead of grass making green the surface, verdant and luxuriant vines were their clothing ! Solomon's vine- yard at Raal-hamon * could not have been more noble ; and nowhere could we have better understood the invi- tation, " Let us lodge in the villages ; let us get up early to the vineyards ; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth." t We could understand how the words of Joel shall yet be literally true, " The mountains shall drop down new wine," | when every vine on these hills shall be hanging its ripe clusters over the terraces. In ob- serving, too, the singular manner in which the most rocky mountains have at one time been made, through vast labour and industry, to yield an abuntlant return to the husbandman, we saw clearly the meaning of the promise in Ezekiel, " But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel ; for they are at hand to come." ^ * Song viii. 11. t Song vii. 11, 12. t Joel iii. la $ Kzek. .xx.xvi. 8- See Dr. Kciili's remarks, made on the spot, and given in pp. 1 10, liO, 1-21, of llie 23d edition of his Evidence of Prophecy. 124 HILLS OP JUDAH — ENGLISH FRIEND. There seems to be little doubt that the Psalmist refers to the mode of training the vine over these terraces, when he says, " The hills were covered with the shadow of it." * We ascended another rocky path, and when arrived at the summit began to descend again into a pleasant valley, overhanging which is the tower El Kustul, a name derived from the Latin castellum ; but its history is unknown. The pathway was very steep, so that it was sometimes safer to leave the camel's back and walk ; still the faithful animals never made a stumble. Half-way down this ravine there is a well of fine cold water, from which we drank in a broken sherd. At this point, to our great surprise, a young gentleman in Euro- pean dress met and passed us riding upon a mule. He saluted us with "Good morning;" the first English words we had heard from a stranger for many a day. He proved to be Mr. Bergheim, the assistant medical at- tendant of the Jewish mission at Jerusalem, on his way to Joppa. Figs and vines were cultivated on many of the terraces here, but when we reached the bottom of the valley, it was one complete garden or rather orchard of fruit-trees. The vines, the figs, pomegranates, peaches, citrons, quinces, and lemons, were all budding or ripen- ing in a most luxuriant manner. The scene afforded a perfect picture of outward peace and prosperity. The vines were twining round the fig-trees for support ; and many of the fig-trees were " planted in a vineyard," re- calling to our mind the language used in the parable of our Lord.f A clear brook flowing down the valley, gave freshness and beauty to every green thing. Tlie Arabs washed themselves in it. We now entered into what is generally believed to be the Valley of Elah. It is called by the Arabs Wady Bet Hanina ; but there is a Wady Aly not far off that seems to retain the ancient name. This is believed by many to be the place where David slew Goliath of Gath, the champion of the Philistines. J Whether it be so or not, the sight of these deep valleys gave us a clear and vivid impression of the memorable conflict. Here were hills on each side, the ravine between being deep and nar- row. On the front of these opposing hills the armies were encamped. " The Philistines stood on a mountain * Ps. Ixxx. 10. The Hebrew word for these terraces is found in Ezek. xxxviii. 20, " the steep places," pu"non t Luke xiii. 6. 11 Sam. xvii. 2. VALLEY OF ELAH — APPROACH TO JERUSALEM. 125 on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, and there was a valley between them." They could not meet each other hand to hand without de- scending into the ravine ; yet they could speak to each other, and hurl their words of defiance across the inter- vening space. This explained to us how the giant could stand and cry to the host of Israel, defying the armies of the living God, and yet not come within reach of their weapons. But when David accepted the challenge, he descended into this narrow valley, crossed the small run- ning brook, picked up five of its smooth pebbles for his sling, and began to climb the opposite ascent. Goliath sees him, looks down with contempt, and advances to overwhelm him; but David takes his aim at him, and slings the stone into his forehead. The giant flills forward down the slope, and David with his own sword severs his head from his body, and invites the armies of Israel to cross the brook and assail their blaspheming foes. A small village lay below us in the bottoin of the hol- low. Its name is Caglione or Kalonie, supposed to be derived from the Latin colonia, but its history is un- known. The v^oice of the turtle saluted us from its olive-trees. We now ascended a much barer mountain, and by a path the steepest we had yet climbed, yet the camels went up wonderfully. Arrived at the summit, it appeared as if we had left all cultivation behind. A bare desert of sun-burnt rocks stretches to the right as far as the eye can reach. We remembered the description given by travellers of these mountains, and knew that we were near the Holy City. Every moment we ex- pected to see Jerusalem. Though wearied by our long ride, which had now lasted seven hours, we eagerly pressed on. Mr. M'C'heyne, dismounting from his camel, hurried forward on foot over the rocky footpath, till he gained the point where the city of the Lord comes first in sight. Soon all of us were on the spot, silent, buried in thought, and wistfully gazing on the wondrous scene where the Redeemer died. The distant mountains beyond the city seemed so near, that at first sight we mistook them for the mountains that enclose "the valley of vision," though they proved to be the mountains of Moab, on the east side of the Dead Sea. As yet we were not sufficiently accustomed to the pure clear atmos- phere, so that distances were often very deceptive. As our camels slowly approached the city, its sombre walls rose before us; but in these there is nothing to attract or 13 12G JERUSALEM — FEELINGS ON ARRIVAL. excite the feelings. At that moment we were impressed chiefly by the fact that we were now among " the moun- tains that are romid about Jerusalem,"* and half uncon- scious that it was true, we repeated inwardly the words, " Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem." We got a slight view of the Mount of Olives, as we rode toward the Jaffa Gate. The nearer we came to the city, the more we felt it a solemn thing to be where " God manifest in flesh " had walked. The feelings of that hour could not even be spoken. We all moved forward in silence, or interchanging feel- ings only by a word. While passing along the pathway immediately under the western wall, from which no ob- ject of any interest can be seen, and entering the JaflTa Gate, we could understand the exclamation, and were almost ready to use it as our own, " Is this the city which men call the perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth ]"t Its dark walls, and the glance we got of slip- pery narrow streets, with low ill-built houses, and a poor ill-clad population, suggested no idea of the magnificence of former days. But" we were soon to learn, that all the elements of Jerusalem's glory and beauty are still re- maining in its wonderful situation, fitting it to be once again in the latter day, " The city of the Great King." * Ps. cxxv. 2. t Lam. ii. 15. t 127 CHAPTER III. JERUSALEM — HEBRON. " Then said I, Whither goest thou? And he said unto me, To mea- sure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof." — Zech. ii. 2. Our camels kneeled down in the open space within the gate of Jerusalem, and we rested for a short time while Ibraim sought out the residence of Mr. Young, the British Consul, to whom we had letters of introduction. He soon returned to say that the Consul was waiting for us, and would procure a lodging in part of an unoccu- pied house near the Latin Convent. Our camels and servants moved slowly away to their place of destina- tion, and we followed Ibraim down the steep and slippery street opposite the Jaffa Gate. In a few minutes we were at the house of Mr. Young, who received us with the greatest kindness. He told us the general state of matters in Jerusalem. The plague had not yet left the town, but the number of cases was decreasing; and there was no cordon drawn round the walls as had lately been the case. He strongly recommended us not to en- camp on the Mount of Olives, as we had proposed, but to live in the town, and use the ordinary precautions of touching nobody in the streets, and receiving all articles of food "through water. He then introduced us to two travellers just returned from Petra by the way of Hebron, Lord Claud Hamilton and Mr. Lyttleton. The former was not a little surprised to meet in Jerusalem with Dr. Black, whom he had known in former days as a labori- ous student and theologian, and unassuming minister in the parish of Tarvis in "Aberdeenshire. Two large apartments were assigned to us on Mount Acra, floored with stone, with a pleasant open space on the roof between them. Worn out with incessant travelling, we were thankful to retire, that we might refresh our weary frames and compose our minds, which were not a little bewildered by the multitude of feelings that had passed through 128 JERUSALEM — MR. NICOLAYSON. them this day. We had not rested long when Mr. Nicol- ayson, Missionary of the London Society for the Con- version of the Jews, called to welcome us to the Holy City, as brethren and friends of Israel. He staid a con- siderable time with us, talking over our journey, the ob- ject of our visit, his own sphere of labour and hopes of success, and many matters regarding the spot where we now were. It was a desultory but pleasant conversa- tion, a conversation about the people and land of Israel while really sitting in their ancient capital. Lord Ham- ilton called in the evening, and told us much of what he had seen in Petra, and the land of Egypt. When the darkness came down we heard the wailings of mourners over some dead friend, a peculiarly melancholy sound at all times, but doubly so while the plague is raging. Yet we never heard any more joyful sounds in the streets of Jerusalem — so true is the prophetic word, " I will cause all her mirth to cease." * It was with feelings that can be better imagined than described, that for the first time in our lives within the gates of Jerusalem, we committed ourselves and those dear to us, our Church, and the blessed cause in which she had sent us forth, to the care of Him who sits as a King upon the holy hill of Zion. We are not aware that any clergyman of the Church of Scotland was ever privi- leged to visit the Holy City before, and now that four of us had been brought thus far by the good hand of our God upon us, we trusted that it might be a token for good, and perhaps the dawn of a brighter day on our beloved Church, a daj'- of generous self-denied exertion in behalf of scattered Israel and a perishing world. (Saturday, June 8.) We had spread our mats on the cool stone-floor, hoping for a night of calm repose, but our rest was broken and uncomfortable in the extreme, our rooms being infested with vermin, a kind of trial which travellers" in the East must make up their mind frequently to undergo. All our annoyance, however, was forgot by sunrise. We rose early, and finding the road tolhe Jaflfa Gate, went a little way out of the city and sat down under an olive-tree. We turned to Psalm xlviii, " Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beavatiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the «^ ' * Hosea. ii. 11. HEBREW CHUnCH, 129 great King. God is known in her palaces for a refuge." * Reading this with the eye upon Jerusalem, the scenes of former days seemed to rise up as a flood. We could imagine holy prophets and men of God in these fields and within these walls. The vivid associations of the place, with all our Bible readings and hours of holy study, made it appear like a spot where we had once met with beloved and honoured friends, whose absence spreads a sadness over all. We read part of Lamenta- tions, and could feel sympathy with the prophet when he cried, "How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel." " He hath swallowed up Israel; he hath swallowed up all her palaces !"t In the forenoon, Mr. Nicolayson kindly insisted on our removing from our house on Mount Acra, to one of the Mission-houses upon the northern brow of Mount Zion. Mr. Pieritz and Dr. Gertsmann, the medical missionary, being from home, we were put in possession of their com- fortable rooms, with an outer one for our two Arab ser- vants. In this house, one of our windows opened to- ward the east, having a fine view of the dome of the Mosque of Omar, which rises over the site of Solomon's Temple, and beyond it was the Mount of Olives. That ever- memorable hill, with its three summits, its white limestone rocks appearing here and there, and its wide bosom still sprinkled over with the olive-tree, was the object on which our eye rested every morning as we rose, an object well fitted to call to mind the words of Jesus spoken there, " Watch ye, therefore, for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, or in the morning."| Toward the west, the object that first met our eye used to be a solitary palm-tree, growing amidst a heap of ruins, and waving its branches over them, as if pointing to the fulfilment of the prophecy, " Jerusalem shall become heaps."^ The site of the proposed Hebrew church was not far off. It is close to Mr. Nicolayson's own house. At that time the foundations were only digging, and builders were preparing the stones, which we saw camels carry- ing into town. We were told that they were brought from a quarry a few miles north of Jerusalem, near a village called Anata, the ancient Anathoth, where Jere- * Ps. xlviii. 1, 2, 3. t Lam. ii. 1, 5. t Mark .xiii. 35. $ Mic. iii. 12. 13* 130 JERUSALEM — PROPHECY — JEWS. miah was born. In seeking a solid foundation they had dug down about forty feet, and had not yet come to rock. They laid bare heap after heap of rubbish and ancient stones.* It is a remarkable fact, which cannot but strike the traveller, that not only on Mount Zion, but in many parts of the city, the modern town is really built on the rubbish of the old. The heaps of ancient Jeru- salem are still remaining ; indurated masses of stones and rubbish forty and fifty feet deep in many places. Truly the prophets spoke with a divine accuracy when they said, "Jerusalem shall become heaps."f " J will make Jerusalem heaps."| And if so, shall not the future restoration foretold by the same lips be equally literal and full 1 " The city shall be builded upon her own heap."J The fact that these heaps of ruins are of so great depth, suggested to us a literal interpretation of the words of Jeremiah, "Her gates are sunk into the ground."|| The ancient gates mentioned by Nehemiahll are no longer to be found, and it is quite possible that several of tliem may be literally buried below the feet of the inquiring traveller. During the day we began inquiries after the Jews in their own land. We were told that the plague prevailed most of all in their quarter, and that we must be very cautious in visiting their houses. Meanwhile Mr. Nico- layson afforded us every information. The difficulties in the way of the conversion of the Jews are certainly greater in Palestine than elsewhere. The chief of these difficulties are, 1. That Jerusalem is the stronghold of Rabbinism; the Jews here being all strict Rabbinists, and, as might be expected, superstitious in the extreme. 2. A Missionary has fewer points of contact with the Jews here than in other countries. He cannot reach them through the press, nor address them in large assem- blies ; his work must be carried on entirely by personal intercourse, so that it is like wrenching out the stones of a building one by one. 3. The opposition to an inquir- * They have since reached the old foundations (Isa. Iviii. 1-2), after digging fifty feet. See Mr. Nicolayson's letter in the Jewish Intelhgence for April 1810. It is a striking fact, that the foundations of Jerusalem should be thus hid in the ground, when we contrast it with the case of Samaria, of which it was foretold, "I will discover the foundations thereof" (Mic. i. 6.) Here is the accurate minuteness and distinguish- ing definitcness of the God of truth, who can point his finger to one spot and say, " It shall be tlms with thee ;" and turn to another spot and say in equal sovereignty, "It shall be otherwise with thee!" t Mic. iii. 1-2. t Jer. ix. 11. $ Jer. xxx. 18. II Lam. ii. 9. T Nehem. iii. JEWISH SCHOOLS — MISSIONARIES. 131 ing or converted Jew is here mucli greater than in any- other country, for it is regarded as a very awful calami- ty that any one should become an apostate in the Holy City. 4. All the Jews in the Holy Land are more or less dependent on pecuniary supplies annually sent from Europe. But the moment any one is known to be in- quiring after Christ, he is cut off from all share in this fund, and is thrown utterly destitute. Schools for Jewish children have never been establish- ed in Jerusalem ; and, in the present state of things, it seems impossible that they could succeed ; for there are not here, as in Poland and Germany, any worldly in- ducements to prevail with Jews to send their children to be educated ; there being no situations of wealth or dis- tinction open to their young men, which might tempt them to accept of a liberal education for their youth. The London Society have entertained the plan of insti- tuting a school for converts, in which many branches of general knowledge would be taught, and this might per- haps allure some of their brethren to attend. In regard to Missionaries, a converted Jew is in some respects a better missionary than a Gentile. It is true he meets with greater opposition in the first instance, but in process of time, the fact of his change never fails to make an impression on his brethren, provided they see in him consistency of temper, character, and life. A Jew will indeed listen more readily to a Gentile Chris- tian, and show him more respect; but then he listens more carelessly and thinks less of what is said, because he thinks it natural for a Gentile so to speak. A Gentile missionary again, has the advantage of more ready access to the Jews, being regarded with far less preju- dice ; but a Jewish convert is more efficient where con- fidence is once established. Perhaps the true principle in missions to the Jews, is to unite both Jewish and Gen- tile labourers in the same field. The importance of erectihg a church on Mount Zion, where Protestant worship might be maintained in its purity, is that it may open the eyes of the Jews to see what true Christianity is. At present, they justly regard the Greek and Romish churches as idolatrous and licen- tious in the evtreme, and lielieve the English to be Neo- logians or Infidels, without any religion. The hope of Messiah's coming is strong in the hearts of many Jews here. Many believed that it would be in the year 1840, as that was the end of a period fixed in the book of Zohar; and some said that if they were dis- 132 JERUSALEM TOMB OF DAVID. appointed in that year, they would turn Christians; but this is a mere saying, for they have often declared the same before, and when the time came have found out excuses for Messiah's delay. The fact that Palestine is the stronghold of Rabbinism appears to be a sufficient reason why Christians should direct their most vigorous eflbrts to send the light of the gospel among the Jews of this land. There have been many tokens for good and encouraging appearances of late years among the Jews at Jerusalem. Their wretch- ed condition in the city where their fathers ruled, loudly calls for sympathy. They are poor and despised, and sadly divided among themselves. The Consul told us of a Jew who last week was beaten till he died, by order of the Governor. He was not proven to be guilty of the offence laid to his charge, and was not in reality guilty, yet there was none to plead his cause, or avenge his murder. In the cool of the evening we enjoyed our first walk about Jerusalem, Mrs. Nicolayson accompanying us upon her donkey. Passing by the Armenian Convent, which appeared to be the largest and most substantial in the city, surrounded with a pleasant garden, we went out at the Zion Gate, the only gate now open on the southern M'all of the town, and came out upon the open summit of Mount Zion, for one-half of that hill is now outside of the walls. A gloomy ill-shaped building. near the gate is an Armeniant Convent, enclosing what is called by the monks the House of Caiaphas ; and nearer the southern brow is a small mosque covering the tomb of David. The minarets of this mosque, and that on the Mount of Olives, were both destroyed by an earthquake a few years ago. There is a prevailing and much-credited tra- dition, that within that building is the very tomb of which Peter said in his sermon, " His sepulchre is with us unto this day."* These are the only prominent buildings upon the un- walled part of Zion. Leaving them on the left, we wan- dered among the flat tombstones of the Greeks and Lat- ins. The graves of some of the American missionaries were pointed out to us, and also a small spot of ground which they have purchased and enclosed as a burying- place, though we were told that they were still uncertain whether they would be permitted to bury in it, as the Moslems had found out that the shadow of David's mosque fell upon it at certain hours of the day. * Acts ii. 29. MOUNT ZION — VALLEY OF HINNOM. 133 Zion is truly desolate. The only fortified building upon it is the Castle of David, erected on the site of the tower of Hippicus, within the walls, and close by the Jaffa Gate. This alone of all the bulwarks of former days still remains, so that when we obeyed the com- mand, " Walk about Zion, and go round about her ; tell the towers thereof," * we saw in the very absence of all her towers and fortresses the force of the words, " They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever." f Full trust in the Lord our Righteousness, apart from all human helps and additions, establishes the soul firm as the hill of Zion, firmer far than all its bulwa}-ks and palaces, which are now swept away as if they had never been. Approaching nearer to the brow of the hill, we found ourselves in the midst of a large field of barley. The crop was very thin, and the stalks very small, but no sight could be more interesting to us. We plucked some of the ears to carry home with us, as proofs addressed to the eye that God had fulfilled his true and faithful word, " Therefore shall Zion for your sake be ploughed as a field." X The palaces, the towers, the whole mass of warlike defences, have given way before the word of the Lord, and a crop of barley waves to the passing breeze instead of the banner of war. On the steep sides of the hill, we afterwards found flourishing cauliflowers ar- ranged in furrows, which had evidently been made by the plough ; so that this important prophecy, twice re- corded,^ is most' fully accomplished. From the southern verge of Zion, we looked down into the valley of Hinnom, still called Wady Jehennam, which lies nearly due east and west. It appeared very deep, the opposite side rocky and precipitous, and the bosom of it filled with shady olive-trees. Here Manas- seh caused his children to pass through the fire to Mo- loch ; II and here Jeremiah uttered that dreadful prophecy, "This place shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley ofSlaughter."ir From the awful wickedness committed in this valley, * Ps. xlviii. 12. t Ps. cxxv. 1. The force of this verse is evidently misunderstood when applied to the fortress, as done by Buchanan, — " Stonis arcem non aquilo inipotens Saxo sedentem perpetiio quatit" X Mic. iii. 12. § Jer. xxvi. 18. Mic. iii. 12. 11 2 Chron. x.^iii. 6. IT Jer. xix. 6. 134 JERUSALEM — LOWER POOL OF GIHON. ])erhaps as much as from the Satanic fires kindled in it, the name came to signify the place of eternal sin and woe. To us it appeared a pleasant shady valley, but in other days, when the precipitous sides were planted with thick trees, it may have been gloomy enough. Instead of descending into it, we turned and went down the steep western side of Zion into the valley of Gihon, which lies nearly north and south on the west side of Jerusalem, to examine the upper and lower Pools of Gihon. We came first to the lower pool,* and, stand- ing on the edge, were surprised at the vast size of the basin, which is by far the largest reservoir of the Holy City, though it is much dilapidated and perfectly dry. It is formed in a very simple manner, by throwing a massy w^all across the lower end of the valley. This wall an- swers the purpose of a bridge, which is crossed in going to Bethlehem. There is a neat fountain at the middle of it, to refresh the traveller, with an Arabic inscription ; but we found no water in it. The stones of this wall are closely cemented, and the work is evidently ancient. There are also the remains of a wall at the upper end, and on both sides. The bottom of the pool is merely the natural bed of the valley, and is bare and rocky. On one of the ledges of the rock beneath us, sat two men beating out corn with a staff; which is used instead of our flail, and is referred to by Isaiah, " The fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod." f The meas- urements of the pool are as follows : — Length on west side, . . 616 feet. on east side, 584 ... Breadth at north end. . 245 ... at south end, 264 ... Depth about . 40 ... We proceeded up the valley as far as under the Jaffa Gate, and then to the north-west, till we came iipon the conduit or rude aqueduct of the upper pool, out of which a flock were satisfying their thirst, and shortly after to the upper pool of Gihon itself The walls of this pool are in a much more perfect condition than those of the lower pool, the strong walls being unbroken, the cement still remaining, and the steps into it from the corners nearly entire. It was about half-full of pure water. We spent some time here, and plucked leaves from a large Botin or Terebinth tree, | which grows close by, * Isa. xxii. 9. t Isa. xxviii. 27. t The nS« of Scripture. UPPER POOL OF GIHON. 135 It was here that Solomon was anointed king ; and these valleys were once made to resound with the ciy, God save King Solomon.* This is the spot also where the prophet Isaiah stood with his son Shear-jashub, the type of returning Israel. " Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou and Shear-jashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, in the highway of the fuller's field."f The conduit here spoken of is no doubt the same as that mentioned above, which now conducts the water from the pool into the city ; and we were told that it carries the water into Hezekiah's pool, a lai'ge tank upon Mount Acra, at the back of the Consul's house, which we after- v/ards saw. " The end of the conduit " must be the place where it first appears above ground, so that the high- way to the fuller's field probably passed that spot. Be- side the same pool where Solomon had been anointed king, did the venerable Prophet stand and tell Israel of their coming King and Saviour, " Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Im- manuel."J It is interesting also to remark, that it was here Rab- shakeh, the Assyrian captain, stood at the head of a great army, and reproached the living God.^ And it was from this point, that he cried in the Jews' language to the men that sat upon the wall, a fact which goes to prove, that the wall of Jerusalem must have extended much farther to the north-west than it does at present. As we took the dimensions of this pool, the scenery of Zechariah ||- was recalled, the measuring of the ancient places of Jerusalem being now to us a matter of deepest interest. The measurements were these : — Length on north side, . . 318 feet. on south side, . . . 315 ... Breadth on west side, . . 150 ... on east side, . . . 218 ... Depth, . . . . 18 or 20 ... Around the pool is a burying-place for the Mahometan dead, where tombs were lying broken and scattered about in a most desolate manner. From the rising ground near, we got a view of the plain or valley of Rephaim, lying south-west of the city, and which is still so fertile, that we were assured it is capable of yielding three crops in the year. To this fertility the prophet Isaiah refers. He says, " The glory of Jacob shall be made * 1 Kings i. 38, 39. t Isa. vii. 3. t Isa. vii. 14. § Isa. xxxvi. 2, 13. II Zech. ii. 2. 136 JERUSALEM FLAIxV OF REPHAIM. thin," and shall be no more like the rich waving fields of Rephaim, but only like its gleanings ; " it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim." * In this plain, too, David twice defeated the Philistines, v/ho had penetrated as near as this to the royal city ;{ and somewhere not far off was Baal-perazim, where the heat of the conflict was greatest,— the type of a yet more terrible conflict in the latter days, when " the Lord shall rise up as in Mount Perazim."t By the help of Mr. Nicolayson, we now attempted to trace the probable extent of ancient Jerusalem upon the north. There is room for a great city on the elevated ground to the north of the present wall, and there can be little doubt that the Bezetha of Josephus, which Agrippa enclosed with a third wall of great strength, occupied a vast range of that district. It now consists of cultivated fields and olive plantations : but remains of ruins are visible in many parts of it. When the wall of the city was thus stretched out to the north, and in- cluded the whole of Mount Zion on the south, it is not very difficult to understand how Jerusalem could con- tain the millions who are said to have been sometimes gathered into it. In the distant north, we could see the hill Scopus which encloses Jerusalem on the north, where Titus first encamped when he came to besiege Jerusalem, "from whence the city began already to be seen, and a splendid view was obtained of the great temple" (to toS vmS ixtyao^ wXa/iTrpoi/).^ We returned by the Cave of Jeremiah, a grotto cut in the rock almost due north of the Damascus Gate, lying in the road from Ana- thoth, his native village, and where tradition says he wrote the Book of Lamentations. We reached our dwelling a little before the city gates were closed for the night. We thought with joy of the Sabbath that was now drawing on— a Sabbath in Jerusalem. It seemed to us a wonderful privilege to be allowed to worship in the very city where Immanuel died, and where his living voice was so often heard, calling upon Jerusalem sinners, in accents of more than human tenderness, » How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not."l| (Sabbath, June 9.) The morning seemed the dawn of * Isa. xvii. 5. t 2 Sam. v. 17—25. I Isa. xxviii. 21. § Josephus, V. 2, 3. II Matt, xxiii. 37. FIRST SABBATH IN JERUSALEM. 137 some peculiar season, from the thought that we were in Jerusalem. We sung together in our morning worship, Psalm Ixrxsiv. 1 — 4, "How lovely is thy dwelling-place." At ten o'clock, according to agreement, we met in Mr. Young's house, where divine service was at that time conducted. It was an upper room; that being gener- ally the situation of the largest and most airy apart- ments in the East, and also farthest removed from the noise and bustle of the street.* Here was gathered to- gether a little assembly of fourteen or fifteen souls to worship according to the Scriptures. How different from the time when in the same city "the number of the men that believed was about five thousand !" After Mr. Nicolayson had gone through the service of the liturgy, Dr. Black preached on Isaiah ii. 1 — 5. It was very plea- sant thus to mingle our services, and to forget the differ- ences between our churches in the place whei*e Jesus died, and the Holy Spirit was given. On our way back to our lodging, we had to pass through a small part of the Bazaar. Here all was going on as on other days, and we were forcibly reminded that " Jerusalem is trod- den down of the Gentiles."t Having rested till the noon-day heat was past, we went at four o'clock to the house of one Simeon, a con- verted Jew, where Mr. Nicolayson went through the evening service of the liturgy in German, and preached on Hebrews xii. 5, 6. At five in the evening, we assem- bled again in the upper room, when Dr. Keith conducted the service in our own Presbyterian form, and preached from 1 Kings xviii. 21. All these exercises were very solemn and reviving ; yet still we frequently felt through- out the day that it is not in the power of the place itself, however sacred, to enlighten and refresh a sinner's soul. Compassed about as we were on every side with the memorials of the Saviour's work, our eyes gazing on the Mount of Olives, our feet standing on the holy hill of Zion, we felt that there was still as much need as ever that " the Spirit should take of the things of Christ and shew them unto us," as lie himself declared when sitting with his disciples in such an upper room as this in Jeru- salem. " The glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ,"]: is not an object within the compass of the natural eye. Associations of place and time cannot open the eye to see it ; though such associations as those with which we * Mark xiv. 15. t Luke .x.xi. 24. 1 2 Cor. iv. 6. 14 133 JERUSALEM — LORD HAMILTON — BEDOUIN CHIEF. were now surrounded sotten the mind, and suggest the wish to comprehend what "God manifest in flesh" re- vealed. Even were Christ already " reigning in Jerusa- lem, and before his ancients gloriously," nothing less than heavenly eye-salve would enable us to say, " We beheld his glory !" The temperature this day was remarkably mild. We could almost compare it to one of the hottest summer days at home. From its elevated situation, Jerusalem is visited by pleasant breezes, which must add greatly to the salubrity of the climate.* (June 10.) We met with Lord Claud Hamilton this morning, and obtained from him some information re- garding Petra and Sinai. He believes that the place shown as that where Moses prayed while Joshua fought with Amalek in the valley, may be the precise spot. It commands a complete view of the valley, and of every object in it. The rock said to be that out of which the water gushed is a very remarkable one. In Upper Egypt he saw a mustard-tree higher than he could reach, and its stem as thick as his arm ; illustrating the parable of the mustard-seed.f In the forenoon, we went to the Consul's house, and met with a Bedouin chief who had come to accompany Lord Hamilton to Ammon and Jerash on the other side of the Jordan. He was a genuine son of Ishmael, pos- sessing a commanding figure, with dark and striking features. He wore the yellow shawl of the Bedouins over his head, fastened on by two circles of a rope made of camel's hair. His arm was bare up to the elbow, and the motions of his hands and features were graceful and expressive. Dr. Keith tried to ascertain from him the fact of porcupines being found in Petra ; he asked him what the kangfud was, when the Bedouin immediately imitated the cry it uttered, and, on being shown a por- cupine quill, at once recognised it as belonging to the kangfud.X He exacted the sum of 10/. from the travel- lers, simply for the favour of giving them a safe conduct through the country of the Bedouins. In the Consul's house, we saw a tame gazelle, gentle and timid, with bright black eyes. Mr. Nicolayson's two little girls had another. So that they are still known " to * " On a line drawn from the north end of the Dead Sea towards the due west, the ridge has an elevation of 2500 Paris feet; and here, close upon the water-shed, lies the city of Jerusalem." — Robinson, vol. i. p 381. t Matt. xiii. 31. t See p. 54. CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE 139 the daughters of Jerusalem" as in Solomon's days, " I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles, and by the hinds of the field." * We saw also a very tall and beautiful lily, perhaps such a one as our Lord pointed to when he said, "Consider the lilies how they grow." t We this day visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, believed by so many to cover the very spot of Calvary where our Lord was crucified and buried, — a visit which awakened in our minds only feelings painful and revolt- ing. The descriptions of tliis place commonly given in books of travels are perfectly accurate, and indeed the wonder is that the writers should have been so careful in describing what no serious mind can regard but as "lying wonders." The church is not remarkable for elegance or beauty, and the pictures, with a few excep- tions are far from being of the first order. In the centre stands a marble house enclosing the sepulchre. We en- tered and examined the sarcophagus, which is of white marble. Even the monks seemed to be a great deal more taken up with the silver lamps hung over it than with the tomb itself We were then led to a flat stone of reddish marble, on which, say the monks, the Saviour's body was anointed. With lighted tapers we descended to a damp dark place, where Helena is said to have found the three crosses. The rock of Calvary, so called by the monks, is only a few paces from the sepulchre. Ascend- ing some twenty steps into a small chapel, the guide lifted lUp a gilded star in the floor, and showed what is called the hole in the rock where the cross was fixed. In a dark chapel underneath lighted by a single lamp, he pointed to the well-known fissure in the rock, pretended to be the rent that was made when Jesus died. We had little patience to go round all the spots accounted sacred under the roof of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre ; and each of us felt the blush of honest indignation rising in our face at the mingled folly and profanity of the whole scene. To do the monks justice, they seemed to have as little feeling of reverence toward the holy place as we could possibly have, and Ibraim, our Arab servant who accompanied us, was fully as deeply impressed as any of the party. Tiie fissure in the rock, and the tombs of Joseph and Nicodemus (so called,) situated in a dark cha- pel behind the marble sepulchre, were the only objects which peculiarly drew our attention, both being in the * Song ii. 7. mxax t Luke xii. 27 140 JERUSALEM — SITE OF CALVARY. natural rock. As for the rest, if Calvary was really with- in these walls, then truly Popery has contrived to hide the place where the Redeemer died, as completely as she has done the person of the Redeemer himself. The simple work of Immanuel, in its essential native glory, is an idea far beyond the reach of Popery — or perhaps it is perceived, but on account of its innate power, is studi- ously hid. " The god of this world hath blinded their minds, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." On the supposition that this spot is Calvary, the only probable reason that can be given for its being so near the city itself is, that " the place of a skull" was a sort of trench, by the walls, where criminals were executed. But the longer we remained in the Holy City, the more we were convinced that this is not the true site of Cal- vary. We are told expressly in Scripture that ".Tesus suffered without the gate."* And also, that "the place where he was crucified was nigh to the city." f But the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a long way within the walls of Jerusalem. We cannot believe that the ancient city was narrower or smaller in any way than the present Jerusalem. On the contrary, there is reason to believe that it was much more extensive. From the church, along the Via Dolorosa, to the western enclosure of the Mosque of Omar, is but a five minutes' walk, and yet this must have been the whole breadth of the city, if the present Calvary was without the gate. How contrary is this to the description given by the Psalmist, " Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together." \ On the whole we found it a relief to our minds to rest in the conclusion that the cleft rock and the holy sepul- chre of the monks, have as little to do with the place where Jesus died, and the rocky tomb in the garden where they laid him, as the polished marbles and gaudy lamps by which the place is disfigured.^ There is no tradition which may lead the mind to any other spot as the site of Calvary. It struck us forcibly * Heb. xiii. 12. t John xix. 20. t Ps. cxxii. 3. ^ It gave us unfeigned pleasure to hear from Professor Robinson, whom we afterwards met in Berlin, that he had dehberateiy arrived at the same conclusion. The clear and able statement of the arguments against the present site of Calvary deduced from the topography and history of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Professor Robinson's work (vol. ii. p. G4,) may justly be regarded as a final settlement of this long agitated question. MOURXERS— MOUNT MORIAH. Ill that some place amoncr the tombs on the high crround above Gihon, was far more likely to have been the real situation. We could then understand how " Jesus bear- ing his cross went forl/i into a place called the place of a skull," and " suffered without the gate." There would be room for the " garden," and the new sepulchre of Joseph might well be hewn out of its rocks. — But it is wisely or- dered that a cloud of oblivion should rest over the spot where Immanuel died, and there is something pleasing to the mind in reiiecting, that the turf that was stained with his blood, and the rocky tomb where he lay, are left unpro- fluied by the followers of a blind and wicked superstition. This afternoon we heard again the wailing of mourn- ers ; some Aral) had died, and his friends were lamenting him. How graphic is the description of this scene given by Solomon, " Man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets."* The cry, "Allah, Allah," and many similar exclamations, were mingled with the loud wailing, and the sound of instruments of music filled up the measure of confusion. We remem- bered the faithful description of this given in the gospel narrative, " when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise." f In the cool of the day we enjoyed a delightful ride to tlie Mount of Olives. Mounted on hardy Syrian horses of very small stature, we rode out at the Jaffa Gate. Here we saw the reapers busy cutting down barley in the valley of Gihon. Turning to the right we went round the northern wall of the city. The road is rough and in some parts difficult. Often the bare rock ap- pears, and the way was covered with loose stones. It is made entirely by the feet of the animals that pass along it ; and there is not so much as one road al)out Jerusalem upon which a wheeled carriage could run. Coming to the nortii-east corner of the walls, the valley of Jehoshaphat opened to our view, and the Mount of Olives across the valley appeared very beautiftil, having much more variety of rocks, gardens, olive-yards, fig- trees, and patches of grain upon its sides, than we had expected to find. We now turned due south, riding still under the city wall, which is f U'ther from the brow of the hill than we anticipated. In one point only, nnmely the S. E. corner, does the wall stand on the immediate brink of the valley, in other parts it is forty or fifty yards * Eccl. xii. ■S. t Matt. ix. 23. 14* 142 JERUSALEM — MOUNT OF OLIVES. from the edge. Before reaching St. Stephen's Gate, we came upon a small reservoir half full of water, in which an Arab was bathing. We could not learn its name or history. Near this stands the monument of St. Stephen, where he is said to have been stoned, and the gate called by his name is said to be that out of which they hurried him when " they cast him out of the city."* We de- scended the steep side of Mount Moriah by the footpath leading from St. Stephen's Gate, and crossed the dry bed of the Kedron by a small bridge. The path here widens out to a considerable breadth for about fifty yards, and then separates into two, the one leading directly up the face of the Mount of Olives, the other winding gently round the southern brow of the hill. Both of these foot- paths lead to Bethany, and between them lies a square plot of ground enclosed with a rough stone wall, and having eight very large old olive-trees.f This is believed to be Gethsemane. We stayed only to glance at it, for it needs to be visited in quiet and stillness ; and choosing the path that leads straight up the hill, urged our little palfreys up the steep ascent. Mount Olivet was far from being a solitude this evening. One turbaned figure after another met us, and, to add to the interest of the scene, we recognised them by their features to be Jews. At one point we came upon a small company of Jewesses, not veiled like the Moslem ladies, but all dressed in their best attire. The reason of this unwonted stir among the solitudes of Ohvet was, that Sir Moses Montefiore from London, who had come on a visit of love to his brethren in the Holy Land, had arrived at Jerusalem, and his tent was now pitched on one of the eminences of the hill. Multitudes of the Jews went out daily to lay their petitions before him. We often halted during the ascent, and turned round to view the city lying at our feet, the deep valley of Jehoshaphat, and the surrounding hills. By far the finest and most affecting views of Jerusalem are to be obtained from some of these points. In a little after we came to the eminence where Sir Moses Montefiore had * Acts vii. 58. t Chateaubriand's argument regarding the age of the ohve-trees in Gethsemane is curious. He argues that they must be at least as old as the Eastern Empire, because the Turks, at the conquest, laid a tax of one med'nie on every olive-tree then growing, while every olive-tree planted since that time is taxed at half its produce Now, he states, that the eight olive-trees of Gethsemane were charged only the one medine each. INTERVIEW WITH SIR MOSES MONTEFIORE. 143 pitched his tents. He had fixed a cord round the tents at a little distance, that he might keep himself in quaran- tine. On the outside of tliis, a crowd of about twenty or thirty Jews were collected, spreading out their peti- tions before him. Some were getting money for them- selves, some for their friends, some for the pui-poses of religion. It was an interesting scene, and called up to our minds the events of other days, when Israel were not strangers in their own land. Sir Moses and his lady received us with great kindness, and we were served with cake and wine. He conversed freely on the state of the land, the miseries of the Jews, and the fulfilment of prophecy. He said that the Bible was the best guide- book in the Holy Land ; and with much feeling remarked, that, sitting on this very place, within sight of Mount Moriah, he had read Solomon's prayer* over and over again. He told us that he had been at Saphet and Ti- berias, and that there were 1500 Jews in the latter town, and more in the former; but they were in a very wretched condition, for first they had been robbed by the Arabs, then they suffered from the earthquake, and now they were plundered by the Druses. When Dr. Keith suggested that they might be employed in making roads through the land, as material's were abundant, and that it might be the beginning of the fulfilment of the pro- phecy, " Prepare ye the way of the people ; cast up the highway, gather out the stones ;"t Sir Moses acknowl- edged the benefit tliat would attend the making of roads, but feared that they would not be permitted. He seemed truly interested in the temporal good of his brethren, and intent upon employing their young people in the cultiva- tion of the vine, the olive, and tlie mull)erry. We ex- plained to him the object of our visit to this land, and assured him tliat the ("hurch of Scotland would rejoice in any amelioration he might effect in the temporal con- dition of Israel. Taking leave, we proceeded to the summitf through a plantation of fig-trees. From this the view on all sides is splendid and interesting in the extreme, but it was too near sunset to allow us to exhaust it. Looking to the north-west, the eye falls upon Naby-Samuel, believed by most travellers to be Ramah where Samuel was born, * 1 Kinirs viii. t Isa. Ixii. 10. I Tfie elevation of the central peak of the Mount of Olives above the sea, is given by Schubert at '2550 I'aris feet, or 41fi Paris feet above the ^■alley of Jehophaphat. Hence it appears to be 175 Paris feet higher than the highest point of Zion. — Robinsun, vol. i. p. 40G. 144 JERUSALEM — VIEW FROM MOUNT OF OLIVES. but by others Mizpeh, the rallying place of Israel.* It seems to be five or six miles distant, and forms one of the highest points of the landscape, crowned with a mosque which always catches the eye in the northern view. To the east and south-east, over the summits of a range of bare and rugged mountains, we looked down upon the Dead Sea, of a deep blue colour, Tiie air was so clear, and every thing seen so distinctly, that our first momentary impression was, that we could ride down to it before nightfall ; though in reality a long and difficult day's journey lay between. Beyond it the range of Abarim, the brown barren mountains of Moab, rise steep and high, and bound the prospect. Over a dark rugged chain of hills between us and Jericho we could distinctly trace the valley of the Jordan and the verdure on its banks, bat the river itself was hid. The summits of Abarim present to the eye an almost even line, so that we could fix on no particular peaks, and yet some one of the mountain tops we were gazing on must be Bethpeor, and another Pisgah, the top of Nebo ; the former ever memorable as the spot where Balaam stood when he wished to die the death of the righteous,! and the latter as the spot where Moses did indeed die that blessed death. I The sight of this movmtain scene reminded us of a passage in Jeremiah, the force of which is lost in our version, but which had peculiar meaning when uttered in Jerusalem. It is in reference to the death of Jehoiakim, the son of pious Josiah, and the desolation that followed, " Go up to Lebanon, and cry ; and lift up thy voice in Bashan, and cry from Abarim ; for all thy lovers are de- stroyed." § The cry of wo is first uttered from the heights of Lebanon, the northern boundary of the land; it is echoed back from Bashan, the eastern range ; and then it resounds from Abarim, the mountains of Moab, seen so distinctly from Jerusalem. In this way the ti- dings of distress are carried from Lebanon to Bashan, from Bashan to Abarim, and from Abarim to the Capital itself Turning to the west, we looked down upon Jerusalem — its mosques and domes, flat roofs and cupolas, being stretched out beneath us. We could now see the accu- racy of the description, " As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round al^^ut his peo- ple."|| We obtained a complete view of Mount Moriah, * 1 Sam. vii. 5. t Num. xxiii. 10. t Dent, xxxiv. 1. $ Jer. xxii. 20. See the original. II Ps. cxxv. 2. MOUNT MORIAH — FULFILMENT OP PROPHECY. 145 the hill nearest us, occupied by the Haram Sherif, or " noble sanctuary," with its Mahometan mosques. Here probably is the very hill where Abraham's uplifted hand was arrested when about to slay his son Isaac* Here the cry of l^avid stayed the hand of the destroying an- gel.f Here Solomon built the house of the Lord,J where God dwelt between the cherubim. Here the lamb was slain every morning and evening for many generations, showing forth the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. Here in the last da)% that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried. 5 And here the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, when Jesus yielded up the ghost,|| and the way into the holiest was made mani- fest. But now the word of God is fulfilled, " He hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden ; he hath destroyed his places of assembly,"ir " The mountain of the house is become as the high place of the forest."** The mountain on which God's house was built has literally become a place of heathen sanc- tuaries, like those which in Micah's day were erected in groves and forests. The present wall of the Haram is nearly identical with the enclosure of Solomon's Temple on three sides. The Mosque of Omar stands in the centre, and probably on the spot where were the holy place and holiest of all. On the south stands the Mosque El Aksa, and there are several other oratories and sacred buildings round the walls. The rest of the area is beautifully laid out with cypress and orange trees, and here the Moslem ladies enjoy themselves on their holidays. No Christian is ordi- narily permitted to enter these enclosures. No foot but those of the heathen, " the worst of the heathen,"tt is allowed to tread the court of God's holy and beautiful house, so that " their holy places are defiled." Surely the mountain of the house has become literally like "the high places of the forest." How true and faithful is the word of the Lord ! In the days of Hezekiah, Micah was sent to a flourishing city, "the perfection of beauty, and the joy of the whole earth." He was to walk about Zion, and when he looked upon its towers and bulwarks, to say, " All these shall be desolate, and the ground on which they stand shall he ploughed as a field." He was to pass by their ceiled houses and along their splendid • Gen. xxii. 2. 9. t 1 Chron. xxi. 17. t 2 Chron. iii, 1. $ John vii. 37. II Matt, xxvii. 50, 51. IT Lam. ii. G. ** Mic. iii. 12. tt Ezek. vii. 24. 146 JERUSALEM — INTERVIEW -WITH A COUNTRYMAN. Streets, and to cry, "All these shall be heaps:' Last of all, he was to stand in the court of tlie temple in which they gloried, where God indeed dwelt on the earth, and to say, " It shall be as the high places of the heathen." And now, as we stood on Mount Olivet, our eyes beheld these things brought to pass. This is the doing of the Lord ! "Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty ; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints ! Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name ] for thou only art holy ; for all nations shall come and worship before thee, for thy judgments are made manifest."* We descended into the Valley of Jehoshaphat by a path further to the south, which led us past the Jewish bury- ing-ground, and onwards to the monuments of Absalom and Zacharias, cut out of the solid rock, which have been often described, and are well known. It occurred to us that the pillars, pilasters, and other ornaments, may have been added at a recent date, but that the square mass cut out of the rock of the mountain may be very ancient. Again we crossed the Kedron, and by a slanting path ascended to the south-east corner of the Haram ; then, passing round the southern wall of the city, entered the Zion Gate a little before the gates were shut. We spent the evening at the house of our kind friend Mr. Nicolayson. Here we found a fellow-countryman, who had been invited to meet us. He lives in Jerusalem in complete retirement, joins no church, and has no fel- lowship with Christians of any denomination, but waits for the coming of the Son of Man. He wears the long beard, turban, and flowing dress of the Easterns. He is a very pious, but singular man. On one occasion imagin- ing that Elijah, " theVatchman of Ephraim," would soon be on the mountains of Israel, he went to seek him, though he knew nothing of the language of the country. He travelled as far a"s Sychar, keeping in his hand an Arabic list of vegetables, and other articles of food, so that by pointing to the written word, he was able to make him- self understood. On another occasion, passing by the rhurch of the Holy Sepulchre, the monks mistaking him for a Jew, rushed out upon him, and pursued him through the streets, into a house where he took refuge, threaten- ing to kill him, unless he kissed a picture of the Virgin, * Rev. XV. 3, 4. JERUSALEM — VISIT TO THE CONSUL. 147 in a New Testament which they held out to him. This he did, and saved his life. His object in residing here is that he may be one of the men " that sigh and cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst of Jerusa- lem."* He is waiting also to liear the cry, "Behold tlie bridegroom cometh," and to see if the Lord will yet em- ploy him in any work for his ancient people. We ob- tained from him several interesting illustrations of Scrip- ture. He told us that his own house has a staircase from the flat roof down into the street, by which he could de- scend and escape without passing through the house, if danger called for it. This explains the command of the Lord, " Let him that is on the house-top not go down into the house, neither enter therein to take any thing out of the house."! In reference to that passage, he re- marked that he could fully understand it, for he felt him- self to be in the position of the disciples in the days be- fore Jerusalem was destroyed. He remarked also, as we had done previously, the manner in which the Arabs sing and clap the hands at the same time, as illustrating several passages of Scripture.J We spent a pleasant evening thus conversing on the word of God within the gates of Jerusalem. (June II.) We had agreed to visit the Consul, Mr. Young, this forenoon, to receive information from him regarding the Jews. On going to him, he told us that a remarkable circumstance had occurred that morning. The Turkish Governor of Jerusalem had allowed Sir Moses Montefiore and his attendants to enter the tomb of David upon Mount Zion, and to pray over it, a privi- lege not granted to a Jew for many centuries. The Go- vernor had called on Sir Moses the day before, and shown him great respect, and that morning had sent him a present of five sheep. The ground of the Governor's respectful treatment of him was the fact of his being a native of Great Britain. Mr. Nicolayson was fortunate enough to be with Sir Moses at the time, and so obtained admittance also, and heard the Jews recite a long form of prayer, and read many of the Psalms, such as the xv, cxxii, cxxvi, over the tomb of the Sweet Singer of Israel. He described it as a solemn and affecting scene. Mr. Young gave the following statistics of the Jews in the Holy Land ; and having afterwards taken down Mr. Nicolayson's information on the same subject, we insert both together for the sake of comparison. * Ezek. ix. 4 t Mark xiii. 15. t Ps. xlvii. 1. Isa. Iv. 12. 148 JERUSALEM — JEWS IN THE HOLY LAND. Mr. Young. Mr. Nicolayson Jerusalem, . 5000 or 6000 6000 or 7000 Nablous, • . 150 200 200 Hebron, . 700 800 700 800 Tiberias, . 600 700 1200 Saphet, . 1500 2000 Kaipha, . 150 200 150 200 Sidon, . 250 300 300 Tyre, . 130 150 150 Jaffa, . . 60 60 Acre, . 200 200 Villages of Galilee, - 400 580 400 500 On the whole, Mr. Young reckoned that there are in round numbers about 10,000 Jews in the whole of Pales- tine. The difficulties, however, in the way of procuring accurate statistics are very great. The Jews are unwil- ling to give their true numbers, and they are reduced from time to time by the ravages of the plague. Add to this, that few young men come to the land ; so that it is not reckoning accurately to take the usual average of individuals in a family. People who come here are gen- erally elderly, and do not leave families behind them to increase the population or supply its vacancies. There is, without doubt, a constant influx of Jews into this country, yet not so great as to do more than supply the annual deaths. Their poverty is great. The contribu- tions from Europe of late have been smaller than usual; and when they arrive, instead of doing good, are the occasion of heart-burnings and strife. There is no such thing as " brethren dwelling together in unity"* in Jeru- salem; no Jew trusts his brother.f They are always quarrelling, and frequently apply to the Consul to settle their disputes. The expectation of support from the an- nual European contributions leads many to live in idle- ness. Hence there are in Jerusalem 500 acknowledged paupers, and 500 more who receive charity in a quiet way. Many are so poor that, if not relieved, they could not stand out the winter season. A few are shopkeepers ; a few more are hawkers ; and a very few are operatives. None of them are agriculturists — not a single Jew culti- vates the soil of his fathers. Among other peculiar causes of poverty, they are obliged to pay more rent than other people for their houses ; and their rabbisj frequently op- press and overreach those under their care. Whilst Mahomet All was in possession of this country, the government had been far more tolerant toward them * Ps. cxxxiii. 1. t Is this a fulfilment of Mieah vii. 2 — 6. t This is a fulfilment of Ezek. xxxiv. 2, 3, continued down to this day. JERUSALEM — JEWS — BRITISH CONSUL. 149 than before; and on two recent occasions, the Consul had got sentence pronounced in favour of the Jew against the Turk, a new event in the history of this people! Still the common people hate them, and they are exposed to continual wrongs. The soldiers occasionally break into their houses and compel them to lend articles which are never restored. The professing Christians here — Greeks, Armenians, and Roman Catholics — are even more bitter enemies to Jews than Mahometans ; so that in time of danger, a Jew would betake himself to the house of a Turk lor re- fuge, in preference to that of a Christian. How little have these Christians the mind of Christ ! Instead of His peculiarly tender love for Israel, they exhibit rooted hatred, and thus prove that they are Anti-christ. So far do they carry their enmity, that no Jew dare at this day pass by the door of the Holy Sepulchre. On this ac- count, the kindness of Protestants appears to them very striking; and convinces them that there is a real differ- ence in the religion we profess. And tliey are now be- coming strongly attached to British Christians. The fact of a British Consul being stationed here on their ac- count has greatly contributed to this effect. How won- derful that a British Consul should be sent to the Holy Land, with special instructions to interest himself in be- half of the Jews, and having for his district the very re- gion formerly allotted to the twelve tribes of Israel ! And how much more wonderful still, that our first Consul in Jerusalem should be one actuated by a deep and enlight- ened attachment to the cause of God's ancient people ! At present, however, the Jews make less use of his influ- ence than they might do ; for they say, " if the Consul were to go away, revenge would be taken on us." This is so much their feeling, that when it was lately reported, that he was to be removed on account of the war that threatened, many Jews came to him, with tears running down their cheeks, entreating him to remain. There is also another singular fact, namely, that converted Jews have complete access to their brethren. Five converts are here at present, and the Jews treat them with kind- ness, allow them to visit their houses, and frequently visit them in return. Oh, that the day were come when " the fountain shall be opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for unclean- ness I" * * Zech. xiii. 1. 15 150 JERUSALEM — GIHON — HILL OF EVIL COUNSEL. In the afternoon we mounted our hardy little palfreys, and with Mr, Nicolayson for our guide, set out to visit some of the interesting spots around the city. Going out by the Jaffa Gate, we turned to the south, and crossed by the wall of the lower pool of Gihon — that being the usual way to Bethlehem. The name of Hinnom is very generally given to this western valley, as well as to the south of Zion; but if the two pools be really the pools of Gihon, it seems much more probable, that the valley on the west of the city is the vale of Gihon, while that on the south is the vale of Hinnom.* Crossing Solomon's aqueduct, which we could trace far on its way to Bethle- hem, we turned to the south-east, and climbed the hill immediately south of Mount Zion, parted from it by the deep vale of Hinnom. This ridge is named the Hill of Evil Counsel, because upon the summit a ruin is pointed out, which is called by the monks the country- house of Caiaphas, where the priests, scribes, and elders met and took counsel how they might kill Jesus. From this we had another pleasant view of the plain of Rep- haim,t lying to the south-west. The reapers were gather- ing the ears of corn at the very time. The most promi- nent object to the south is a graceful conical hill, called the Frank Mountain, and supposed by some to be Beth- haccerem, a suitable spot for "setting up a sign of fire."|: To the north, we looked across the valley of Hinnom to Mount Zion, descending bold and steep into the ra- vine. Several parts were ploughed like a field as already mentioned, and on one part sheaves were standing. To the north-east, beyond the high wall of the mosque on Mount Moriah, we obtained the finest view we had yet seen of the Mount of Olives, with its three graceful sum- mits. The depth of the Valley of Jehoshaphat (vale of Kedron) struck us very forcibly, and gave an appear- ance of great loftiness to Mount Olivet. To the east, * Josh. XV. 8. It formed the northern boundary of the tribe of Judah ; and hence Nehem. xi. 30, speaks of those who " dwelt from Beer-sheba unto the valley of HinnoTn"—{he two extremities ot Judah. t Isa xvii. 5. t Jer. vi. 1. VALLEY OF HINNOM — " FIELD OF BLOOD," 151 we looked down the valley of the Kedron, toward the Dead Sea, with the mountains of Moab beyond. As we looked over tlie precipitous brow of the hill into the Valley of Hinnom, which is very deep, and shaded by trees hanging over its sides, we thought how, in other days, the cries of the iiuuian victims sacrificed to Moloch must have risen from this valley, now so still and peaceful, to the palaces of Mount Zion — or perhaps only the sound of drums and other instruments drowning the cries of agony, that they might not disturb the mirth of the king. What must Manasseh have felt after his con- version, when he walked along the brow of this hill, and looked down into the valley below, or when he saw it from the towers of Zion? Surely the remembrance of his groves and idols, with their attendant horrors, and above all, the thought of his own murdered infants, must have led him the more earnestly to that blood that clean- seth from all sin. From Hinnom he would lift his weep- ing eyes to Moriah's hill ; and gazing on its altar, even he might, in the strength of a Saviour's atonement, say, " Who is he that condemneth V Descending gradually toward the eastern side of the ridge, we came to the spot pointed out as Aceldama, " the field of blood," the field bought with the thirty pieces of silver, and " known to all the dwellers at Jerusalem." * It lies opposite the south-east corner of Mount Zion. A charnel-house or square chamber sunk in the earth is still shewn here, and some of the cells have been lately opened ; but we found no traces of that peculiar kind of earth said to have been found here, which had the pro- perty of causing dead bodies to decay within four-and- twenty-hours.f A particular tree is pointed out as the tree on which Judas hanged himself, a mere tradition, or rather a barefaced invention, but interesting as shewing that to this day the awful doom of the Son of Perdition is not forgotten by the dwellers of Jerusalem. At this point is obtained a remarkable view of the Valley of Je- hoshaphat. It is wide and ample, in some parts terraced, and a small portion of it planted with gardens, which are * Matt, xxvii. 7, 8. Acts i. 19. t A recent traveller, W. R. Wilde, a medical gentleman, visited a sepulchre lately opened here, when he found the skulls to belong, not to Jews, but to individuals of different nations. He gives this fact on per- sonal examination, as affbrdmg proof that this is "the field to bury strangers in." The only abatement of this interesting evidence, is the possibility of these having been buried in it at a period later than the Jewish kingdom existed. 152 JERUSALEM — VALLEY OF JEHOSHAPHAT. watered from the Pool of Siloam. The village of Siloam hangs over it on the right, and Ophel and Mount Zion slope down into it on the left. Its bosom is extensive enough to contain immense multitudes, sucli as Joel de- scribes, " Let the heathen be awakened and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat " — " multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision." * The scenery of this spacious valley was no doubt before the propliet's eye as he ut- tered the prediction. Every height and hollow appeared before him thronged with armed multitudes, till he was made to realize the greatness of that last dread conflict, when from the neighbouring hill and city, the Lord's voice shall be heard, confounding his people's enemies ; — "the Lord shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem."! From this point, also, is seen the gentle hollow that marks the separation between Zion and Moriah. At other points, it seems as if the one hill overlapjied the other ; but here it is quite eas}^ to trace the line of sepa- ration. This hollow is the Tyropceon of Josephus, or Valley of the Cheesemongers, beginning near the Jaffa Gate, and running east to the wall of the Mosque, and then south till it opens out into the Valley of Jehosha- phat. It was no doubt much deeper and more distinct in ancient days. The debris of the ruins of many gen- erations have been long filling it up. Between the Tyro- pceon and the Valley of Jehoshaphat, outside the walls of the city, stood the tower called in Scripture, Ophel. The ridge ends there in a precipice of solid limestone rock, overhanging the Pool of Siloam, to the height of about sixty feet. Due east from the Mount of Evil Counsel, on the other side of the valley, rises the hill called the Mount of Offence, or Mount of Corruption, on which, it is believed, Solomon set up idols to his strange gods. It is just a lower ridge of the Mount of Olives, barren and rocky. We thought we could trace indica- tions of former buildings on the face of the hill, near the top. Winding down the hill, we reached the lowest part of the Valley of Jehoshaphat, a retired spot, pleasantly shaded with fruit-trees. Here is Nehemiah's Well, or rather, there is little doubt, the ancient En-Rogel, " the fuller's fountain." There are the remains of ancient build- ings over it, and a large tank beside it. It is 125 feet in depth. Formerly, the water seems to have been drawn * Joel iii. 12, 14. t Joel Hi. 16. NEHE^.IIAH's well WELL OF JOAB. lf)3 up by a Persian wheel, such as we saw at El Arish and many other places, but now an old Arab let down a skin vessel and gave us drink. The water was delight- ful. By this well in ancient times was drawn the border between Judah and Benjamin, for it is said with minute accuracy, that " the border came down (from the Valley of Rephaim) to the end of the mountain, and descended to the Valley of Hinnom, and descended to En-Rogel." * In this spot, so near the city, and yet so completely se- cluded, the two youths Jonathan and Ahimaaz tarried when Absalom took possession of Jerusalem, that they might carry tidings to David.f Among these pleasant fruit-trees also was " the stone of Zoheleth, which is by En-Rogel," where Adonijah made a feast, at the time he aspired to the throne, when their mirth was so suddenly arrested by the shouts of joy in the city proclaiming Solo- mon to be king.J: Perhaps it may be from the prominent part which Joab acted in that memorable scene that the well is called by the Arabs to this day Beer-Eyub, " the well of Job," or Joab. Proceeding up the valley, we passed through a small grove of olives, pomegranates, and figs. A girl came running to us with her lap full of ripe apricots. Her head was ornamented with a circle of silver coins. Here we found people busily employed, some treading out corn by the feet of the ox and the ass, others winnoVing what had been ti'odden out already. This peaceful scene in so retired a valley, near a refreshing well, served to explain the prophet's manner of reproving the indolence of backsliding Israel, " Ephraim is an heifer that is taught, and loveth to tread out the corn."^ The win- nowing with the shovel, recalled to our minds the " clean provender which hath been winnowed with the shovel and the fim." || We passed the mouth of the Vale of Hinnom, and approaching the rock of Ophel above described, came to an old mulberry-tree, whose roots are now supported by a terrace of rough stones, said to mark the place where Manasseh caused the prophet Isaiah to be sawn asunder. IF Three Arabs were reclining under its plen- tiful shade, and seemed to wonder why we gazed. Passing under the rocky face of Ophel, we came to the Pool of Siloam. We were surprised to find it so entire, * Josh, xviii. 16. t 2 Sam. xvii. 17. t 1 Kings i. 9, 41 $ Hos. X. 11. II Isa. XXX. 24. IT Heb. xi, 37. 15* 154 JERUSALEM — POOL OF SILOAM. exactly resembling the common pi'ints of it. It is in the form of a parallelogram, and the walls all round are of hewn stones. The steps that lead down into it, at the eastern end, are no doubt the same which have been there for ages. The water covered the bottom to the depth of one or two feet. At the western end, climbing a little way into a cave hewn out of a rock, we descend- ed a few steps into the place from which the water flows into the pool. It is connected by a long subterranean passage, running quite through the hill to the Fountain of the Virgin, or more properly the Fountain of Siloam, the entrance to which is a considerable way farther up the Valley of Jehoshaphat. Through this passage the water flows softly from the fountain till it finds its way into the pool, not as generally represented in pictures by pouring over the mouth of the cave, but secretly from beneath. Wild flowers, and among other plants the caper-tree, grow luxuriantly around its border. We are told that " the wall of the Pool of Siloah, by the king's garden," * was rebuilt in the days of Nehe- miah. There can be no doubt that this is the very spot ; and possibly the present walls and steps may be as an- cient as the days of our Lord. While sitting on the margin, we could imagine the history of the blind manf realized before us. We had seen that very day a blind man in the streets of Jervisalem as we passed by. Now it was to such a man that our Lord said, " Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam." The man obeys — comes out at the gate — descends the sloping side of Zion, gropes his way down these steps, and feels for the cool water with his hand ; then laves his clay-anointed eyes, and they open ! Now he sees the glory of Jerusalem, but above all, comes back to see the face of the Son of God, the light of the world, whose word commanded the light to shine on his dark eye-balls and his darker heart. The water of this pool flows out through a small channel cut or worn in the rock, and descends to refresh the gardens which are planted below on terraces, illustrating the expression " a fountain of gardens," [ for a fountain in such a situation waters marTy gardens. These are the remains of "the king's garden,"^ mentioned by Nehemiah and by Jose- ph u"s.|| Leaving the pool, we turned northward, proceeding up * Neh iii. 15. t John ix. t Song iv. 15. $ Neh. iii. 15. II Ant. vii. c 14, § 4. FOUNTAIX-IIEAD OF SILOAM. 155 the Valley of Jehoshapliat with the village of Siloam on our right, which literally hangs upon the! steep brow of the Mount of Offence. Three or four hundred yards up the valley, we came to the spring or fountain-head of feiloam, beneath the rocky side of Moriah. It is com- monly called the Fountain of the Virgin, from a foolish tradition of the monks. We came to a wide cavern partly or entirely hewn out by the hands of man ; and descending two flights of steps cut in the rock, worn smooth and white like marble, we came to the water l-rom this point it flows through the subterranean canal already mentioned, and supplies the Pool of Siloam But It flows in such perfect stillness, that it seemed to us to be a standing pool, until we put our hands into it, and lelt the gentle current pressing them aside. Nothin^r could be more descriptive of the flow of these waters than the words of Isaiah, " The waters of Siloah that go sottly. * The calm silent stream of grace and power which flows from under the throne of a reconciled God IS, by this simple figure, finely contrasted with the loud noisy promises of Rezin and Remaliah's son. The be- lieving soul has a secret and unfailing spring of quiet joy ever flowin- from " the holy place of the tabernacles ot the Most High," which forms a complete contrast to the rude and boisterous mirth of the ungodly. We drank with joy of the cool water, which we found sweet and pleasant, all the sweeter because of the sacred recollec- tions with which it was associated. It seemed to be a mucb trequented spring : for some came to drink, some to draw water to wash their clothes, and others were conveying it to their camels. It has been suggested with much probability, that this lountam may have an artificial connection with another Jountain said to be under the Mosque of Omar in the iieart of Moriah ; for the flow of water seems too lart^e and too calm to be the commencement of a sprino- in^'a limestone rock. But there does not appear to be any solid foundation for the conjecture of Dr. Robinson, that this may be the pool of Bethesda. It bears no resem- biance to any of the other pools around the city • nor can we see where the five porches could have stood, for It IS a cavern five-and-twenty feet deep in the solid rock And most certainly the irregular flow sometimes ob- served in the fountain, cannot have any thing to do with e^s^6l^r^ion^='^^''''"'''' ^« ^° ^^ ^<^ '^^ unperceived, or 156 JERUSALEM — FOUNTAIN OF SILOAM. the troubling of the water of Bethesda, for we are ex- pressly told^ that "an angel went down at a certain season into the pool and troubled the water.'"*" That was a miraculous event, plainly intended to typify the Lord Jesus, the true " house of mercy;" for it is worthy of remark, that this was the only occasion in which Jesus healed only one out of a multitude of sick folk. He wished to show that he was the true pool of Bethesda. On ever)" other occasion " he healed them all." Probably this fountain bore the same name as the Pool of Siloam, with which it is so strongly connected, and is to be re- garded as Siloah's brook that flowed Fast by the oracle of God. Jt was with a full remembrance of this day's pleasant visit to the Fountain of Siloam, that the following lines occurred at an after period, when stretched in our tent under the brow of Carmel. Beneath Moriah's rocky side A gentle fountain springs, Silent and soft its waters glide, Like the peace the Spirit brings. The thirsty Arab stoops to drink Of the cool and quiet wave; And the thirsty spirit stops to think Of Him who came to save. Siloam is the fountain's name ; It means " one sent from God ;" And thus the holy Saviour's fame It gently spreads abroad. O grant that I like this sweet well, May Jesus' image bear; And spend my life — my all — to tell How full his mercies are. We now passed further up the Valley of Jehoshaphat, and observed with interest on the sides of the Mount of Olives, immediately opposite where the Temple stood, the Jewish burying-ground. Innumerable white flat stones overspread the valley, with short Hebrew inscrip- tions, aenerally very simple and uninteresting. It is here that the old Jews desire to be buried, that they may reach bliss without needing to make their way under- ground to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, as others require to do who die elsewhere. They expect to arise from these tombs at the resurrection, and see Messiah among the first. How awful their disappointment when they find that they die only to pass forthwith into consuming * John V. 4. VIEW OF JERUSALEM FROM OLIVET. 157 terrors, and that they arise only to the resurrection of damnation ! Disappointed hope will aggravate the wo of a poor lost man of Israel, — he thought he was at the gate of heaven, and finds himself in the porcii of hell ! Here we crossed the Kedron, and examined minutely the supposed tombs of Zechariah, James the Just, Je- hoshaphat, and the monument called Absalom's Pillar, mentioned above. This last may possibly occupy the site of " the pillar which Absalom reared up for himself in the king's dale, and called after his own name, Absa- lom's Place."* The Jews believe it to be so, and cast many a stone at it in abhorrence as they pass. The original pillar seems to have been a square mass hewn out of the solid rock, about sixteen feet high. The col- umns, pilasters, and triglyphs which now adorn it, are evidently not Jewish work, and may be of much later origin. We left the valley, and ascended the southern limb of the Mount of Olives by the Jericho road. We wished to view Jerusalem from the spot where the Saviour is supposed to have stood when he " was come near, and beheld the city and wept over it."t Mr. Nicolayson guided us to the place. The road to Jericho crosses the shoulder of the hill, so that when a traveller is approach- ing Jerusalem, the city is bi'ought into full view all at once by a turn of the road. The scene is truly magnifi- cent : the air is so clear and the view so comprehensive. The city lies, not under your feet, but almost on a level with you. You look across the valley to tlje temple ris- ing full before you, and think that you could count every tower, every street, and every dwelling. Jesus saw all this before him, and its guilty people were themselves as fully open to his view in that wonderful moment, when his tears testified his unutterable love to Israel, and his words de- clared their fearful doom. Oh, that we could stand and look on Israel now, with our Master's love and bowels of compassion! We stood awhile to realize that myste- riously interesting moment, and then rode on towards Bethany. The road slopes gently down the other side of the hill, and you are immediately out of sischt of Jeru- salem. Climbing another shoulder of the liill, and look- ing back, we obtained another view of the city, but a distant one ; not the one spoken of in the gospel, where it is said, " when He rame near." The road is very rocky, often indeed worn out of the solid limestone. ♦ 2 Sam. xviii. 18. t Luke .xi.x. 41. 158 BETHANY — TOMB OF LAZARUS. Descending and leaving the Jericho road, we came quite suddenly upon Bethany, called by the Arabs Aza- rieh, from the name of Lazarus. We found this ever- memorable village to be very like what we could have imagined it. It lies almost hidden in a small ravine of Mount Olivet, so much so that from the height it cannot be seen. It is embosomed in fruit-trees, especially figs and almonds, olives and pomegranates. The ravine in which it lies is terraced, and the terraces are covered either with fruit-trees or waving grain. There are not many houses, perhaps about twenty, inhabited, but there are many marks of ancient ruins. The house of Laza- rus was pointed out to us, a substantial building, proba- bly a tower in former days, and selected to bear the name of the House of Lazarus by traditionists, who did not know how else than by his worldly eminence such a man could draw the special regard of the Lord Jesus. They did not know that Christ loveth freely. The sep- ulchre called the Tomb of Lazarus attracted more of our attention. We lighted our tapers, and descended twenty-six steps cut in the rock to a chamber deep in the rock, having several niches for the dead. Whether this be the very tomb where Lazarus lay four days, and which yielded up its dead at the command of Jesus, it is impossible to say. The common objection that it is too deep seems entirely groundless, for there is nothing in the narrative to intimate that the tomb was on a level with the ground, and besides it seems not unlikely that there was another entrance to the tomb farther down the slope. A stronger objection is, that the tomb is in the immediate vicinity of the village, or actually in it, but it is possible that the modern village occupies ground a little different from the ancient one. However this may be, there can be no doubt that this is " Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha, nigh unto Je- rusalem, about fifteen furlongs off."* How pleasing are all the associations that cluster around it ! Perhaps there was no scene in the Holy Land which afforded us more unmingled enjoyment : we even fancied that the curse that every where rests so visibly upon the land had fallen more lightly here. In point of situation, nothing could have come up more completely to our previous imagina- tion of the place to which Jesus delighted to retire at evening from the bustle of the city, and the vexations of the unbelieving multitudes— sometimes traversing the * John xi. 1, 18. vl ■-W -ajff mf:\^w h 1 MOUNT OP OLIVES — CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION. 159 road by which we had come, and perhaps oflener still coming up the face of the hill by the footpath that passes on the north of Gethsemane. What a peaceful scene ! Amidst these trees, or in that grassy field, he may often have been seen in deep communion with the Father. And in sight of this verdant spot it was that he took his last farewell of the disciples, and went upward to resume the deep, unbroken fellowship of " his God, and our God," uttering blessings even at the moment when he began to be parted from Uiem.* And it was here that the two angels stood by them in white apparel, and left us this glorious message, " The same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." f As we purposed to visit Bethany again, we were con- tented to leave it the sooner, and following another foot- path, ascended to the summit of the Mount of Olives. Near the top is the Tomb of Huldah the prophetess, which we entered and examined. It is a large chamber cut out of the natural rock. On what authority the name of Huldah is attached to it, we do not know. Not far from it we visited the Church of the Ascension, originally built by Helena, the mother of Constantine, a. d. 326, over the spot where it is said that our Lord ascended from the earth, and where the inhabitants still pretend to shew the print of his last footstep ! This tradition, though very ancient, is directly at variance with the words of the Evangelist. It evidently arose from the circumstance of this being the most conspicuous summit of the hill, and perhaps in some measure from the ap- pearance, which does exist, of something like the foot- mark in the limestone rock. But the simple words of the Evangelist decide the matter, "He led them out as far as to Bethany."J He led them beyond the summit, and down the other side of the hill, as far as the retired village of Bethany ; and in the spot where he so often parted with them for the night, he now parted with them for " a little while,"^ till the hour should come, when again "his feet shall stand upon the Mount of 01ives."|| We passed across the face of the Mount of Olives, to- wards the northern summit of the hill, and there de- scending into the valley of the Kedron, considerably to the north of the city, crossed over to the Tombs of the Kings. We first clambered down into a large area * Luke xxiv. 51. t Acts i. 11. t Luke xxiv. 50. $ John xiv. 19. II Zech. xiv. 4. IGO JERUSALEM TOMBS OF THE KINGS. which has been cut out of the solid rock, and on the west side of which is a wide entrance which slopes down under the rock. The band of carved work over the en- trance is very beautiful, representing a vine branch with bunches of grapes. With lighted tapers we crept through the low apei'ture which leads from the portico into an inner apartment, where are entrances to the chambers of the mighty dead. We examined with interest the remains of the stone doors described by many who have visited the place. One is pretty entire, but lying on the ground. The pannels are carved in the rock, and also the tenons or hinges, which are suited to sockets cut in the rocky wall. It was to such abodes of the dead that Job referred when he said, " Now should I have lain still and been quiet; I should have slept: then had I been at rest with kings and counsellors of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves." * Isaiah also refers to them, where he says, " All the kings of the nations, even all of them lie in glory, every one in his own house."t And again, "Go get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Rhebna, which is over the house, and say. What hast thou here, and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewn thee out a sepulchi-e here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock f'J The sloping ground at the en- trance reminded us of what is said of John at the sepul- chre of Christ, "He stooping down and looking in saw the linen clothes lying."^ A great deal of obscurity hangs over the history of these interesting sepulchres. Some have supposed them to be the work of Herod and his family, and others have called them the tomb of Helena, Queen of Adiabene, who being converted to the Jewish faith along with her son was buried near Jerusalem. As the sun was nearly down we began to move home- wards, and from a rising ground between the tombs and the city we obtained a much more pleasing view of Je- rusalem, with its domes and minarets, than is afforded by any of the other approaches on this side. We en- tered the Damascus Gate before sunset. Spending the evening with Mr. Nicolayson, we saw again the cus- * Job iii. 13, 14. t Isa. xiv. 18. Compare Ezek. xxxii. 17— end. May not the prophet have derived the scenery of this passage from some such sepulchres as these ? t Isa. xxii. 15, 16. $ John xx. 5. GETHSEMANE. 161 torn which had attracted our attention at Damietta, and which illustrates several passages in the gospel. While we sat at meat several persons came in, though unin- vited, and seating themselves by the wall, joined in the conversation.* These are specimens of the days we spent in Jerusa- lem. Every object that met our view was invested with a sacred interest in our eyes, and that interest increased instead of diminisliing the more we examined the place. Early one morning two of us set out to visit Gethsem- ane. The sun had newly risen ; few people were upon the road, and the valley of Jehoshaphat was lonely and still. Descending the steep of Mount Moriah, and cross- ing the dry bed of the brook Kedron, we soon came to the low rude wall enclosing the plot of ground which for ages has borne the name of Gethsemane. Clambering over we examined the sacred spot and its eight oUve- trees. These are very large and very old, but their branches are still strong and vigorous. One of them we measured, and found to be nearly eight yards in girth round the lower part of the trunk. Some of them are hollow with age, but filled up with earth, and most liave heaps of stones gathered round their roots. The enclo- sure seems to have been tilled at some recent period. At one corner some pilgrim has erected a stone and carved upon it the Latin words, " et hie tenuerunt eMm" marking it as the spot where Judas betrayed his Master with a kiss. The road to Bethany passes by the foot of the garden, and the more private footpath up the brow of the hill passes along its northern wall. Looking across the Kedron, the steep brow of Moriah and sombre wall of the Haram with its battlements, and the top of the Mosque of Omar, shut in the view. At evening, when the gates of Jerusalem are closed, it must be a perfect solitude. Our blessed Master must have distinctly seen the band of men and officers sent to apprehend him, with their lanterns and torches, and glittering weapons, de- scending the side of Moriah and approaching the garden. By the clear moonlight, he saw his three chosen disciples fast asleep in his hour of agony ; and by the gleam of the torches, he observed his cruel enemies coming down to seize him and carry him away to his last sufferings; yet "he -was not rebellious, neither turned away back."t * See p. 69 t Isa. 1. 5. 16 162 JERUSALEM — POOL OF EETHESDA, He viewed the bitter cup tliat was given him to drink, and said, " Shall I not drink it ?" * We read over all the passages of Scripture relating to Gethsemane, while seat- ed together there. It seemed nothing wonderful to read of the weakness of those three disciples, when we re- member that they were sinful men like disciples now ; but the compassion, the unwavering love of Jesus, ap- peared by the contrast to be infinitely amazing. For such souls as ours, he rent this vale with his strong cry- ing and tears, wetted this ground with his bloody sweat, and set his face like a flint to go forward and die. "While we were yet sinners Christ died for us." f Each of us occupied part of the time alone — in private meditation — and then we joined together in prayer — putting our sins into that cup which our Master drank here, and pleading for our own souls, for our far distant friends, and for the flocks committed to our care. It is probable that Jesus often resorted to this place, not only because of its retirement, but also because it formed a fit place of meeting, when his disciples, dis- persed through the city by day, were to join his com- pany in the evening, and go with him over the hill to Beth- any. And this seems the real force of the original words, *' noXXu>f(j avvfixOn 0 ^Irjaovg CKSt fi.na roij/ ^ladrjTMV avrov.'' J " JCSUS ofttimes rendezvoused at this spot with his disciples." As the day advanced, we repassed the brook Kedron, visited the spot where Stephen is said to have been stoned, and entered the city by the gate which bears his name. Here we delayed a little to examine the large dry reservoir which is generally called " the Pool of Be- thesda." It is 3G0 feet long by 130 feet broad, and about 70 feet deep. A low parapet of large stones runs along the marjjin, over which you look into the vast dry basin below. ^The bottom is partly covered with rubbish, and partly planted with a few flowers and old trees. At the further end are two arches, forming entrances into dark vaults, which are generally believed to be remains of the five porches. Dr. Robinson has conjectured that this very deep pool was part of the trench of the castle of Antonia, which stood on the north-west corner of the ancient temple ; and it seems exceedingly probable that this is the case. But is it not probable that when the trench of Antonia was dug, dividing it from the hill Be- zetha, advantage was taken of the Pool of Bethesda pre- * John xviii. 11. t Rom. v. 8. t John xviii. 2. INFORMATION REGARDING THE JEWS. 163 viously existing in this place 1 There can be little doubt, from the manner in whicli the sides are cemented, that it was anciently a pool, and it bears the name of a pool among the native population to this day. That the Pool ofBethesda wa^ in the immediate vicinity of the Temple, and also near one of the gates of the city, there can be no doubt; and that it was a large and important reservoir, seems also probable from the narrative of the gospel. But there is no other pool at present remaining in Jeru- salem which answers this description ; so that it may really be the case that this large reservoir, though used as part of the trench of Antonia, is still the remains of the interesting Pool of Bethesda. Wliile we were lean- ing over the parapet and musing over the past, some Moslem boys began to gather stones and throw them at us, crying "Nazarani." We had approached nearer the gate of the mosque than Christian feet are permitted to do. An Egyptian soldier who was by took our part, and we quietly retired. Being without a guide, we had the pleasure of losing our way, and wandering up and down for about an hour in the streets of Jerusalem, be- fore we found our home on the brow of Mount Zion. In the afternoon we spent five hours in receiving from Mr. Nicolayson full information regarding the numbers and condition of the Jews in Palestine. The Committee of our Church who sent us forth, had furnished us with a list of questions to be investigated and answered. These we shall set down in order, with tJie information we received in reply to them. I. What is the number of Jeivs in Jerusalem and in the Holy Land? We have already set down briefly the answer to this question.* A few more particulars may be added. In Jerusalem 1000 Jews pay taxes, and all of these are males from thirteen years old and upwards. The Jews marry when very young, so that, allowing five to a family, there are 5000, represented by the 1000 who pay taxes, in Jerusalem. Foreign Jews, however, such as Rus- sians, Poles, and Hungarians, and many others, continue under the protection "of European powers, and pay no taxes. These may amount to 2000, which would give about 7000 Jews to Jerusalem. This is the largest state- ment of the number of Jews in the Holy City that we * See p. 1 18. 164 NUMBERS AND CONDITION OF any where received, and is no doubt above the real amount ; for the average of five to a family appears to be tar too great. The destruction of Saphet by an earthquake in 1837 * occasioned the dispersion of many of the Jews who dwelt there. Of these, some settled at Acre, and some at Jerusalem. In the cities along the coast, the Jews have been increasing of late. In Tyre, formerly a Jew was not allowed to spend a night; but the Pasha's gov- ernment changed the law, and now a congregation and rabbi have settled there. They are chiefly from the Barbary coast. The recent occupation of Algiers by the French enabled the Jews of that coast to claim protection as French subjects, and tliis induces them to leave home more freely for purposes of trade. The same class of Jews are found in Sidon and Beyrout. At the utmost, the whole Jewish population of Palestine may be reck- oned at about 12,000. This is the largest estimate which we received ; yet comparing it with their numbers in . the days of Solomon, we may well say in the words of Isaiah, there are " few men left." f II. Has the number of Jeios in Palestine been increasing of late years ? Their numbers did increase decidedly during the first five years of the Pasha's government, that is from 1832 to 1837, — a time which coincides with the occupation of Algiers by the French. Many came from the Barbary coast, who settled chiefly at Saphet and on the coast. During the last two years there has been little or no in- crease. There is always an influx, but then the mortal- ity is great, and the number that come do no more than supply the places of those cut off. The change of climate at the advanced period of life in which many come, the new habits which the country forces them to form, their being crowded together in damp, unwholesome residen- ces, all combine to shorten their days. This diminution in the numbers of Jews returning to their own land, seems to be caused by the ravages which the plague has been making for two years past ; by the rise in the price of provisions ; by the embarrassed finances of the Jewish * See an interesting account of this event published by Erasmus S. Cai- man, who was afterwards our faithful and affectionate companion iu tra- vel. t Isa. xxiv. 6. THE JEWS IN PALESTINE. 165 community, their debt amounting to nearly 8000/. ; and by tiie oppressions wliich they suffer from the rabbis. Some have actually left, and several have said that they would gladly leave Jerusalem if it were in their power. Their reasons for coming into the land are, 1. The uni- versal belief that every Jew who dies out of the land must perform a subterraneous passage back to it, that he may rise in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. 2. They be- lieve that to die in this land is, certain salvation, though they are not exempted from " the beating in the grave, and the eleven months of purgatory." 3. They believe that those who reside here have immediate communica- tion with Heaven, and that the rabbis are in a manner inspired. 4. They expect the appearing of Messiah. The Jews in Palestine have always cherished the hope of his coming, and of their own restoration. This opinion has now even more weight with them than formerly, for they partake of the general impression that a crisis is approaching. The Jews here, as a nation, are far from infidel, but there are many whose minds are fully occu- pied with their miseries. III. Are the Jexvs in Palestine supported by their breth- ren in other parts of the world ? Generally speaking, they are all supported by a j'^early contribution made by their brethren in other lands. All foreign Jews residing in Palestine are entirely dependent on contributions from Europe, except a few who have property in Europe. These latter either bring their little property with them, or make it over to friends in Eu- rope, on condition of their sending them an annual sum to the Holy Land, upon which they live here. But even these may receive their share, as every Jew, rich or poor, who has been one year in the country, has a share allotted to him if he chooses to take it. The sum received b}^ each individual is very small ; much is swallowed up by their differences and quarrels, and much is required to pay the interest of their debt. Five ducats, or about 3/., lOs. a-head, is thought a good contribution. At pre- sent, however, it is even smaller. The way of collecting the European contributions used to be this. Messengers (s-n-'SiT, sheleeheem) were sent from Jerusalem to" the different cities in Europe, where collections were made, and these brought the money to Palestine. This was a very expensive method, for nearly one-fourth of the sum 10* 166 NUMBERS AND CONDITION OF collected was spent in paying the expenses of the mes- sengers. Of late years, however, another plan has been adopted. The money is sent to Amsterdam, where it is received by a rich Jewish merchant, Hirsh Lehren, called on this account " President of the Holy Land," and he transmits it to the Austrian Consul at Beyrout, by whom it is conveyed to the Jews at Jerusalem. The average amount may be 7000 ducats = 14,000 dollars = 280,000 piastres, or 2800/. But there is something to be deduct- ed even from this. Often there is a nDn,n (kedamah); that is, something to be paid out to individuals before the sum is distributed. A list of these is kept. They are persons who have been specially named by friends in Europe who sent the money. The largest collections come from Amsterdam ; not much from Britain. Some Jews, chiefly Spanisli, are supported by being readers in the places devoted to study (nr^ii", yishvioth). A small sum is appropriated by legacy to each of the per- sons who are chosen to study there. This yields per- haps 100 or 150 piastres a year to the individual. •IV. Is there kept up constant and rapid communica- tion betiveen the Jews in Palestine, and those in other parts of th e world ? The Rabbis of Palestine maintain a constant commu- nication with their brethren all over the world. In one respect, indeed, it may be said, that Jerusalem is not the centre of Jewish influence ; for there is little outgoing from it ; the Jews are stationary there ; yet, on the other hand, it is true that Jerusalem is the heart of the nation, and every thing done there or in the Holy Land will tell upon the whole Jewish world. When conversions take place, although they wish to keep them quiet, still the intelligence is soon communicated, and known and spoken of every where. A Jew said lately to Mr. Nico- layson, that he believed that in a short time no young Jews would be allowed to come to the Holy Land, if the missionaries continued to labour as they were doing. They would trust only old confirmed Jews there, who would be able to meet their arguments. The communi- cation, however, is by no means rapid, being carried on by means of messengers. Much mischief has often arisen from this system, for the rabbis sometimes intercept the letters of poor Jews, which they fear may be complain- ing of their conduct. THE JEWS IN P.VLESTI-XE. 1G7 V. From ivliut counlries do the Jews principally come? The greatest numbers come from Poland, and the Aus- trian dominions. Many come from Russia, and many more would come if they were not hindered.* There are some from VVallachia and iMoldavia ; a ievi irom Germany; a lew from Holland; but scarcely any from Untain. All these being Europeans receive the name of Ashkenazim.^ The native Jews, that is, those Jews who are subjects of the country, are called Sephardim, and are almost all of Spanish extraction. They come principally from Turkey in Europe, from Saloniki, Con- stantinople, and the Dardanelles. Those who come from Asia Minor are chiefly from Smyrna. Many have come from Africa, especially of late years, from Morocco, and the barbary coast, from Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli 1 hese bring French passports, and are therefore under protection. There are a few from Alexandria and Cairo. Mr. ^icolayson never saw any Jews from hidia, thou"-h several have gone to India and returned. They have occasional communication by individuals with Yemen and Sennah There are many Spanish Jews, and several Fohsh families, who have been here for generations, whose fothers and grandfathers have died he>e, and who are rea ly natives of Palestine. But most even of these count themselves foreigners still, and they eenerally con- trive to make a tour to Europe some time In their life. VI. Are there many Rabbis in Palestine? There is often a great mistake made about the rank of those who get the title of Rabbi. The truth is, all are included in that class who are not in the class v^t^r^ =di- (am haaretz), that is the uneducated. Formerly, the Rabbis were a kind of clergy, and were appointed by laying on of hands, but now tliere is no such distinc- tion. The official Rabbi does not even preside in the synagogue, but deputes this to another, the Hazan, who IS often chosen because of his fine voice. The only part of the duty which is reserved peculiarly for the priest, is the pronouncing the blessing. None but a Cohen, a priest of Aaron's line, can give this. In the synatrocr'ue any one may be called up to read. This custom appe'ars * There is a day coming when the prophecy shall be fulfilled, " I will say to the north. Give up." Isa. xliii. fi. t Gen. X. 3. Ashkenaz. son of Goiner, gives origin to the name, as Se»)harad, mentioned in Obadiah 20, does to Sephardim. 163 NUxMBERS AND CONDITION OF to be as old as the days of our Lord.* The only distinc- tion made is, that first a Cohen is called up to read, then a Levite, then a common Israehte. Most of the Jews in the Holy Land spend their time in a sort of study or reading. Crowded in their families, however, they can- not really devote themselves to study; and their dis- putes also are a great hinderance. They study nothing but Talmudical books, and even in this department there is none of them who can be called learned when com- pared with Jews in Europe. The Yishmoth are not seats of learning ; they are rather situations of emolument, though originally intended to encourage learning. There are nominally thirty-six of these reading-places in Jerusalem, but often the books belonging to two or three are collected into one. These have been established by individuals for behoof of their souls. They left a little money to furnish them, and to enable a few persons to devote themselves to study there, and to be tiained up in the law, for this is a nnt (zechuth), or deed of merit. Five or six readers are elected to each of them, one or two of whom are expected to be always reading the Talmud there, and each of these receives 100 or 150 piastres a-year to maintain him. These appointments are obtained by favour and private influence. In many cases the rooms are much neglected. VII. What are the peculiar characteristics of the Jews in Palestine ? Their principal characteristic is, that they are all strict Rabbinists, though in this they can hardly be said to differ from the Polish Jews. They are also superstitious in the extreme. Their real characteristic may be in- ferred from the fact, that those who come are the elite of the devotional and strictly religious Jews of other countries. They have so little trade that their covetous- ness and cheating are turned upon one another. VIII. What are the feelings of the Jeios in Palestine totvards Ch ristianity 1 IX. What success has attended the efforts hitherto made for their conversion? These two questions involve each other. The first effort of the London Society in this country was made in the * Luke iv. 16. THE JEWS IN PALESTINE. 1G9 year 1820 by a Swiss clergyman named Tschudi, who was employed chiefly in distributing the Scriptures to the Jews. Joseph Wolff then made two visits to Jerusa- lem, and had a good deal of personal intercourse with the Jews. He was always enabled to leave this impres- sion behind him, that Christians were really seeking the conversion of Israel, and that without Christ there is no forgiveness. Soon after, Mr. Lewis Way came to the East with the view of forming a mission, accompanied by Mr. Lewis, an Irish clergyman, (the same whose kind- ness and Christian hospitality we afterwards enjoyed,) and hy several converted Jews. He rented a convent at Antoura, intending to make it a place where missionaries might prepare themselves, but ill-health forced him to re- turn home. In 1824, Dr. Dalton, a medical man, was sent out to aid Mr. Lewis in forming a settlement in Jerusa- lem ; but the latter returned home that same autumn. Upon this Dr. Dalton made an arrangement with two American missionaries who had arrived, named King and Pliny Fisk, to rent one of the small convents for their establishment. Pliny Fisk, however, died in October 1825, before the arrangement was completed; and Dr. Dalton was again left alone. It was to aid him that Mr. Nicolayson was sent to this country in December 1825. But very soon after his arrival, Dr. Dalton died, in Janu- ary 182G, of an illness caught on a tour to Bethlehem. Mr. Nicolayson returned to Beyrout, and studied the language more thoroughly during that winter. In the summer of the same ye'ar (1S2G), a rebellion broke out, and Mr. Nicolayson retired to Saphet and lived there till June 1827, having much intercourse with the Jews. Con- siderable impression was made, and the rabbis grew jealous of him. They threatened to excommunicate the man who let him his house, and the woman who washed his clothes, so that he was forced to return to Beyrout. He tlien left the country for four years, and travelled on the Barbary coast. In 1832 he returned, and came to Beyrout with his family at the time when the Pasha had nearly taken Acre. The country was now quite open, so that he spent the summer at Sidon, and had inter- course with Cliristians and Jews. He was beginning to build a cottage there, when the jealousy of the Greek priests threw obstacles in his way. In 1833, Mr. Caiman came, and he and Mr. Nicolayson made a tour together to the holy cities. Mr. Caiman's sweetness of temper and kindly manner gained upon the Jews exceedingly. 170 NUMBERS AND CONDITION OF At Jerusalem they consulted with Ysa Petros, a Greek priest, who was very friendly, as to the practicability of renting a house in that city. They visited Tiberias, and had many discussions with the Jews, the results of which were often very encouraging ; and last of all spent an interesting fortnight at Saphet. On returning to Bey- rout, they found that two American Missionaries had arrived on their way to Jerusalem to labour among the native Christians. They all resolved to attempt the renting of a house in the Holy City. Accordingly, in the autumn of 1833, Mr. Nicolayson and family removed to Jerusalem, to the house on Mount Zion where he now lives, and spent a quiet comfortable winter. In the spring of 1S34, Mr. Thomson, an American Missionary, arrived, and about the same time the rebellion broke out. One Sabbath morning, the Missionaries found themselves environed, the soldiers having left the town to the mercy of the Fellahs ; and an earthquake happened the same day. They were shut up in their dwelling till the Fri- day when Ibraim arrived, but remained in a state of siege for five or six weeks. During ten days they had to live upon rice alone. Sickness followed. Mrs. Thom- son, of the American Mission, died of brain fever, pro- duced by the alarm and other circumstances. Mrs. Nicolayson was ill for three or four weeks, and Mr. Nic- olayson fell ill soon after, so that they had to leave for Beyrout, and thus lost that summer. In the spring of 1835, Dr. Dodge and Mr. Whiting, two more American Missionaries, arrived. Mr. Whiting boarded with Mr. Nicolayson in Jerusalem, but Dr. Dodge died in the mid- dle of the same year he came out. From this time the Jewish Mission may be accounted as established in the Holy City. In 1835, the subject of a Hebrew Church on Mount Zion was started in England, and in 1836 Mr. Nicolayson was' called to England to consult regarding it. He returned in July 1837, and laboured alone in Jeru- salem for a year. But in July 1838, Mr. Pieritz and Mr. Levi, converted Jews, but not in orders, were sent out to strengthen the Mission here ; and in December, Dr. Gerstmann, and his assistant Mr. Bergheim, both con- verted Jews, and both medical men, arrived. They have thus made Jerusalem the centre of the Mission to the Jews in Palestine. Mr. Young, the English Consul, had fixed his quarters here about three months before our arrival. The efforts made have been blessed to the conversion of some Jews in Jerusalem, though it is still the day of THE JEWS IN PALESTINE. 171 small things. A Jew named Simeon was awakened at Bucharest by reading a New Testament and some tracts which he received from a Jew who did not understand them. He was convinced, but had many difficulties which he could not get over. A converted Jew came and preached at Bucharest, and advised him to go to the Missionaries at Constantinople. He went, but could not find them out. He proceeded to Smyrna, where he met with another inquiring Jew named Ehezer. Mr. Nico- layson was in Smyrna at the time on his way to Jerusa- lem. When Simeon heard that a missionary from the Holy City was there, he immediately came to him, and opened up his mind. Mr. Nicolayson brought him as a servant to Jerusalem. During Mr. Nicolayson's absence in 1836-7, he was under the care of Mr. Caiman. His wife for a long time refused to follow him from Walla- chia, and bitterly opposed his change ; but being induced to come to Jerusalem, and being regularly instructed by Mr. Pieritz, and also affected by an illness, she gave good evidence of having undergone a saving change, and now she speaks like a missionary to her country- women. The whole family, consisting of Simeon, his wife, a boy, and girl, were baptized in Jerusalem after last Easter. This is the family at whose house we heard the German service last Sabbath-day. Another case was that of Chaii or Hymen Paul, an amiable young Jew, an acquaintance of Simeon, who became intelli- gently convinced of the truth. He was baptized last Pentecost, and at his own desire sent to England. The first native Jew awakened at Jerusalem was Rabbi Joseph, in September 1838. He was a learned young man, and so bitterly was his change opposed by the Jews, that the Missionaries were obliged to send him away to Constantinople before he was baptized. Three rabbis hav^e very lately become inquirers after the truth, and seem determined to profess Christianity openly. We afterwards received a fuller account of these two last cases from Mr. Pieritz. These are all the known fruits of the Mission in the way of conversion. When Rabbi Joseph was awakened, a herevi or ban of excommunication was pronounced in the synagogues against the Missionaries, and all who should have deal- ings with them. But when Dr. Gerstmann, the medical man, came in December, the Jews immediately began to break through it. Another herein was pronounced, but in vain. No one regarded it, and Rabbi Israel refused 172 NUMBERS AND CONDITION OF to pronounce it, saying tliat lie would not be the cause of iiindering his poor and sick brethx'en from going to be healed. This interesting fact shows the immense value of medical missionaries. The more general fruits of the establishment of the Mission have been these: 1. The distinction between true and false Christianity has been clearly opened up before the eyes of the Jews. 2. The study of the Old Testament has been forced upon them; so that they cannot avoid it. 3. The word of God has become more and more the only ground of controversy. The au- thority of the Talmud is not now appealed to ; the only dispute about it being whether it is to be referred to at aU, or what is its real value ? The support of inquirers and converts is one of the chief difficulties that meets a Missionary here. The in- stitution of a printing press, to afford them both manual and mental labour, has been proposed. An hospital for the sick has also been set on foot. X. IVhaf modes of operation have been employed? The mode of operation is entirely by personal inter- course. The Missionaries frequently make tours to other towns, and dispose of copies of the Old Testament. Mr. Nicolayson has sold about 5000 Hebrew Bibles. The Missionaries never dispose of the New Testament, except to those in whom they have confidence. They at one time sold a box of fifty New Testaments, bound up with the Old. But they afterwards found the New Testament torn out, and blank leaves inserted in stead, with Jarchi's Commentary written on them. The Jews will not take tracts except privately. Many of their Old Testaments have been conveyed to Bagdad and to India. XL How far is the health of the Missionaries affected by the climate? The chmate of Jerusalem is decidedly healthy. The sicknesses and deaths among the Missionaries above mentioned, can hardly be attributed to the climate. Dr. Dalton was very delicate when he came ; Mrs. Thomson died of brain fever ; and Dr. Dodge's death was occa- sioned by a hurried journey, in which he was much ex- posed. THE JEWS IN PALESTINE. 173 XIII. IVhat kind of house accommodation is there, and ivhat is the expense of living in Palestine ? The house accommodation in Jerusalem is tolerably comfortable. One of the Missionaries pays J(;i5, and another £17 a-year, as house-rent. In the winter it is diffi- cult to keep the houses dry, the rain causing much damp- ness ; but the sorest privations are want of Christian society, and public means of grace. A Missionary here meets with many trials which he did not anticipate. He must have great patience, and must make up his mind to suffer delays and disappointments, which are much more tiying than merely temporal privations, which are really small. A Missionary coming out must not expect full work at once, he must be wilting to stand by and wait. Often we may say, " His strength is to sit still." The Christian Missionary enjoys perfect liberty to carry on his operations under the Egyptian government, more so, indeed, than under the British government at Malta or in India. No one inquires what he is about. Provisions are easily got ; but the expense of living is rising continually. The price of food is now double what it once was, and some things are four times as high as when Mr. Nicolayson first came. This arises from there being more money in the country. If boarding could be obtained in Jerusalem, then an individual might easily live here on less than £100 a-year. But this is not to be had, so that a Missionary must keep a hovise and ser- vants, and lay up stores for the season. This is the only way of managing here ; and this would require at least £100 a-year. In addition to the salaries of the Mission- aries, the London Society pay all the travelling expenses of their missionary tours. The business of the day being over, we enjoyed a walk outside the Zion Gate. As we sat upon the brow of the hill, we were led to rejoice in the thouglit, that as certainly as " Zion is now ploughed as a field," the day is coming when "the Lord of Hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients glori- ously." * Two flocks were moving slowly up the slope of the hill, the one of goats, the other of sheep. The shepherd was going before the flock, and they followed, as he led the way toward the Jaffa Gate. We could not but re- * Isa. xxiv. 23. 17 174 EXCURSION TO HEBRON. member the Saviour's words, " When he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice." * In the evening we visited the Consul, who had invited the Governor of Jerusalem to meet us. The Turk occu- pies the house said to have belonged to Pontius Pilate. He came in, attired in flill Eastern costume, a handsome young man, attended by three servants, one of whom carried his pipe. The servants remained in the room, near the door, and kept their eye on their master. On occasion of a slight motion of the hand, one of them stepped forward and took the pipe, and then resumed his place as before, watching his master's movements, as if to anticipate his wishes. This is the custom which we observed in Egypt f as illustrating Psalm cxxiii, "Be- hold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters — so our eyes upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us."| He was very affable, and seemed highly entertained with examining our eye-glas- ses and watches. He drank M'ine with us also, probably to shew how liberal a high-born Mussulman can be. In the evening we planned an excursion to Hebron, and next day (June 13) set out by 7 a. m., accompanied by the Consul and his lady, Mr. Nicolayson, and Mr. George Dalton. Some were mounted on mules, and some on horses ; the saddles, as usual, broad and un- comfortable. Crossing the Vale of Gihon, we turned due south, and travelled over the fine plain of Rephaim. About three miles firom the city, we came to a well, where tradition has fixed the scene of Matt. ii. 10. It is one of the few beautiful traditions associated with sacred places. The tradition is, that the wise men, who for some time had lost the guidance of the star which brought them from their country, sat down beside this well to re- fresh themselves, when one of their number saw the re- flection of the star in the clear water of the well. He cried aloud to his companions, and " when they saw the * John X. 4. A traveller once asserted to a Syrian shepherd, that the sheep knew the dress of their master, not his voice. The shepherd, on the other hand, asserted it was the voice they knew. To settle the point, he and the traveller changed dresses, and went among the sheep. The traveller, in the shepherd's dress, called on the sheep, and tried to lead them ; but " they knew not his voice," and never moved. On the other hand, they ran at once at the call of their owner, though thus disguised. t See p. 89. t Ps- cxxiii. 2. BETHLEHEM — RACHEL's SEPULCHRE. 175 star they rejoiced with exceeding great joy." This well may perhaps be the fountain of Nephtoah* We passed the Convent of Elijah ; for the monks sup- pose that the prophet fled this way to Beersheba,t and under a neighbouring tree, they pretend to show the mark left by his body as he lay asleep on the rocky ground, though it is hard stone. From this point we ob- tained our first sight of Bethlehem, lying about three miles to the south upon a considerable eminence, and possessing at a distance a peculiarly attractive appear- ance. We meant to visit it in returning, and therefore at present contented ourselves with a distant view of the place where the memorable words were spoken by the Angel, "Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy ; unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Cluist the Lord."| About a mile and a half further to the south we came to a tomb, built like the whited sepulchres of the East, but believed to be liacheVs Sepulchre. The tomb is no doubt modern, erected probably by the Mahometans ; but the spot may justly be regarded as the place where Rachel died and was buried, " And there was but a little way to come to Ephrath (?. e. Bethlehem Ephratah^); and Rachel tra- vailed, and she had hard labour— and Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem; and Jacob set a pillar upon her grave ; that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day."|l The .Tews frequently visit it ; and many (as Benjamin of Tudela says they used to do in his days) have left their names and places of abode in Hebrew inscribed upon the white plaster in the interior walls. To the west of the tomb, on the face of a hill, stands a large and pleasant-looking village called Bet-Jalah, inhabited, we are told, entirely "by Christians. May this not be the ancient Ze/zah, " by Rachel's sepul- chre in the border of Benjamin,"^! where Saul was told that his father's asses had been found 1 In other passasres of Scripture** the place is called Ze/ah, from which the modern name might easily be formed by prefixing the common syllable " Bet" (that is, " house"), and softening the sibilant letter. If so, then this is the spot where they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan—" in Zelah, in the sepulchre of Kish his father." • Josh. XV. 9. t 1 Kings xix. 4. t Luke ii. 10 5 Mic. V. 2 II Gen. xxxv. 16, 19. 20. IT 1 Sam. x. 2. ** Josh, xviii. 28. 2 Sam. xxi. 14. 176 Solomon's pools. Leaving Bethlehem about half a mile to the east, and proceeding still in a southerly direction, we came down in a short time to the valley, where lie the three large and singular reservoirs, called Solomon's Pools. They are situated at a short distance from one another, each on a different level, so that the water flows from the upper into the middle pool, and from the middle into the lower pool, from which it is conveyed by a stone aqueduct round the hills to Bethlehem, and from Bethlehem to Jerusalem. The walls of the pool are of solid masonry covered over with cement. Close by is a Saracenic fort with high walls and a battlement, perhaps originally in- tended to protect the pools. Under the shade of its walls we left our mules, and proceeded to measure the pools with a line as accurately as the ground would admit. The result was as follows : — 1. The Upper or Western Pool. Length of north side, . . . 389 feet of south side, . . 380 ... Breadth of west side, . . . 229 ... of east side, . . 236 ... Depth at one point, ... 25 ... 2. The Middle Pool. Length, 425 feet. Breadth of west side, . . . 158 ... of east side, . . . 250 ... 3. The Lowest or Eastern Pool. Length, 583 feet. Breadth on the west side, . . 148 ... ... on east side, . . . 202 ... At all the corners there are flights of steps descending into them. The water is pure and delightful, and each of the pools was about half full. Of the great antiquity of these splendid reservoirs there can be no doubt, and there seems every probability that they are the work of Solomon. This pleasant valley being so near the spot where his father David fed his sheep, would be always interesting to the king ; but the only reference to the pools in Scripture, appears to be in Eoclesiastes, where he describes the manner in which, forsaking the fountain of living waters, — "the God that appeared unto him twice," — he sought every where for cisterns of earthly joy. " I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruits. I made me pools of ROAD TO HEBRON — SIPHEER. 177 wa^er, to water therewith the wood that brinj-eth forth trees. * It is higlily probable, that, besides other pur- poses, these cisterns were intended to water rich Jar- dens in their vicinity; and in tlie lower parts of the val- iey, at present covered with ripe crops of wavin"- o-rain there would be a splendid situation for the gardelis, and orchards, and nurseries of fruit-trees, which the Preacher describes In Josephus and in the Talmud, this place is called Etham.f The former says concernincr it, » There was a certain place about fifty iurlonffs distant from Je- rusalem (more than six miles) which is called Etham • very pleasant it is in fine gardens, and aboundiuij in riv- ulets of water. Thither Solomon used to ride out in the mornmg."t Beautiful insects, especially very large dra- gon-flies, with fine variegated wings, were flultering round the water. We refreshed ourselves at a fountain close by, on the north-west corner of the upper pool to which we descended by steps. This is said by tradition to be "the spring shut up, the fountain sealed," to which the church is compared in the Sonff.5 It was usual in former times to cover up the well's '"mouth for the sake ot the precious living water. In the fields around the reapers were busy at barley-harvest. It was somewhere near this very spot that Naomi found them reapino- as s^ie re urned from the captivity of Moab, "they cam^e to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley-harvest," || and some of these fruitful fields may have been the field of Boaz, where Ruth gleaned after the reapers, in the same manner as the Syrian women were doing when we P3.SSGQ, After leaving the pools, the road conducted us for some time over very rocky hills. The rude mountain track was generally lined with fragrant shrubs and wild flow- ers, the pink, the cistiis, of a fine lilac colour, the olean- der, in great profusion and very tall. Among the trees the Ba/.ut or evergreen oak was by far tli^e most fre- quent, and occasionally our well-known honeysuckle hung Its flowers over some bush or shrub, remindino- us ot home On many of these hills we could distinctly^'see that the brushwood had usurped the ancient terraces made for the vine. We came to a considerable valley cultivated to some extent, at the extremity of which where the ground begins to rise airain, is a villao-p called feipheer. Can this be a remnant of the name oUiirjath- * Eccl. ii. 5, 6. t See also 2 Chron. xl 6. X Antiq. viii 7 3 $ Song IV. 12. II Ruth i. 2-2. ^ "' '' •^• 178 VALLEY OF HEBRON. Sepher, the city smitten by Othniel, when he gained Achsah, Caleb's daughter!* Perhaps this valley may be the field which she asked from her father ; but we had no time to search for the upper and the nether springs that once watered it. Other travellers have found sepul- chral caves there. Ruins occasionally met our eye, chiefly on eminences, the remains no doubt of the towns and villages of Judah. On our left one ruin was called " Bet-hagar," that is, " house of stone," another " Bet- Immer," with an ancient pool still remaining. About an hour from Hebron, there is a large, and evidently much frequented fountain, named Ain-Derwa. Many camels were drinking out of the troughs, and our horses and mules were glad to join them. This is possibly "^/(e well of Sirah" at which Abner was refreshing himself when Joab's messengers found him and treacherously brought him back to Hebron to be slain. f We had now spent nearly eight hours on the road, riding very leisurely. About two miles from the town we entered the Valley of Hebron, the way running through vineyards which make tlie approach very plea- sant. Fig-trees and pomegranates in great abundance were every where intermixed with the vines, and the hills above were covered with verdant olive-trees. The vines were in great luxuriance, and the flowers just forming into the grape, so that the delightful fragrance diffused itself far and wide. " The fig-tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell."]; In many of the vineyards we saw the towers, built for protection and for other uses, and fre- quently referred to in Scripture. J We encamped about four o'clock on a verdant plot of ground opposite the northern portion of Hebron, pitching our tents under some fine olive-trees. Beauty lingers around He- bron still. God blesses the spot where he used to meet with Abraham his friend. It lies in a fine fertile valley, enclosed by high hills on the east and west. The houses are disposed in four different quarters, which are sepa- rated from each other by a considerable space. The largest portion is to the S. E. around the Mosque, the houses running up the eastern slope. The ruins of an- cient houses are still higher up. The fourfold division of the town gives it a singular appearance, while the cupolas on the houses, and the vigorous -olive-trees that * Josh. XV. 16. t 2 Sam. iii. 26. t Song ii. 13. § Isa. v. 2. Matt. xxi. 33. HEBRON — GOVERNOR — JEWISH RAEBI. 179 are interspersed throughout the town, add greatly to its beauty. Some mile's north of the town we passed four bare walls, which are called by the Jews the ruins of Abraham's house, and the plain around it is called the Plain of Mamre. We felt much inclined, however, to believe that the line valley on the south-east side of the town is the true plain of Mamre. The Moslem Governor, hearing of the arrival of the English Consul, sent him the present of a sheep, and soon after waited upon us. Mr. Nicolayson acted as in- terpreter. When the Consul thanked him for his kind present, he replied, " It is all the blessing of Abraham. It is only what should be done in the city of EI-HaliJ. Had Abraham been here he would have sent a sheep or a calf, and we are in Abraham's stead." The Arabic name of the town is El-Halil, "the beloved," so called in memory of Abraham, " the friend of God." An old 5qw, Rabbi Haiim, who is now blind with age, hearing of the arrival of Nr. Nicolayson, sent him an oka of wine in token of respect and kindness. This little in- cident in the city where Abraham dwelt was peculiarly affecting, and showed in a very clear light the friendly feelings which the Jews of Palestine entertain towards Protestant Missionaries, though fully aware of the object which they have in view. A Greek Christian, named Elias, who was acquainted with our fellow-travellers, showed us great attention. When the darkness came down, we saw some fine specimens of the glow-worm around our tents. Over- head, the sky was splendid: the stars being unusually large and brilliant from the clearness of the atmosphere. For the same reason, many more stars are visible to the naked eye than in our northern sky. We recollected that it was here, in the plain of Manure, under the same sky, that God " brought Abraham forth abroad, and said, Look toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: so shall thy seed be."* The same sight recalled with new power the gracious promise, " They that be wise shall shine as the" brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." f We all met for evening worship in one tent. Mr. Nicolayson read Genesis xviii, and prayed with a full heart for Israel, that they to whom the promises were made might soon enjoy the Redeemer's communion as * Gen. XV. 5. t Dan. xii. 3. 180 HEBRON — THE MOSQUE — MACHPELAH. Abraham enjoyed it here; and that we might receive Abraham's spirit of intercession for a perishing world. (June 14.) This morning we awoke early, and tried to realize the feelings of a true child of Abraham in Hebron, meditating over all the Scriptures that relate to it. The deep terraces of the mountain afford sweet spots for re- tirement. We had scarcely breakfasted when the Governor paid us a second visit, offering to conduct us to see the mosque, which is believed to cover the cave of Machpelah. The appearance of this man in the midst of his attend- ants was any thing but prepossessing. He was an ill- looking Moslem, an oldish man, with fine grey beard, very marked nose, and dark suspicious eyes. The duty of paying attention to Christian travellers seemed to be a very irksome one to his Mahometan pride. He brought two sheep with him as a present to the Consul, doubhng the gift of the previous day. We proceeded toward the Mosque, the Consul's janis- sary going before. Several Jews joined in the train. As we passed through the streets, the boys and girls cried Nazarani, teaching us that " the Nazarene" is still a term of reproach in this land. The Mosque is a large quadrangular building, with two minarets at the opposite corners. The lower half of the walls is evidently of the highest antiquity ; the stones are very large, and each of them is bevelled in the edge, in the same manner as the ancient stones of the temple wall of Jerusalem. One stone which we measured was 24 feet by 4, and another was still larger. On the two principal sides there are sixteen pilasters, on the other two sides ten, composed of these immense stones, with a simple projecting cope at the top. Above this, the buiding is evidently of Ma- hometan origin, and is siu-mounted by a battlement. We were allowed to ascend the wide massy staircase that leads into the interior of the building. The door in- to the mosque was thrown open, but not a foot was al- lowed to cross the marble threshold. We were shown the window of the place which contains the tombs of Abraham and Sarah, beneath which is understood to be the cave of Machpelah. There is none of the sacred places over which the Moslems keep so jealous a watch as the tomb of Abraham. It was esteemed a very pecu- liar favour that we had been admitted thus far, travellers in general being forbidden to approach even the door of the Mosque. A letter from the Governor of Jerusalem, TOMBS IN THE MOSaUE. 181 who had been with us on the evening before we set out, gained us this privilege. A'Uttle farther on, we were permitted to look through a window, where we saw one of the tombs covered wilh a rich carpet of green silJi. This is called the Tomb of Josei)h, although we know from Scripture that Joseph was not buried here, but at Shechem.* The only persons mentioned in Scripture as buried at Machpelah are Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah.f The Jews believe that this remarkable building is one of the works of Solomon ; and from the peculiar form of the building, and the great size of the stones, there seems every probability that it is of Hebrew origin. It is by no means improbable, that it was built by the Jews to keep in remembrance the burying-place of tlie fiither of their nation and the friend of God. The Jews at present are permitted only to look through a hole near the entrance, and to pray with their face toward the grave of Abraham. After leaving this, we climbed the highest hill to the south-east of Hebron, to obtain, if possible, that view of the plain of Sodom which Abraham had on that morning when it was destroyed from heaven. In tlie valley, we passed with some difficulty through the vineyards, re- galed by tiie delightful fragrance. At one part we came upon a company of villagers treading out their corn ; five oxen were employed on one floor. Some of the vil- lagers also were winnowing what had been trodden out, and others were passing the grain through a sieve to separate it from the dust. We rememi)ered Amos ix. 9. This valley is called Wady Nazarah, " the valley of the Nazarenes," for what reason we could not ascertain. The sides of tlie hill were very rocky and slippery, but the top was covered with vines. We sat down under the shade of some buslies, and calmly contemplated the fine view on every side. The town, divided into four parts, lay immediately beneath us. The pool, the mosque, the flat roofs, the domes, were all distinctly marked. The vineyards stretch up the hills beautifully, and groves of deep green olives enclose it on every side. Hebron is embosomed in hills. The more ancient houses are on the east side of the valley, and there are traces of ruins running up the hill behind Machpelah. The ancient town is supposed by some to have been built more upon * Acts viL 16. t Gen. xli.x. 31 ; 1. 13. 182 HEBRON. the hill where the mosque stands, and if so, the tradition of the rabbis is not altogether absurd, that the rays of the rising sun gilding the towers of Hebron used to be seen from the temple at Jerusalem, and gav^e the sign of the time for killing the morning sacrifice. Hebron was also one of the Refuge cities, and therefore probably conspicuous from afar. Looking to the south, over a high ridge of hills, the eye stretches into a wilderness- land of vast extent. In that direction lay Carniel, where Nabal fed his flocks.* But the most interesting view of all was toward the east, not on account of its beauty, but on account of its being in all probability the view which Abraham had when he " looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and lo the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace." f A high ridge intercepts the view of the Dead Sea, but the deep valley formed by it, and the hills of Moab on the other side, are clearly seen. If Abraham stood on the hill where we were now standing, then he saw not the plain itself, but " the smoke of the country rising up" as from a furnace. If he saw the plain, then he must have stood on that intervening ridge nearer the Dead Sea. There can be little doubt that it was in this direction that Abraham led the three angelic men on their way toward Sodom, and we felt it a solemn thing to stand where Abraham drew near and pleaded with the Lord, " Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked ?" What wonders of mercy and judgment these mountains have seen ! Returning to the town, we visited the large Pool of Hebron. It is quite entire, of solid and ancient masonry, and measures 133 feet square. This is no doubt the pool over which David commanded the hands and feet of the murderers of Ishbosheth to be hung up.t There is another pool in the town, but not so large. We then visited the Tomb of Othniel, a sepulchre cut out in the rock, with nine niches. We plucked hyssop from the crevices of the outer wall. 5 It grov/s in small stalks, with thickly-set leaves. We visited several other sepul- chres near the town ; in the town itself is shown what is pretended to be the tomb of Abner, and of Jesse, the father of David, and even that of Esau. In the streets, mothers were carrying their children on the shoulder ; || some of * 1 Sam. XXV. 2. t Gen. xix. 28. t 2 Sam. iv. 13. $ 1 Kings iv. 33. Ii Isa. xlix. 22. SPANISH AND POLISH SYNAGOGUES — RABBI HAIIM. 183 whom had their eyes painted with stibium,* and all of them had anklets, answering to Isaiah's " tinkling orna- ments about the feet." f In the atternoon, we paid a visit to the Jewish quarter. We were told tliat there are about eighty German and Polish Jews in this place. They have two synagogues ; one belonging to the Spanish, the other to the Polish Jews. We first visited the Spanish synagogue, the larger of the two. It is not more than forty feet in length, and though clean, is but poorly furnished. The seats were half-broken benches, reminding us of some of our ne- glected country churches. The lamps were of orna- mented brass ; the reading-desk nothing more than an elevated part of the floor railed in. There was nothing attractive about the ark ; and the only decorations were the usual silver ornaments on the rolls of the law, and a few verses in Hebrew written on the curtain and on the walls. Fourteen children were seated on the floor, with bright sparkling eyes, getting a lesson in Hebrew from an old Jew. The Polish synagogue was even poorer than the Spanish. It had no reading-desk at all, but only a stand for the books. However, it surpassed the other in its lamps, all of which were elegant ; and one of them of silver, — tlie gift of Asher Bensamson, a Jew in London, who sent the money for it to Jerusalem, where the lamp was made. Leaving the synagogue, we stepped into one of the yishvioth or reading-rooms. The books were not well kept, not even clean — the dust was lying thick on some of them, and only two persons were studying in the room. There are three more of these reading-rooms in Hebron. We next found our way to the house of the old blind Rabbi Haiim, who had sent the present of wine on our arrival. We were very kindly received in the outer court of his house, where we were invited to sit down, and had an interesting interview with this aged Jew. He had come to this land when twenty-four years of age, and had spent fifty years in it. Like Isaac, his eyes had be- come dim, so that he cotild not see. About a dozen Jews and as many children gathered round us, while several Jewesses stood at a little distance listening in silence to the conversation. Mr. Nicolayson conversed freely with them, told the errand upon which we had come, and stated the desire and aim of Christians in re- gard to their salvation. We were glad to be permitted * Ezek. xxiii. 40. t Isa. iii. 18. 184 HEBRON — Abraham's oak. thus to meet with Israel tn their own land. They brought us sherbet and water. We remarked that the dress of the Jewish women is peculiarly graceful, and they have fine pleasant countenances. Many of them wear rich ornaments even when engaged in domestic duties. In the evening, we rode out of the town to see Abra- ham's Oak, about a mile to the north-west. It is an im- mense spreading oak, admitted to be one of the largest trees in Palestine, and very old. Possibly it occupies the site of that tree which Jerome saw pointed out in his days as Abraham's Oak. We found the spread of its branches to be 256 feet in circumference, and 81 feet in diameter. Round the narrowest part of the trunk, we measured 22 feet 9 inches, and at the point where the branches separate, 25 feet 9 inches. It was under such a tree that Abraham pitched his tent, when " he came and dwelt under the oaks of Mamre which is in Hebron." * And it was under such a tree that he spread refresh- ment for his heavenly guests.f The ride from this tree to the town is through vineyards of the most rich and fertile description, each one having a tower in the midst for the keeper of the vineyard. We were told that bunches of grapes from these vineyards sometimes weigh 6 lb., every grape of which weighs G or 7 drams. Sir Moses Montefiore mentioned, that he got here a bunch of grapes about a yard in length. Such a bunch the spies carried on a staff betwixt two. In Hebron, there are 1330 Mahometans who pay taxes, about 200 who do not pay ; add to this 700 Jews. At the usual average of Eastern families, this will give less than 10,000 inhabi- tants. (June 15.) We broke up our encampment this morning by the dawn, and enjoyed a splendid sunrise. We left the vale of Hebron and its verdant vines with regret, traversing the same road which we had come. In four hours we came down upon the pools of Solomon. Here we turned off to the right, winding round the hills, and following the course of the old aqueduct that carried water into Jerusalem. At this point, a small but beauti- ful and verdant valley lay beneath us, called by the Arabs " El Tos," " the cup," from its appearance. This may have been one of the spots where David loved to wander with his sheep, and where he meditated such Psalms as the 23d, " He maketh me to he down in green pastures : he leadeth me beside the still waters."| A gentle brook * Gen. xiii. 13. See the Hebrew. t Gen. xviii. 8. I Ps. x.\iii. 2. THE WELL OF BETHLEHEM. 185 meanders through the bottom of the valley. There is also an ancient village with well cultivated gardens. Due east of us, the Frank Mountain, with its sloping sides and flat top, formed the most prominent object. If this be Betk-haccerem, a more suitable place for a signal of lire could not be imagined.* As we approached Beth- lehem, the hills wei-e well terraced, and vines and figs abounded. The towers in the vineyards appeared to us more numerous than usual. Bethlehem stands on the top of a hill, on the south side steep and rocky. The white limestone rocks were like marble, and reflected the sun's rays, so as to be very painful to the eyes. They were also so slippery, that we found it safer to go up on foot. When near the top we came upon " the well that is by the gate of Bethlehem." It is protected by a piazza of four small arches, under which the water is drawn up through two apertures.f Several people were under this porch, and one had descended the well to clean it out, so that we longed in vain for a draught of the water which David desired so earnestly. The situation of this well would suit exactly the description given in Chroni- cles,! and the direction of the supposed geographical po- sition of the cave of Adullam, to the south-east of Beth- lehem, over the hill of Tekoah. We felt it interesting to realize the scene. The hosts of the Philistines wereen- camped in the valley of Rephaim ; their garrison was at Bethlehem, and David was in the cave of Adullam. In the burning heat of noon-day, he looked toward the hill that lay between him and his native town, and casually exclaimed, " Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, that is at the gate !" His three mightiest captains instantly resolve to express their love to their chief, and their devotion to the cause of God, by putting their lives in jeopardy, in drawing some of the water of this deep well, even under the darts of their enemies. "And the three brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David," The white stone of which the hill is composed, and of * Jer. vi. 1. t Professor Robinson thinks that these are only openings over the aqueduct which here passes through a deep vault or reservoir, and that there is no well of living water in or near tiie town ; vol. ii. p. 163. t 1 Chron. xi. 17. 18 186 BETHLEHEM — LATIN CONVENT. which the town is built, makes it very hot, and gives it a dusty appearance. The fig-trees, olives, and pome- granates, and the ripe barley fields which cover the north side, show that it is still capable of being made what its name signifies, " The House of Bread." At present, howev^er, the plague was raging in Bethlehem, and we could not find bread even in the bazaar, so that we had to seek for food at the Latin Convent. This convent is a very substantial building, like a castle. Its outer gate is very low, intended, it is said, in former days, to pre- vent the Arabs riding in to plunder. Some have sup- posed that there is reference to this custom in the Pro- verb, " He that exalteth his gate sceketh destruction." * But this may more probably refer to the proud and wealthy enlarging their gate after the manner of a palace ; for we can hardly imagine that the Arab plunderers entered the houses of Israel in the time of Solomon. The church, genei-all)'- supposed to have been built by Helena, A. D. 326, is a fine spacious building, and the rows of Corinthian columns are substantial masses of granite. It was delightful to repose a while in the cool atmosphere of this venerable pile ; but the monks who seemed to be ignorant and unpolished. men, would have us away to see the sacred places of the Nativity. We descended to the grotto, which they call the stable where our Lord was born. Here they showed a marble manger as the place where the heavenly babe was laid ; but they had the honesty to allow that " this was not the original manger, though the spot was the same." They showed the stone where Mary sat, and pointed to a silver star as marking the spot where the Saviour was born. The star is intended to represent that which "stood over where the young child was." The grotto is illumined by many handsome lamps, and there are several paint- ings by the first artists. Yet all is only a miserable pro- fanation ; like the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, it called up in our bosoms no other feelings than disgust and in- dignation. If this cave was really the place of the na- tivity, then Popery has successfully contrived to remove out of sight the humiliation of the stable and the manger. " The mystery of iniquity," which pretends to honour, and yet so effectually conceals both the obedience of Christ which he began at Bethlehem, and the sufferings of Christ which he accomplished at Calvary, has with no less success disfigured and concealed the places where • Prov. xvii. 19. VIEW FROM THE CONVEXT. 187 these wonders were " seen of angels." Though the tra- dition that Christ was born in this cave is of the highest antiquity, yet there seems no doubt, from the simple words of the Gospel narrative, that it cannot be the true place, for it is said, " She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." * There is no evidence that the stable of an eastern khan was ever in a grotto cut out of the rock. We were conducted to another cavern in the rock, further to the east, where the monks said that the Vir- gin Mary lived. But we enjoyed far more a visit to the roof of tlie convent, where we could breathe the pure air, and look, up to the deep blue sky, and down upon the fields and valleys around Bethlehem. These are still the same as in the night when the angel of the Lord pro- claimed, " Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." f It filled us with unmingled pleasure to gaze upon the undulating hills and valleys stretched out at our feet, for we were sure that among these David had often wandered with his flock, and in some of them the shepherds had heard the voice that brought the tidings of a Saviour born. Nearly due south lay a prominent hill about six miles distant, wliich we were told was the hill of Tekoah, giv- ing name also to the wilderness around. The withel-ed sides of this hill were once traversed by the prophet Amos, along with the herdmen that fed their cattle there.]: But we saw neither flock nor herd. One inter- esting association connected with this convent is, that Jerome lived and died here. His eyes daily looked upon this scene, and here he translated the Word of God into Latin. We did not, however, find in the convent any one who seemed to have inherited the industry or learn- ing of Father Jerome. Remounting our horses, we bade farewell to our monk- ish friends, and wound slowly down the northern slope of Bethlehem, amongst vineyards and barley fields, where the reapers were engaged as in the days when Ruth and \aomi returned from the land of Moab. We soon arrived at the well of the Magi, where the Holy City comes in view. We could not but linger at the spot. Behind us lay Bethlehem, before us Jerusalem ; — on the one hand, the spot where the love of God was first made manifest ; on the other, the spot where that love was completed in Immanuel's death ; — on the one hand the Luke ii. 7. t Luke ii. 10. \ Amos i. 188 VIEW OF JERUSALEM. spot where Jesus was born ; on the other, the spot where Jesus died ! This is the route by which Tasso's pilgrims* are represented as approaching and getting their first view of the Holy City. When they see the minarets, the domes and bulwarks of the city, they burst out into a cry of ecstasy — Ecco apparir Gierusalem si vede, Ecco additar Gierusalem si scorge, Ecco da milie voci unitamente, Gierusalem salutare si sente. ("Behold Jerusalem in prospect lies! Behold Jerusalem salutes their eyes ! At once a thousand tongues repeat the name, And hail Jerusalem with loud acclaim." *) The view of Jerusalem from the south is not nearly so desolate as the view from tlie western approach ; still, when seen from afar, it is " like a cottage in a vineyard, like a lodge in a garden of cucumbers." f Hardly any thing is visible but the bare wall with its battlement, surrounding you see not what. Coming near we were startled by the depth of Hinnom, with its rocks and caves, and by the bold front of Zion. We had scarcely seated ourselves at Mr. Nicolayson's hospitable board, when letters from home were put into our hands, the first that we had received since our de- parture. It was truly refreshing to hear that all our friends were well, and our flocks not left uncared for. One of our letters brought the news that the Auchterarder case had been decided against our Church in the House of Lords. We all felt it a solemn thing to receive such tidings in Jerusalem. They seemed to intimate a time of coming trial to the Church of Scotland. The time seemed to be come when judgment must begin at the house of God in Scotland ; and we called to mind the clear intimations of prophecy, that " there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation," at the very time when Israel shall be delivered. We closed our Saturday evening together, by reading the 2d chapter of Luke. (June 16. Sabbath.) We had agreed beforehand to meet together this day, and join in the communion of the Lord's Supper. It was therefore with feelings of sacred interest that we saw the dawn of a Sacrament-Sabbath in Jerusalem. The solemn scenes which we had wit- nessed during the week— Calvary, Gethsemane, Bethany, * Canto 3, 3. t Isa. i. 8. JERUSALEM — THE LOHd's SUPPER. 189 and Bethlehem, were well fitted to attune our hearts to par- take of the sacred ordinance. In walking through the streets and the crowded bazaar to the Consul's house, which was the place of meeting, we felt a peculiarly vivid reality in the truth, that it was for common sinners such as these now walking in the streets of Jerusalem, and ourselves among the rest, that Jesus died. It was for souls nowise more exalted by nature, or more worthy of his love, than the present inhabitants, that " God was manifest in flesh." How strange ! how passing know- ledge does the love of Christ appear in such a view ! How free the way to the Father lor the chief of sinners ; and how personal the application of redemption ! Had Christ met one of us that day upon the streets of Jerusa- lem, he would have said, " Wilt thou be made whole ]" We met in the same upper room where wo had met last Sabbath. There were fourteen gathered together, including two converted Jews, and a Christian from Na- zareth, who had been brought to know the truth under the American missionaries. It was a time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. After the usual morning prayers of the Church of England, Mr. Nicolayson preached on 1 John i. 3, " Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his )Son Jesus Christ," with fervent simplicity. Di'. Keith joined with him in administering the broken bread and poured out wine. In the evening, Mr. Bonar preached from John xiv. 2, 3, " In my Father's house are many mansions," &c., on the believer's desire to be with Christ, and Christ's desire to be with his people. Feelings of deepest solemnity filled our hearts, while we worshipped in an upper room, after such a feast, where we had been showing the Lord's death " till he come" * and " his feet stand upon the Mount of Olives." f And it was with more than ordinary fervour that we joined in the prayer that Israel might soon have their solemn feasts restored to them, and the M^ays of Zion no longer mourn, and that even now tlie Holy Spirit, who, in this city, came down on the apostles, would again descend on us, and on all the churches. After singing together the last part of the IlGth Psalm, we separated. On our way to our home on Mount Zion, we gazed upon the Mount of Olives, on which the last ra)'S of the evening sun were l")ouring their golden lustre, and rememl)ered how, after the first Lord's Supper, Jesus went out there to his ago- * 1 Cor. .\i. 26. t Zech. xiv. 4. 18* 190 JERUSALEM — CASTLE OP DAVID. ny in Gethsemane ; and how from the other side of that mountain he was " received up into heaven." (June 17.) This morning at six o'clock, we attended the Hebrew service in the Mission-house. Mr. Nicolay- son read the Liturgy in Hebrew, in a very beautiful manner, Mr. Berglieim, Simeon, and ourselves respond- ing. It was truly interesting to hear the holy tongue made use of in beliering prayer in the name of Jesus. The greater part of this day was devoted to making up our journals, and writing letters to Scotland. In the afternoon, we visited the Castle of David, the only stronghold now remaining upon Mount Zion. It is a little to the south of the Jaffa Gate, and overhangs the vale of Gihon. The lower part of one of the towers is evidently of great antiquity. The stones are very large, and bevelled in their edges, and we were told that it" is perfectly solid. This is believed to be the tower of Hip- picus, said by Josephus to be one mass (ov5aixov StaKsvog), and which was spared by Titus when the temple and city were destroyed. May it not be still more ancient, the site at least of " the stronghold of Zion" which David took from the Jebusites ! * Or " the tower of David," to which the neck of the Church is compared, " Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armory !" f De- scending into the vale of Hinnom, we tried to sketch the steep view of Mount Zion ; then returning, gathered several specimens of the Spina Christi. This plant, called Nahka by the Arabs, grows abundantly on the hills of Jerusalem ; the brandies are very pliable, so as easily to be platted into a crown, while the thorns are very many, and sharp, and about an inch in length. The tradition seems highly probable, that this was "the plant of which the Roman soldiers platted a crown of thorns for the brow of Christ. \ Towards evening, we visited that part of the Old Temple wall to which the Jews are allowed to go, that they may pray and weep over the glory that is departed. It is a part of the western enclosure of the Haram, and the access to it is by narrow and lonely streets. The Jew who was our guide, on approaching the massy stones, took off his shoes and kissed the wall. Every Friday evening, when the Jewish Sabbath begins, some Jews may be found here deeply engaged in prayer ; * 2 Sam. V. 7. t Song iv. 4. X Matt, xxvii. 29. REMAINS OF THE TEMPLE WALL. 191 for they believe that prayer still goes up with most ac- ceptance before God, when breathed through the crevices of that building of wliich Jehovah said, "Mine eyes and my heart shall [)e there perpetually."* This custom they have maintained for centuries, realizing the prophetic words of Jeremiah, " Is it notiiing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger."! We counted ten courses of those massy stones one above another. One of them measured fifteen feet long by three broad; another was eight feet square; others farther south were twenty-four feet long. They are bevelled like the immense stones of the mosque at Hebron, and are of a very white limestone resembling marble. Some of them are worn smooth with the tears and kisses of the men of Israel. Above the large stones the wall is built up with others smaller and mWe irregular, and is evidently of a modern date, affording a complete con- trast to the ancient building below. Later in the even- ing, Mr. M'Cheyne went to visit the same spot, guided by Mr. George Dalton. On the way, they passed the houses where the lepers live all together, to the east of the Zion Gate within the walls. A little further on, the heaps of rubbish on Mount Zion, surmounted by prickly pear, were so great, that at one point they stood higher than the city wall. The view of Mount Olivet from^this point is very beautiful. The dome of the mosque El Aksa appeared to be torn and decayed in some places, and even that of the Mosque of Omar seemed far from being splendid. Going along by the ancient valley of the Tyroposon, and passing the gate called by the monks the Dung Gate, now shut up, Afr. Dalton pointed out in the wall of the Haram, near the south-west corner, the singular traces of an ancient arch, which Professor Rob- inson had discovered to be the remains of the bridge from the Temple to Mount Zion, mentioned frequently by Jo- sephus, and remarkable as a work of the highest anti- quity. The stones in the temple wall that form the spring of this ancient bridge are of enormous size. This inter- esting discovery goes to prove that the large bevelled stones, which form the foundation of the present enclo- sure of the Haram in so many parts, are reallj'- the work of Jewish hands, and the remains of the outer wall of the Temple of Solomon. Neither is this conclusion in * 1 Kings ix. 3. t Lam. i. 12 192 JERUSALEM — INTERVIEW WITH A JEW. the least contradictory to the prophecy of our Lord, " There shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down," for these dreadful words were spoken in reference to the Temple itself, which was " adorned with goodly stones and gifts ;" and they have been fearfully fulfilled to the very letter, for the Mosque of Omar, entirely a Moslem building, stands upon the rock of Moriah, probably on the very spot where the Temple stood. The Jewish place of wailing is a little to the north of this ancient bridge. Here they found a young Jew sit- ting on the ground. His turban, of a greyish colour pe- culiar to the Jews here, shaded a pale and thoughtful countenance. His prayer-book was open before him, and he seemed deeply engaged. Mr. Dalton acting as interpreter, he asked what it was he was reading. He showed the book, and it happened to be the 22d Psalm. Struck by this providence, Mr. M'Cheyne read aloud till he came to the JGth verse, " They pierced my hands and my feet;" and then asked, "Of M^hom speaketh the pro- phet this ?" The Jew answered, " Of David and all his afflictions." " But David's hands and feet were not pierced !" The Jew shook his head. The true interpre- tation was then pointed out to him, that David was a prophet and wrote these things of Immanuel, who died for the remission of the sins of many. He made the sign with the lip which Easterns make to show that they de- spise what you are saying. " Well, then, do you know the way of forgiveness of which David speaks in the 32d Psalm !" The Jew shook his head again. For here is the grand error of the Jewish mind, " The way of peace they have not known." The same evening we visited all the synagogues of Jerusalem at the time of evening prayer. They are six in number, all of them small and poorly furnished, and four of them under one roof The lamps are the only handsome ornaments they contain. The reading-desk is little else than an elevated part of the floor, enclosed with a wooden railing. The ark has none of the rich embroidery that distinguishes it in European syna- gogues. As it was an ordinary week-day, we found in ev- ery synagogue the Jewish children who had been receiv- ing instruction in reading; and in one of the largest, a group by themselves was pointed out to us as being orphan children who are taught free. After examining tlie syn- agogues, we paid a visit to a Rabbi, whose house, like that QUALIFICATIONS OF MISSIONARIES. 193 of Justus, "joined hard to the synagogue."* We walked with him upon the roof looking down upon the city. The roof had a railing or battlement, as commanded in the law, " Thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof "f There are thirty-six yishvioth, or reading-rooms, for the study of the Law in the Holy City. In one of tlnese close by, some old men were busy at evening prayer. The even- ing prayers in general seemed not to be well attended. Our guide, who was a Jew, on coming to his own syna- gogue, immediately left us and went up to the front of the ark, praying very devoutly, but with much ostenta- tion. We were much impressed with the melancholy aspect of the Jews in Jerusalem. The meanness of their dress, their pale faces, and timid expression, all seem to betoken great wretchedness. They are evidently much poorer than the Jews of Hebron ; and " the crown is fallen from their heads ; wo unto them that they have sinned." | At night we had another opportunity of obtaining in- formation as to the experience of Missionaries in labour- ing among the Jews of Palestine. The principal subject of conversation was — the lilerary qualifications of mis- sionaries for Palestine. The Hebrew is the most neces- sary language for one who labours among the Jews in this country, and it is spoken chiefly in the Spanish way. A Missionary should study the character and elements of Arabic in his own country, and the more thoroughly he is master of these the better, but the true pronuncia- tion can be acquired only on the spot. Yet Arabic is not so absolutely necessary as Hebrew. Spanish, too, is use- ful, and also German, and he must know Italian, for the purpose of holding intercourse with Europeans in gene- ral. Judeo-Spanish is the language of the Sephardim, and Judeo-Polish of the Ashkenazim (/. e. Jews from Eu- rope). All of them know a little of Italian. All Jews in Palestine speak Hebrew, but then they often attach a meaning to the words that is not the true meaning or grammatical sense, so that it is absolutely necessary to know the vernacular tongue, in order to be sure that you and they understand the same thing by the words employed. A Missionary ought to be well grounded in prophecy, and he should be one who fully and thoroughly adopts the principles of literal interpretation, both in order to give him hope and perseverance, and in order to fit him for reasoning with Jews. It is not so much * Acts .wiii. 7. t Deut. xxii. 8. X Lam. v. 16. 194 FAREWELL VISIT TO BETHANY. preaching talents as controversial tliat are required ; yet it is to be hoped that both may soon be needed. He ought to have an acquaintance with Hebrew literature to the extent of understanding the Talmud, so as to be able to set aside its opinions. Acquaintance, too, with the Cabbala is necessary, in order to know the sources of Jewish ideas, and how scriptural arguments are likely to affect their minds. Zohar is one of the best Cabba- listic commentaries. A knowledge of Chaldee and Syriac would also be very useful. In a mission to the Jews there ought to be both Jewish and Gentile labour- ers ; the Gentile to form the nucleus, tlie other to be the effective labourers. If a converted Jew go through a course of education, and be ordained, he would combine the advantages of both ; still a Gentile fellow-labourer would always be desirable. Faith and perseverance are the grand requisites in a missionary to Israel. He should never abandon a station unless in the case of absolute necessity. He may make occasional tours in the country round about, but he must have a centre of influence. It is of the highest importance to retain his converts beside him, and form them into a church ; for two reasons: — 1. Little is done if a man is only convinced or even con- verted, unless he is also trained up in the ways of the Gospel. 2. The influence of sincei-e converts belonging to a mission is very great. It commends the cause of Christ to others. At the same time it ought, if possible, to be made a rule to give no support to converts, except in return for labour, either literary or agricultural. (June 18.) Early next morning some of our company set out to make a farewell visit to Bethany, and the more notable scenes on the east of the city. We passed through the bazaar and narrow ruined streets, and pur- chased some articles as memorials of Jerusalem. Issuing forth by St. Stephen's Gate, we crossed the Kedron, and once more visited Gethsemane, a spot w-hich called forth fresh interest every time we saw it, and has left a fra- grant remembrance on our mind that can never fade away. Passing the northern wall, we went up the face of the Mount of Olives, stopping every now and then and looking round upon "the perfection of beauty." Jeremiah says that " all her beauty is departed." * How passing beautiful, then, it must have been in ancient days ! * Lam. i. 6. VIEW FROM THE MOUNT OF OLIVES. 195 Crossing by the north of tlie Church of the Ascension, and standing on the summit of the Mount of OHves, we once more enjoyed the commanding prospect of the Dead Sea, stretching to the south, calm and of the deepest blue, and the mountain range of Moab beyond. From this point of view we could see the full meaning of Eze- kiel, where he says, " Thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand; and thy younger sister, that d welleth at thy right hajid, is Sodom and her daughters." * And as we turned from the view of that mysterious lake, under whose heavy waters lie " Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them, set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire,"| and looked down upon the place where Jesus " came near and beheld the city, and wept over it," we felt that the recent sight of Sodom's doom may have kindled into a flame the Redeemer's unutterable com- passion, when he seemed to manifest in his person the tender words of the prophet, " How shall I give thee up, Ephraim ! how shall I deliver thee, Israeli how shall I make thee as Admah 1 how shall I set thee as Zeboim] Mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kind- led tosrether."! From the same height we took our last view of the course of the Jordan, marked only by the strip of verdure on its banks. Beyond lay the valley of Shittim, in the plains of Moab, a wilderness of pasture-land, said to be fif- teen miles long by ten miles broad, affording ample room for the goodly tents of the many thousands of Israel. J Not far from that spot Elijah ascended to heaven in his fieiy chariot, and his mantle floated down upon his holy successor. And from the same open sky, at another time, the Spirit descended like a dove, and abode upon the Saviour when he was baptized by John in Jordan. Another prominent object in the scene is the remains of an ancient village on the height nearly south from Bethany, and about half a mile distant; it is called Abu- Dis. May not this be the remains of Bethjjhag-e, the village " over against" the Jericho road, where the dis- ciples obtained the colt and brought it to Jesus ? No other trace of Bethphage has ever been found, neither has any traveller found an ancient name for Abu-Dis that has any probability of being the true one. The only * Ezek. xvi. 4G. The left hand is the north, and the right hand the south, in Eastern phraseology. t Jude 7. t Hos. xi. 8. § Num. xxii. 1 ; xxv. 1 196 BETHANY. objection is, that Abu-Dis is not upon the Jericho road, but half a mile to the south of it. But the words of the Evangelist, rightly understood, do not imply that Beth- phage^was on the Jericho road, or that Jesus entered the village. Jesus was travelling from Jericho probably by the present highway, "And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you.''''* The simple meaning appears to be, that when they came to the confines of these two villages, lying on the back of the Mount of Olives, (and Bethphage may be named first, because the more conspicuous of the two,) Jesus sent two of the disciples to the village on the oppo- sing height. Had he passed through the village, there would have been no need to send messengers to fetch the colt. Leaving the summit, we descended, over a lower brow of the hill, upon "the town of Mary and her sister Martha," concealed by terraces, and rocks, and fig-trees. We fingered here for a considerable time, occasionally attended by some of the simple country people, and read- ing over to ourselves the 11th chapter of John. It is a fragrant spot ; the name of Christ was poured forth here in his wonderful deeds of love and tenderness, like Mary's pound of ointment of spikenard very costly, and the fra- grance is as fresh to a true disciple's heart as on the day when it was done. We left Bethany with regret, and proceeded to Jeru- salem by the broad and rocky pathway, which appears to be the ancient road. It was along this way Jesus ]-ode upon the ass's colt ; here they spread their garments in the way, and cut down branches of the trees and strew- ed them in the way, and cried Hosanna ! You first ob- tain a distant view of part of Jerusalem before leaving the ridge on which Bethany stands ; again you lose it, descending into a ravine; then ascending, you wind round the Mount of Olives, with the Mount of Offence beneath you, when suddenly the whole city comes into view. We read over the Uth chapter of Mark as we traversed this interesting road. It was by this road Jesus was walking when he said to the fig-tree, " No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever ;" and the next morning they saw it dried up from the roots, and Jesus * Mark xi. 1, 2. RETURN TO JERUSALEM, 197 said, " Whosoever sliall say unto this mountain. Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, he shall have whatsoever he saith."* Many such fig-trees now line the road, and we pulled some of their leaves for a me- morial. Leaving the track, and descending the steep of the Mount of Ufience, we tried to find our way into the valley of Jehoshapliat through the hanging village of Si- loam. With great difficulty we succeeded, for the houses, many of which ai-e ancient sepulchres hewn in the rock, are placed one above another in a very singu- lar manner. As we sat at the Pool of Siloam, the deep shade of the rock was truly refreshing. We read over John ix. and vii. 37. We also paid a last visit to the fountain further up, and gathered some of the white pebbles from beneath its soft-flowing waters. We then ascended to the wall of the city, and entering by the Zion Gate, once more passed through the Jewish quar- ters, and looked upon the miseries of Israel in the city where David dwelt. "How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger !" f They are by far the most miserable and squalled of all the in- habitants of Jerusalem, and if we could have looked upon their precious souls, their temporal misery would have appeared but a faint emblem of the spiritual death that reigns within. " Ah sinful nation ! a people laden with iniquity! The whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint." I May we never lose the feelings of intense compassion toward Israel, which these few days spent in Jerusalem awakened ; and never rest till all the faith- ful of the church of our fathers have the same flame kindled in their hearts ! * Mark xi. 14, 20, 23. t Lam. ii. 1. X Isa. i. 4, 5. 19 198 CHAPTER IV. GIBEON^SYCHEM — SAMARIA — CARMEL. " Blow ye the cornet in Gibeah, and the trumpet in Ramah : cry aloud at Beth-aven, after thee, O Benjamin. Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke ; among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be." — Hosea v. 8, 9. In the cool of the afternoon, all the preparations for our departure being completed, we mounted our horses and wound our way through the streets of Jerusalem, slowly and reluctantly. We felt deep regret at leaving both the city with its holy associations, and the kind friends who had given us such Christian entertainment in this strange land. The communion of saints had been inexpressibly precious, though enjoyed here only for a few days. Mr. Nicolayson, whose truly Christian and brotherly kind- ness we can never forget nor repay, rode some miles with us, and then bade us farewell. A Latin Christian, Giuseppe, asked leave to travel in our company. He lived at Bethlehem, and had visited us several times in Jerusalem, selling the beads, inkhorns, and mother-of-pearl ornaments, which are made at Betli- lehem. On his arm he had the Virgin Mary and the Holy Sepulchre punctured with the Al-henna dye, a cus- tom which appears to have been in use in ancient times.* We journeyed north-west, and soon passed the Tombs of the Judges, but had only time to glance at them. They are cut out of the rock in the same manner as the Tombs of the Kings. Though it is commonly said that they are the sepulchres of members of the Sanhedrim, yet their real history has not been ascertained. Descending by a very rocky path, we came to tlie bottom of the deep valfey, called by travellers the Valley of Elah. Luxu- riant vineyards were on either hand, and the sun's rays poured down with great power into the deep ravines. We soon began to ascend the high ridge on which Naby- * Isa. xlix. 16 ; xliv. 5. NABY-SAMUEL — RAMAH. 199 Samuel stands. Several villages appeared among- the hills both on the right and left, and the remnants of an- cient terraces were distinctly to be traced on most of the slopes. in two hours from Jerusalem, we arrived at Naby- Sauuiel, situated on the highest point of a terraced hill of considerable height, having a few wretched houses, and an old ruined church, said to have been built by the renowned St. George, but now converted into a mosque, whose spire or minaret attracts the eye on every side. For many centuries this spot has been regarded as the ancient Ramah, where the prophet Samuel was born ; where he hved and mourned over the land and its apos- tate king, as he looked down from this eminence on its populous tribes ; and where also he was buried.* There appears to be no good reason for doubting the accuracy of tliis ancient tradition. The ruins stand on the most elevated point of the whole region, commanding a mag- nificent view on every side ; thus answering well to the name Ramah, which means "a height,'' and" to its other name Ramathaim-Zophim, " The heights of the ivatch- onen." The conjecture that it is the ancient Mizpeh, the gathering-place of Israel, is without any soUd foundation.! * Sam. i. 1 ; viii. 4; .\xv. 1. t The only objection to this being the Ramah of Samuel, is taken from the history of Saul's visit to Samuel, recorded 1 Sam. ix. x. In his house at Ramah, Samuel had entertained the future king of Israel. When Saul rose to return to Gibeah, Samuel describes the way as lead- ing " by Rachel's sepulchre, in the border of Benjamin, at Zelzah" (1 Sam. X. 2). But as both Rachel's sepulchre and Zelzah are many hours to the south of Naby-.Samuel, every step taken in that direction would lead him away from Gibeah, which lies to the north-east. At first reading this passage is very perplexing; the difhculiy, however, may be clearedf up in the following maimer. Saul's f'atlier lived not at (Jibeah, but at Zelzah or Zelah (BelJala), for we read that his family sepulchre was there (2 Sam. xxi. 14). But he had an uncle who dwelt at tiibeah (1 Sam. X. 14) ; and Saul himself usually resided tiiere, both before and after his being appointed to the kingdom (1 Sam. x. 26), and hence it was called " Gibeah of Saul." On the occasion of his father losing his asses, he sent for his son Saul to help him in seeking for them. Saul, however, sought in vain, and was now on his way to Zelzah to let his father know that he had not found the asses, when, as he was passing near the hill of Ramah, his servant suggested a visit to Samuel. It was then that the interview mentioned 1 Sam. x. occurred. On leavin=' Samuel, he proceeded towards his father's house at Zelzah as he ha3 proposed, passing by Rachel's sepulchre. Here he met two men just come from home, who told hmi that the asses were found ; next he met three men on the plain of Tabor (a spot now unknown) ; and then, having seen his father, came back to his own house at Gibeah ; which is called the " hill of God," because there was a school of the prophets there. 200 VIEW FROM THE HEIGHTS OF RAMAH. We ascended to the roof of the deserted mosque, and surveyed the country round and round with unmingled pleasure. We could count twelve towns or villages within sight. To the south, Jerusalem, sheltered by the Mount of Olives, was distinctly visible ; and still farther south, about twelve miles distant, Bethlehem and the Frank Mountain. We were now in a situation to un- derstand the prophecy of Jeremiah in reference to the massacre of the infants of Bethlehem, " In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not." * The tomb of Rachel suggested the figurative representation of the mother of Benjamin and Joseph rising up to lament her slaughtered little ones, and the import of the passage is as if he had said. That the tide of wo rolled from Beth- lehem to the hill whereon Rama stands. Rachel from her sepulchre begins the note of wo, and it spreads all around even to the distant hills that shut in the plain. Quite near us in the same direction stood a village in the mountains called Lifta, and still nearer Betiksa, which may possibly be the ancient Sechu, where there was a great well, f To the south-east was another village, Kephorieh, which we fancied might possibly be the site of Chephira,\ since the other cities of the Gibeonites, Beeroth, Gibeon, and Kirjath-jearim, are all in this re- gion. Emmaus must have been like one of these seclud- ed villages, and probably in this direction. . We could easily imagine the two disciples traversing the rocky pathway between the vineyards, by which we had that evening passed, and Jesus himself drawing near and go- ing with them, talking with them by the way, and open- ing to them the Scriptures, while they perceived not the difficulties of the road nor the lapse of time, for "their hearts burned within them by the way." \ Looking to the east, a fine hilly scene lay before us, bounded by the mountains of Moab. Upon a height near at hand stood Bet-hanina; to the north-east, on another hill. Ram ; and still farther north, Kelundieh. In the same direction, though not within our view, lay Gibeah of Saul, and Michmash, not far from each other, both of which remain unto this day. Due north we saw Rem-Allah in a very notable position ; a little to the west, Beth-hoor, believed * Matt. ii. 18. t 1 Sam. xix. 22. X Josh. ix. 17. $ Luke xxiv. 32. GIBEON — AJALOUN, 201 to be the Upper Beth-horon ; and on the hill above it Bet-unia. To tiie west, we looked down from the hilJs of Ephraim upon the vast plain of Sharon, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea, into which the evening sun was pouring a flood of golden rays. But the most interesting of all the ancient towns at this time within sight was El Geeb, lying at our feet, di- rectly north, and about a mile distant. This is the an- cient Gibeon, whence came the wily Gibeonites who beguiled Joshua and the congregation of Israel,* de- scribed as, "a great city, as one of the royal cities, greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty."t It is situated on the the top of a remarkably round hill, the sides of which are so completely terraced, not by art but S'j'S^ by nature, that they present the ajjpearance of a flight of steps all round trom the top to the bottom. The buildings are mostly on the western brow of the hill, the rest of the summit being covered with fine olive- trees. Ma)iy of the terrace's also are set with vines and fruit-trees. From the foot of the ridge on which Ramah stands, a fine plain or shallow valley stretches past Gibeon to the north for two or three miles. From Gibeon it stretches westward for about a mile, bounded by a low hilly range, except in two points, where there are openings towai'ds the western plain, the one of which is the descent of Beth-horon. The fields of this valley were distinctly marked out, some of them bearing grain, but most lying waste. In one place, the vineyard stretched quite across, with a verdure most refreshing to the eye. This valley the muleteers called Ajaloun. Again and again we put the question to them, to make sure that we were not mistaken, and they still answered Ajaloun. Since our return, we have not been able to find that any previous writer has found this name still remaining, and applied to this valley, and we there- fore fear that the muleteers may have picked it up from the inquiries or conversation of some traveller. How- * -fosh. ix. t Josh. .X. 2. 19* 202 VALLEY OF GIBEON. ever this may be, the scene of Joshua's miracle was at that time vividly set before us. The glorious sun was sloping westward, about to sink in the Mediterranean Sea, and his horizontal rays were falling full upon the hill of Gibeon ; at the same moment the moon was rising, and soon after poured her silver beams into this quiet vale. Such prolDably was the very position of the sun and moon, in that memorable day when Joshua prayed and " said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon ; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon." * We are plainly told that the battle between Joshua and the five kings of the Amorites was " at Gibeon." It last- ed probably the greater part of the day, till toward even- ing the bands of the Amorites began to give way, and Israel chased them as far as the descent to Beth-horon. At that steep defile the Lord cast down great hailstones from heaven upon them, so that they died. But it seems to have been before that, and before they were out of sight of Gibeon, that Joshua uttered the singular prayer above narrated ; and in confirmation of this view, it is interesting to notice that Isaiah calls the scene of that day's wonders, " The Valley of Gibeon. "f There was a peculiarly mellow softness in the evening light, that gild- ed both tower and valley at the moment, and it was strangely interesting to look upon the scene where " the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man." It was at Gibeon also, that Abner and Joab met on either side of the pool, and that the young men began the contest which ended so fatally.| We were afterwards told that the pool remains there to this day on the north side of the hill.^ Here, too, " at the great stone which is in Gibeon," Joab murdered Amasa, and " shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet." II In the same place, Johanan, the son of Ka- reah, found Ishmael " by the great waters that are in Gibeon." It was here also, that "God appeared to Solo- mon in a dream by night, and said. Ask what I shall give thee." H It is thus hallowed as a place of prayer, and yet more, as a place where God showed to the world before the Redeemer came, how unlimited was his boun- * Josh. X. 12. t Isa. xxviii. 21. t 2 Sam. ii. 12. § Professor Robinson told us that he had seen this pool, but had for- got to look for the great stone. II 2 Sam. XX. 8; 1 Kings ii. 5. ^1 Kings iii. 5. RATIIAT — BEER. 203 ty to his people — all a prelude to the unspeakable gift, his beloved Son, which has made all other wonders lose their glory Ijy reason of the glory tliat excelleth. Leaving the height of Ramah, we descended into the plain, but did not enter Gibeon, because the sun was set- ting. As we crossed through the rich vineyards, which skirt the hill upon which Geeb stands, two foxes sprang out, and crossing our path, ran into the corn fields. The thick leafy shade of the vine conceals them from view, while tlie fruit allures them ; like the secret destroyers mentioned in the Song, " Take us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes." * We saw before us also the mixture of stand- ing corn, and vineyards, from one to the other of which the foxes ran, when Samson set them loose.f Journey- ing still north, we passed near two other villages, both finely situated on rocky terraced heights ; the name of one of which was Raphat. It was here that Dr. Keith missed his favourite staff, which had a mariner's compass on the top of it. A muleteer rode back in search of it, but in vain. The darkness was coming down, so that we had to hurry on. Our view was beginning to be obscured, but we could perceive that Benjamin (whose borders we were traversing) had a pleasant portion. In two hours from Ramah, we reached Beer, the ancient Beeroth. Our servants had gone before us and erected the tent, and now stood at the tent-door to welcome us, Giuseppe helping us to alight with great kindness. It was a fine moonlight evening; the ground was sparkling with the light of the glow-worm, in a manner similar to what we had seen at Hebron, and the fire-fiies glittered through the air in great numbers. Our tent was pitched immediately in front of a gushing fountain tliat emptied its waters into a large trough, above which was a Ma- hometan place of prayer falling into decay. We lay down to rest, with the rememlirance that it was here that Jotham took up his abode when he fled from Shechem for fear of his brother Abimeiech.J: There is a pleasing though fanciful tradition associated with the place, that it was here Joseph and Mary, on their way back to Naza- reth, fii'st discovered that the child Jesus| was not in their * Sons ii. 15. Herod, too, is called by this name liuke xiii. 32, a de- stroj/er of the Lord's vinei/ard. It was in reference to tliis that Erasmus was at one time branded by the monks as a fo.\ that laid waste the vineyard of the Lord. t Judg. XV. 5. i Judg. i.\. 21. $ Luke ii. 14. 204 BETEEN. company, and turned back again to Jerusalem seeking him. It was probably near this, too, that Deborah the prophetess dwelt " under the palm-tree of Deborah, be- tween Ramah and Bethel in Mount Ephi'aim." * (June 19.) We were up before the sun, and enjoyed the luxury of washing ourselves at the full flowing foun- tain of Beer. It is from this fountain that the town re- ceives its name, both now and in ancient times. The Moslem women came out to draw water, and the well soon presented a lively scene. The remains of the town lie on the rising ground to the north-east of the fountain. We wondered how travellers could ever suppose this to be the site of Michmash : for it does not stand near any deep defile, nor are there any such sharp rocks as Bozez and Seneh in the neighbourhood ;t besides, it is not on the east of Beth-aven or Bethel, but to the south-west of it. I Beeroth was one of the cities that belonged to the Gibeonites, and afterwards fell to the lot of Benjamin. 5 It was to this place, also, that the murderers of Ishbosheth originally belonged. 1| We journeyed to the north-east, through a pleasant pasture country. On our left, we passed a cave in the hillside, running a considerable way into the rock, which suggested to us the nature of the retreat of the five kings of the Amorites, who fled from the battle of Gibeon, and "hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah."1F In a little time we approached the district of Bet /i-av en or Bethel. The hills around, as well as the ruins of the town, are called by the Arabs, Beteen. Tliis name is, in all probability, the remains, not of Bethel, but of Beth- aven. It would seem, that in the days of Joshua, this region was called "the wilderness of Beth-aven,"** and perhaps the hill on which the town afterwards stood, Beth-aven. ft When the town was built it was called Luz, but Jacob, grateful for the visit of mercy which he there received, called it Bethel, " the house of God." In later days, it became the seat of idolatrous worship, and the indignant prophet of Israel, to awaken the people to a sense of their sin, recalled the ancient name |J " Beth-aven," or " house of vanity," and sometimes only * Judg. iv. 5. t 1 Sam. xiv. 4. I 1 Sam. xiii. 5. Professor Robinson and Mr. Nicolayson visited Michmash, lying to the south-east of Bethel. A deep valley below it and two pointed rocks still fix its position, and the Arabic name is Miihhmas. 'S.Iosh. ix. 17; xviii. 25. || 2 Sam. iv. 2. !■ Josh. x. 16. ** Josh, xviii. 12. tt Josh. vii. 2. tt Hos. x. 5, 8. SITE OF BETHEL. 205 " Aven." From this seems to have been formed the pre- sent name Beteen. Turning off the path, a Httle to the right, we rode into the middle of the ruins, on tiie summit of a considerable rising ground. A ruined tomb on the nearest eminence guides to them. Tiiere are not many remains of edifices that can be traced, but here and there heaps of ancient stones, the foundations of a wall, and a broken cistern, indicate former dwellings. The whole summit of the hill is covered over with stones that once composed the buildings, and there is space enough for a large town. We looked with deep interest across the ravine on the right to the gentle hill considerably higher, on the east of Bethel. Probably this was the very spot where Abra- ham pitched his tent, when first he came a lonely stranger to the land of Canaan ; for, it is said, he removed to "a mountain on the east of Bethel, having Bethel on the west, and Ai on the east, and there he built an altar unto the Lord," which he afterwards returned to visit;* showing with what holy boldness he trusted him- self to the Lord's keeping, though bitter foes on either side enclosed him. Nor could we forget, that on the hill where we stood Jacob spent that solemn night, when he took of the stones of that place, and put them (or his pil- lows, and beheld a ladder "set upon the earth, and the top of it reaching to heaven." We read over the passage and applied the prayer to ourselves.f It was here, too, that Jeroboam set up one of the golden calves. And here he stood beside the altar, burning idolatrous in- cense. Perhaps there was a double scheme of wicked policy in his choice of this place, for we observed tliat it must have been within sight of the highway to Jerusa- lem, that the people might be intercepted on their way up to the house of the Lord ; so that his object was at once to allure them from God, and obliterate Bethel's hallowed associations with Jehovali's gracious discove- ries of himself to their fathers Jacob and Abraham. The success of this plan may be conjectured from the chil- dren that here mocked Elisha, and taunted him with E-lijah's ascension, saying, "Go up, thou bald-head." Tlie prophet who came out of Judah, and warned Jero- boam, probably travelled the road over which we had passed. Deborah, Rebecca's nurse, died here, and was buried probably in the ravine on the south, for it is said to have been " beneath Bethel," under an oak tree ; and * Gen. xii. 8 ; xiii. 3. + Gen. xxviii. 11, 12. 206 BETHEL — VILLAGES ON HILLS. Jacob showed his tender remembrance of her, by calling it " Allon bachuth," "the oak of weeping." Few places are so full of interest. The shapeless ruins scattered over the brow of the hill, are themselves silent witnesses of God's truth and faithfulness. He had said, "Seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal ; for Gilgal shall surelygo into captivity, and Bethel shall cometo nought.'"* This word has been i'ulfilled to tlie very letter. We did not at the time remember the prophecy of Hosea, " The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed ; the thorn and the thistle shall come uj) on their altars ;''"'] but we have no doubt, from the desolate nature of the ground, and the abundance of thorny plants in that re- gion, that some other travellers will discover that thorns and thistles are waving over the altars of Bethel, in ful- filment of the word of Him who cannot lie. We our- selves saw sufficient marks of the curse, of which the thorn and the thistle are the emb]ems.| Leaving the ruins, we returned to the road, and pro- ceeding northward, came in less than an hour to a vil- lage on our left, Ain Yebrud, finely situated upon the summit of a very rocky hill, whose sides were terraced and planted with vines. A little after, we saw upon the left another smaller village of the same name, situated upon a similar hill, whose sides were entirely uncultivated, presenting little more than a barren rock. The contrast was very striking, and showed us at once the change produced by the slightest cultivation in this land, and how, by the blessing of God, in "a very little while Le- banon may be turned into a fruitful field." Another village further on, and also upon a hill, was called Geeb, conjectured by some to be the ancient Gob, famous in the wars with the Philistines, ^ though others suppose it to be Gibeah in Mount Ephraim, the burying-place of Eleazar the son of Aaron. || These villages on the tops of the hills had not only the advantage of being easily de- fended, but must also have been highly salubrious, hav- ing the cool breezes playing around them. We now entered a narrow defile called Mezra, and descended rapidly among the finest vines and fig-trees which we * Amos V. 5. Lord Lindsay's interpretation of this passage cannot stand. It is not a direction to a traveller not to search out its ruins, but a command to the idolatrous IsraeUtes to give up their idolatry,}, d. " Seek not Bethel, but return to me-" t Hos. X. 8. t See p. 119- . $ 2 Sam. xxi. 19. II Josh. xxiv. 33, in the original. VILLAGE OF SINGEEL — SHILOH. 207 had yet seen. The terraced hills of Ephraim shut us in on both sides, and often the i-ocks were entirely con- cealed by the bright green leaves of the vines. Under the fig-trees, ripe barley was waving, whilst a very large species of convolvulus, and many other sweet flowers, adorned the pathway ; and the voice of the turtle, issuing from the olives that often girt the hills, once more began to salute our ears. At the bottom of this defile we came into a wider ravine running from east to west, in which was a broad channel of a brook now dry. We conjec- tured that this may be one of the brooks of Gaash* in Mount Ephraim. Crossing the dry channel we ascended by the ravine of a tributary, like the former finely plant- ed with fruit-trees ; and came upon a building, which is reckoned half-way between Jerusalem and Nablous. It was once a fortress, and is said to have been the head- quarters of banditti. There is a singular cavern near that may have favoured their designs. This road must have been often traversed by our Lord in going from Jerusalem to Sychar and Galilee. The reflection of the sun's rays that now beat upon us from these rocks, may have been felt by him on that very day, when, " wearied with his journey," about noon he sat down on Jacob's Well. In about an hour we ascended into a pleasant fertile little plain spreading to the east, having Singeel, a village on the hills, on our left hand, and Turmus Aya, upon an eminence in the middle of the plain, on our right. It was at this point that we should have turned to the right, to visit Seiloun, the remains of ancient Shiloh. Our guide promised at setting out to carry us that way, but unwilling to lengthen the fatigues of the journey, he allowed us to proceed north without letting us know till it was too late to return. We after- Avards found that it lay about an hour distant to the right. Mr. Calhoun, an American Missionary, told us that he had visited it, and found it situated upon an emi- nence, having fine valleys on every side of it, except to- wards the south, — valleys that could have contained multitudes at the great feasts. Higher hills rise behind these valleys. Our servant Ibraim had visited it with Professor Robinson, and told us that they had found nothing but ruins. The words of the prophet are still full of meaning; "Go ye now into my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel."! We * 2 Sam. x.\iii. 30. Josh. xxiv. 30 t Jer. vii. 12 208 LEBONAH — BEDOUIN SHEIKH. could also see the minute accuracy of the description of its situation given in Scripture, " Shiloh, a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to )Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah." * The region round is all fitted for such vineyards as are described in the same chapter.! We now ascended to the highest ridge of a rocky mountain, having a very deep valley on our left. Below us on our right lay a picturesque plain of small extent em- bosomed infills. Into this we descended by a danger- ous pathway, and came first to an old ruin called Khan- el-Luban, and then to a fine flowing well, Beer-el-Luban. The water was cool and pleasant. Some Syrian shep- herds had gathered their flocks around the well. There were many hundreds of goats ; some drinking out of the troughs, some reclining till the noonday heat should be past. We were again reminded of the Song, " Where thou makest the flock to rest at noon ;"J and of the care which the Lord Jesus takes to refresh the weary souls of his people during the burden and heat of the day, de- livei'ing them froni daily returning wants and tempta- tions. At the north-west end of this valley, on the height, we could see the village of Luban, the ancient Lehonah.\ Having travelled more than five hours without inter- mission, we were glad to rest and refresh ourselves for a little under sonie pleasant olive-trees. Scarcely had we resumed our journey, when we met at the northern entrance of the plain, the Bedouin Sheikh whom we had seen at Jerusalem, and who was to conduct Lord Claud Hamilton to Amnion and Jerash. He had faithfully ful- filled his engagement, and was now returning, having left his charge at Nablous. Three fine young Bedouins rode behind him, and all were attired and armed in the manner of their country. He at once recognised us with joy, and showed us with no little vanity the presents he had got from Lord Hamilton. Bidding them salam, we wound out of the valley to the right under a small town, like a nest in the rocks, which an old Arab called Sawee. Leaving this vale we descended into another running from east to west, very deep and rocky. Some country- men called it Wady Deeb. Crossing the dry channel, and ascending to the very summit of the opposite ridge, a noble prospect burst upon our view. From the foot of the mountain on which we stood, a beautiful plain * Judg. xxi. 19. t Judg. xxi. 21. X Song i. 7. § Judg. xxi. 19. PLAINS — HARVEST — SAMARITAN" VILLAGES. 2U9 stretches to the north apparently for five or six miles. It seemed about two miles in breadth, bounded on either side by lofty and finely intersected hills, studded with villages. The fiirthest of these hills on the west side was (Jerizim, with a white tomb upon the summit, and Ebal beyond it, the two hills that embosom Sychar. The plain itself was cultivated in a style very superior to any thing we had yet seen in Palestine, and was beautifully varie- gated with fields of different colour, some bearing dliura of a bright green, some ripe barley. We descended into this interesting plain, and followed the track close under the western hills. The country people were engaged in their harvest. Indeed, this was the busiest part of the country we had yet visited. Several times we came on a band of reap- ers at their work, and met camels laden with sheaves. In one of the villages the treading and winnowing were going on in a lively manner. On tlie eastern range of hills there are three villages perched in very romantic situations, the name of tlie northmost was Raujeeb, Probably these were flourishing towns in the days when Joseph's portion was blessed with " the chief things of the ancient mountains, and the precious things of the lasting hills."* While we gazed upon these villages of the Samaritans, one of the "most touching narratives of the gospel was vividly recalled to us. Once when our Lord was going up to Jerusalem, he sent messengers be- fore his face, and "they went and entered into a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him, and they dTd not receive him." His disciples wished to command fire to come down from heaven ; but he gently rebuked them, saying, " Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of;" and they went to another village.f It is probable that this was the road by which tlie Saviour was travelling, and some of these may have been the villages here spoken of In about two hours we left this fertile plain, and came round the eastern shoulder of Mount Oerizim, ascend- ing up a path worn deep in the rock, till we found our- selves in the entrance of the Vale of Sychar, running east ami west between Mount Cerizim and Mount Ebal. We did not know at the time, but an after visit made up for the omission, that it was at this very turn of the road, where it bends toward the city, that Jesus rested ; for Jacob's \\'ell was there. Entering a little way within the vale, we rested for a while beside a flow- * Deut x.\xiii. 15. + Luke L\. 52—56. 20 210 MOUKT EBAL AND MOUNT GERIZIM. ing fountain, called Beer-el-Defna, at which the shepherds were watering their flocks. The water flows into a large reservoir, from which it is conducted to irrigate a delightful garden of herbs. The ride up this valley was indeed beautiful. The plain stretches about two miles long to the town of Nablous, the ancient Sychar, and the average breadth appeared to be nearly half a mile. The sun was beginning to sink in the west, and was pouring his beams directly through the valley as we approached. A fine grove of old olive-trees extends for about a mile to the east of the town. Through this we passed, and then under the northern wall till we came to a grassy spot on the banks of a winding stream, where we pitched our tent on the west side of ^ychar. We had often read of the verdure and beauty of this scene, but it far ex- ceeded our expectations. The town with its cupolas and minarets is peculiarly white and clean, and is literally embosomed in trees. In the gardens beside us, we saw the almond-tree, the pomegranate, the fig, the vine, the carob-tree, and the mulberry; orange-trees also, with golden fruit, and a few graceful palms. The singular prickly pear is the common hedge of these gardens. Sit- ting at our tent-door, we surveyed calmly the interesting scene. Mount Ebal was before us, rising about 800 feet from the level of the plain. It appeared steep, rocky, and barren. A few olives were sprinkled over its base, but higher up we could observe no produce save the prickly pear, which seemed to cover the face of the hill, much in the same way as the prickly furze on many of the hills of our own country. Viewing it from another point further to the west the next day, it appeared entirely without verdure, frowning naked and precipitous over the vale. Mount Gerizim was behind us, rising to a similar elevation. Although precipitous in many parts, it has not the same sterile and gloomy appearance which Mount Ebal has. It has a northern exposure, and there- fore the midday sun does not wither up its verdure with its scorching rays. On the sides of one of its shady ra- vines we saw fields of corn, olives, and gardens, giving it altogether a cheerful appearance. In some places the precipices of Gerizim seem to overhang the town, so that Jotham's voice floating over the valley, as he repeated the Parable of the Trees from one of the summits of Ge- rizim, might easily be heard by a quiet audience eagerly listening in the plain below.* * Judg. ix. 7—20. SYCHAR — SYNAGOGUE. 211 It was hore also, upon the slopinsr sides of these con- fronting hills, that the blessing and the curse were so solemnly pronounced in the days of Joshua. * Six tribes were stationed on the sides of Gerizim, and six on the sides of Ebal ; while in the valley between was placed the ark of God, with the priests and Levites standing- round. Wlien ail was thus arranged, and every man of Israel held in liis breath in anxious^ suspense, the Levites in a clear loud voice uttered the curses in the name of Jehovah. At every pause, the six tribes on Ebal re- sponded "Amen!" Then the blessings were uttered with the same deep solemnity, and the six tribes on Ger- izim responded to every blessing " Amen !" It is not difficult to understand how the united voices of the band of Levites in the valley would be heard by the multitudes that lined the hills on either side, wJien we remember that the sound floated upwards amid the stillness of an assembly awed into deepest silence. This lovely valley formed a noble sanctuary, with these rocky mountains for its walls, and only heaven for its canopy. And where can we meet with a scene of more true sublimity than was witnessed there, when a covenanted nation bowed their heads before the Lord and uttered their loud Amen, alike to his promise and his threatenini; ] In our evening worship, we read John iv., with feel- ings of new and lively interest. We had scarcely com- mitted ourselves to repose, when the jackals and wolves, which in great numbers And covert in the neiirhbourinf hills, began their loud and long-continued howlinff ; the dogs that prowl about the gates of the town immediately sent back a loud cry of defiance, and for several hours there seemed to be a regular onset between the parties. The ropes of our tents were occasionally shaken by some that were pursuing or pursued ; and tiie valley continued to resound with their mingled cries till the depth of mid- night. (June 20.) Mr. Bonar, waking before sunrise, wan- dered through the grove of fruit-trees toward the gate of the town. Finding it already opened, he entered Wandering alone in the streets of Sychar at this early hour seemed like a dream. A Jewish hoy whom he met led him to the synagogue. It was small but clean, and quite full of worshippers. They meet for an hour at sun- rise every day. There were perhaps fifty persons pre- sent, and every one wore the Tephillim, or phylacteries, * Deut. x.wii. 12. 212 SYCHAR — Jacob's well. on the left hand and forehead, this being the custom at morning prayer. They seemed really devout, for they scarcely looked up to observe the entrance of a stranger till the service was done. At the close several came and spoke to him He spoke a little Italian to one, and then tried German with another, finding that there were Jews from many different places. Some were from Spain, some from Russia, one from Aleppo, and a few were natives of Sychar. After conversing for a short time they separated, going home to breakfast. Mr. 13onar engaged a very affable Jew to show him the road to Jacob's Well, who, after leading him through the town, gave him in charge to another that knew the place. They went out at the Eastern Gate and proceeded along the Vale of Sychar, keeping near the base of Ger- izim for nearly two miles, till they arrived at a covered well, which is marked out by tradition as the memorable spot. It is immediately below the rocky path by which we had travelled the day before, at that point of the road where we turned from the spacious plain into the narrow vale, between Ebal and Gerizim. The guide removed a large stone that covers the mouth of the low vault built over the well ; and then thrusting himself through the narrow aperture, invited Mr. Bonar to follow. This he accordingly did ; and in the act of descending, his Bible escaping from his breast-pocket fell into the well, and was soon heard plunging in the water far below. The guide made very significant signs that it could not be recovered, "for the well is deep."* The small chamber over the well's mouth appears to have been carefully built, and may have been originally the ledge which is often found round the mouth of Eastern wells, affording a resting-place for the weary traveller. But the well it- self is cut out of the rock. Mr. Calhoun, who was here lately, found it seventy-five feet deep, with ten or twelve feet of water. In all the other wells and fountains which we saw in this valley the water is within reach of the hand, but in this one the water seems never to rise high. This is one of the clear evidences that it is really the Well of Jacob, for at this day it would require what it required in the days of our Lord, an " avrXnixa,^'' " some- thing to draw with, for it was deep." f On account of the great depth, the w^ater would be peculiarly cool, and the associations that connected this well with their father * See note at the end of this Chapter. t John iv. 11. JOSEPH'S TOMB. 213 Jacob no doubt made it to be hiirhly esteemed. For these reasons, although there is a fine stream of water close by tlie west side of the town, at least two crushing lountams within the walls, and the fountain El Defna nearly a mile nearer the town, still the people of the town very naturally reverenced and frequented Jacob's Well This may in part account for the Samaritan woman coming so for to draw water, even if the conjecture be disregarded that the town in ftirmer times extended much further to the east than it does now. The narra- tive itself seems to imply that the well was situated a considerable way from the town. He who -leads the blind by a way which they know not," drew the woman that day by the invisible cords of grace, past all other fountains, to the well where she was to meet with one who told her all that ever she did— the Saviour of the world and the Saviour of her soul. The Romish hymn seemed peculiarly impressive when remembered on this hallowed spot : ^ Quaercns me sedisti lassus, '^ Redemisti crucem passus, ^f , Tantus labor non sit cassus! • (Weary— thou satst seeking me ; Cnicihcd — thou sctst me free; Let not such pains fruitless be!) But nothing can equal the simple words of the Evancre- list, " Jesus therefore being wearied with his journey lat thus on the well." ^ About a hundred yards off, to the north of the well is Joseph's Tomb, a whited sepulchre, believed to mark the place where Joseph's bones were buried.* The Jews frequently visit this tomb ; and many Hebrew sentences are inscribed upon the walls. Whether by desio-n or accident, we could not ascertain, a luxuriant vine had made its way over the wall that encloses the toml) and was now waving its branches from the to|i, as if to re- call to mind the prophetical descripti(m of this favoured tribe given by the dying Jacob, » Joseph is a fruitftil bough, even a fruitful bouirh by a well, whose branches run over the wall."t The beautiful field around it is no doubt, "the parcel of ground that Jacob srave to his son Joseph," taking it out of the hand of the Amorite, " with his sword and with his bow."i And this plain is the plain of Moreh, near to Sychar.) Some have fancifully con- * Josh. .\.\iv. 32. t Gen. xlix. 22. I Gen. xlviu. 22. $ Gen. xii. 6. Deut. xi. 30 20* 214 SYCHAR — ^LEPERS — BAZAAR. jectured the name to be derived fi'om Jacob's exploit, as if it meant, "the plain of the Archer." About eight o'clock, the rest of our company paid a visit to the town, to visit the Jews and Samaritans. Under a spreading nabbok-tree near the gate, we came upon five or six miserable objects, half-naked, dirty, and wasted by disease. Immediately on seeing us, they sprang up, and stretched out their arms, crying most im- ploringly for alms. We observed that some had lost their hands, and held up the withered stump, and that others were deformed in the face ; but it did not occur to us at the time that these were lepers ! We were after- wards told that they were so, — lepers on the outside of the city gate, like the ten men in the days of Jesus, who lifted up their voices, and cried, " Jesus, Master, have mercy on us !"* Our Master, had he been with us, would have stood still, and said, " I will ; be thou clean." On the nabbok-tree were hung many rags of cloth, of differ- ent colours. These are intended as sacred offerings, in accordance with a superstition of the Mahometans, which was never fully explained to us, and which we saw frequently in other parts of the country. We passed through the streets, and found a good ex- ample of the Eastern bazaar. It is a covered way, with a few windows in the roof; abundantly dark, but very cool and pleasant. There is a deep pathway in the mid- dle unpaved, about three feet in breadth, along which mules or camels are allowed to pass. On each side of this, there is a raised stone pavement, very smooth and slippery, which is used as a place for the shopkeepers to sit or to display their goods. When not thus occupied,, it may be used for walking. It is a strange sight to walk along, and observe the turbaned and "bearded sellers sitting cross-legged, and smoking in every door-way. The presence of a stranger excites little curiosity among them in general. Often they disdain to lift their eyes. Finding out the Jewish quarter, we went to the syna- gogue, into which several Jews followed us. The little children also came round us, and the women looked in at the door. Our Hebrew Bible was soon produced, and the prophecies concerning Messiah formed the subject of our broken conversation. Dan. ix, Isaiah ix, liii, Ezek. xxxvi, xxxvii, and Jer. xxiii, were the passages read and commented on. The men were most willing to hear, and * Luke xvii. 13, JEWISH AND SAMARITAN SYNAGOGUES. 215 some of the children clung to us ; but the women seemed displeased and impatient. At one turn of the conversa- tion, Ibraim, our servant, who understood what they were saying, cried out, " Hear how that woman is curs- ing you." While we were thus engaged, a Samaritan came into the synagogue and sat down. He was much better dressed than the poor Jews ; his scarlet mantle and tidy appearance showing plainly that he was better off in the world. He invited us to visit the t^ainaritan synagogue, an invitation with which we willindy complied." The Rabbi was seated on a carpet in the stone court, a clean pleasant place close by the synagogue. He was a rev- erend-looking old man, with larae uplifted eyebrows, handsomely attired; he received us kindly, and convers- ed with great freedom. Mr. Bonar having missed the rest of us, and hearing that we were gone to the Samaritan synagogue, per'- suaded a Jew to guide him thither. He led himlo a shop in the bazaar, where a fine-looking man, tall and cleanly dressed, was sitting. The Jew's^'look was that of con- tempt, as he pointed out this man, saying he was "a Sa- maritan." The Samaritan kindly left his shop, and lead- ing the way through many streets, arches, covered ways, and lanes, brought Mr. B. to the Synacogue. The old priest having made sure of obtaining a liandsome pre- sent from us, now unlocked the door, and we, after takino- off our shoes, were permitted to enter the synao-D-uie a clean airy apartment, having the fioor covered with car- pets. One-half of the floor was raised a little hiffher than the rest, and seemed to be used fijr sitting on dliring the reading of the law. On one side, there was a recess which we were not allowed to enter, where the sacred nianuscripts are kept. After long delay, and the promise of a considerable sum (for he told us the sight was worth 150 piastres at any time,) the priest asrreed to show us the copy of the Torah, or five books of Moses, which is so famed for its antiquity. They said that it was written by the hand of Abishua, the son of Phinehas, and is 3000 years old. It was taken out of its velvet cover, and part of it unrolled before us. The rollers were adorned with silver at the extremities, and the back of the manuscript was covered with green silk. It was certainly a very ancient manuscript. The parchment was much soiled and worn, but the letters were quite legible, written in the old Samaritan character. If this was the real copy 216 SYCHAR — JEWS AND SAMARITANS. SO much boasted of, the Samaritans have lost some of their superstition regarding it, for they allowed us to touch it. Several of their prayer-books were lying about, all written with the pen in the Samaritan character. The Samaritans can speak very little Hebrew ; their language is Arabic, but by means of our servant Ibraim, and a Jew who kept by us, we got our questions an- •^ swered, and a good many remarks were made on both sides upon passages of Scripture. The son of the priest was an interesting young man, candid, and anxious to hear the truth. He admitted that the prophecy regard- ing "the seed of the woman" referred to the Messiah: and said that they still expect a prophet " like unto Moses." The Samaritans do not believe in the restora- tion of the Jews. They told us that there are about forty wdio attend the synagogue, and about 150 souls alto- gether belonging to their communion. The enmity be- tween the Jews and the Samaritans is not now so great, nor so openly manifested, as once it was; but we could perceive that it still existed. We had seen a Samaritan sitting in the Jewish synagogue, and the Jew who ac- companied us was now seated in the Samaritan syna- gogue : yet it was easy to see that the Jew was jealous of the attention M'hich we paid to the Samaritans. After taking leave of the priest and his son, we were conduct- ed again to the Jewish quarter. We found a Rabbi, an old grey-haired man, sitting in the synagogue, reading the Talmud. We spoke a good deal with" him in He- brew, chiefly pointing out " the Lord our righteousness." It was pleasant to speak even a word to a Jew, in the city where Jacob often dwelt ; and to a Samaritan in the very place where Jesus said, " Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white already to the harv- est."* Our Jewish guide next led us to a handsome fountain of water at the west end of the town within the walls. It seemed to be supplied from Mount Gerizim, He said that Jacob had built the walls of it. A little Jew boy, named Mordecai, with sparkling bright eyes, had for some time kept fast hold of Mr. M'- Cheyne's hand. He could speak nothing but Arabic ; but by means of most expressive signs, he entreated Mr. M. to go with him. He consented, and the little boy, with the greatest joy, led him through streets and lanes, then opening a door, and leading the way up a stair, he * John iv. 35. MORDECAI, A JEW BOY. 217 brought him to the house of the Jewish Hazan. The room into which he was led was very clean, delightfully- cool, and neatly furnished, in the Eastern mode, with carpets and a divan with cushions all round. The Hazan was not at home, but his wife soon appeared, and re- ceived the stranger with all kindness. She was dressed in the peculiar attire of the Jewish female, and carried a long pipe in her hand, which she occasionally smoked. Her only language was Arabic, for the females in Pales- tine appear to be strangers to the Hebrew, and are thus entirely shut out from understanding the Word of God which is read in the synagogues. She ordered rose- water to be brought — and then coffee — and seemed grati- fied to be permitted to entertain her unexpected guest. On taking leave, the little guide urged him to pay another visit. He led the way to the Bazaar, and there stopped beside the shop of a merchant, a venerable-looking man, saying Yeliudi, " a Jew." Sitting down on the stone pavement, the Hebrew Bible was produced, and the pas- sage read was " the dry bones" of Ezekiel. Several Jews gathered round who could speak Italian or the Lingua Franca, and all joined in the discussion by turns. The merchant himself seemed to be a worldly Jew, and cared little about divine things ; but some of the rest were interested. Leaving this group, the little Jew proposed to guide Mr. M. to the well of Jacob, which he said he knew. But the day was too far spent, as we had agreed to leave Sychar at noon. With difficulty, IMr. M. now prevailed upon little Mordecai to come with him to our tents, to receive a reward for all his kindness. Giving him a Hebrew tract for the Hazan, another for the olid Jew in the Bazaar, and a third for his father, and putting a silver piece into his hand, which seemed to fill him with wonder, we bade farewell to little Mordecai. We felt sorry to part so soon from such a scene as this. The twice-repeated blessing of fruitfulness put upon the land of Joseph lingers about the vale of Sychar still, " Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, and for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put fo^th by the moon."* It seemed almost as if the Lord remem- bered still the kindness of its former people, and kept this natural beauty around it as a memorial. * Deut. xxxiii. 13, 14. Gen. xlix. 22. 218 SYCHAR — FOUR JEWS. We were in the act of preparing to mount our horses, when the four interesting Jews with whom we had sailed from Syra to Alexandria,* arrived at the very spot of our encampment. We could scarcely believe our eyes ; but so it was. They were mounted on horses, and had proceeded thus far on their pilgrimage to Jerusalem. After we left them in Egypt, they had sailed from Alex- andria to Beyrout, endured the sixteen day's quarantine there, and were now accomplishing the object of their journey. We met like old friends; they all saluted us with great heartiness, and were willing ere we parted to receive Hebrew tracts from us. We delayed a short time conversing with them, and then about one o'clock bade farewell to them and to Sychar. The road from this to Samaria is perhaps the best we travelled in all Palestine. It is a level, broad highway at the base of hills — no doubt once much frequented by the kings of Israel, who would keep the highway to their capital in good repair. The direction it takes is north- west for about one hour, and then over a ridge which may be regarded as a continuation of Ebal. The vale down which we rode was well watered everywhere ; a fine stream meanders through it, and there are many wells ; forming a complete contrast to the south part of the land.f The gardens on every hand are very luxuriant, the trees wearing their richest foliage ; the fig, olive, and orange trees laden with fruit. We observed gardens of onions which seemed to rival those of Egypt. Many villages embosomed in trees also came in sight. A small village on the left was called Bet-Ouzin. "Another on the hill Bet-Iba. Below this an old aqueduct having eleven arches crosses the valley, the water of which turns a mill. Be- fore leaving the Valley of Nablous, we looked back and obtained a view of Ebal, strikingly rocky and sterile. Our route now lay north-west over a considerable ridy-e, during the ascent of which we obtained a view of many distant villages ; and among others Ramla, on an eminence". When" we had gained the summit, the hill of Samaria came in sisjht, rising out of the plain to the height of about four hundred feet. It is an oblong hill slop- ing up toward the west, and has a considerable extent of'^table-land on the top. The plain, near the head of which it stands, stretches far to the west, and the moun- ♦ See p. 42 t Ps. cxxvi. 4. RUINS OF SAMARIA. 219 tains that enclose it are lofty. It is a hill in the midst of higher hills; a noble situation for a royal city. A grove of olives covers the plain, and the lower part of the south- ern side of tlie hill. On tiie mountain to tlic right stands a picturesque village called Nakoura, and on tlie summit a white tomb of a Moslem saint. We read over tlie pro- phecy of Micah* regarding Samaria as we drew near to it, and conversed together as to its full meaning. We asked Ur. Keith what he understood by the expression "I will make Samaria as an heap of the field P' He re- plied, that he supposed the ancient stones of Samaria would be found, not in the form of a ruin, but gathered into heaps in the same manner as in cleaning a vineyard, or as our farmers at home clear their fields by gathering the stones together. In a little after we found the con- jecture to be completely verified. We halted at the east- ern end of the hill beside an old aqueduct, and immedi- ately under the ruin of an old Greek church which rises on this side above the miserable village of Subuste.f The ruin is one of the most sightly in the whole of Pal- estine. We ascended on foot by a narrow and steep pathway, which soon divides into two, and conducts past the foundations of the ruined church to the village. The pathway is enclosed by rude dykes, the stones of which are large and many of them carved, and these are piled i-ather than built upon one another. Some of them are loose and ready to fall. Many are peculiarly large, and have evidently belonged to ancient edifices. Indeed, the whole face of this part of the hill suggests the idea that the buildings of the ancient city had been thrown down from the brow of the hill. Ascending to the top, we went round the whole sum- mit, and found marks of the same process everywhere. The people of the country, in order to make room for their fields and gardens, have swept off" the old houses, and poured the stones down into the valley. Masses of stone, and in one place two broken columns, are seen, as it were, on their way to the bottom of the hill. In the southern valley, we counted thirteen large heaps of stones, most of th.em pileil up round the trunks of the olive-trees. The church above mentioned is the only solid ruin that now remains where the proud city once * Micah i. 6. + Herod rebuilt the city and called it Schaste, which means " august, or venerable," in honour ot Augustus Caesar ; but God had written its doom centuries before. 220 RUINS OF SAMARIA. stood. In the houses of the villagers, we saw many- pieces of ancient columns, often laid horizontally in the wall ; in one place, a Corinthian capital, and in another, a finely-carved stone. Near the village, and in the midst of a cultivated field, stood six columns, bare and without their capitals, then seven more that appear to have form- ed the opposite side of the colonnade ; and at a little dis- tance about seventeen more. Again, on the north-east side, we found fourteen pillars standing. But the great- est number were on the north-western brow. Here we counted fifty-six columns in a double row at equal dis- tances, all wanting the capital, many of them broken across, and some having only the base remaining. These ruins may be the remnant of some of Samaria's idola- trous temples, or more probably of a splendid arcade, which may have been carried completely round the city. And these are all that remain of Samaria, " the crown of pride !" The greater part of the top of the hill is used as a field; the crop had been reaped, and the villagers were busy at the thrashing-floor. Part of the southern side is thickly planted with figs, olives, and pomegranates. We found a soHtary vine, the only representative of the luxu- riant vineyards which once supplied the capital. At one point, a fox sprang across our path into the gardens, a living witness of an unpeopled city. It was most affecting to look round this scene of deso- lation, and to remember that this was the place where wicked Ahab built his house of Baal, where cruel Jeze- bel ruled, and where Elijah and Elisha did their won- ders. But above all, it filled the mind with solemn awe to read over on the spot the words of God's prophet ut- tered 2500 years before — " / will wake Samaria as an heap ofthejield, and as plantings of a vineyard; and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and J will discover the foundations tliereofy* Every clause reveals a new feature in the desolation of Samaria, differ- ing in all its details from the desolation of Jerusalem,! and every word has literally come to pass. We had found both on the summit and on the southern valley, at every little interval, heaps of ancient stones piled up, which had been gathered off the surface to clear it for cultivation. There can be no doubt that these stones once formed part of the temples, and palaces, and dwellings of Sama- ria, so that the word is fulfilled, " / luill make Samaria * Mic. i. 6. t See pages 130. 145. FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY. 221 as an heap of thefiehV We had also seen how com- pletely the hill has been cleared of all its edifices, the stones gathered off it as in the clearing of a vineyard, the only columns that remain standing bare, without their capitals, so that, in all respects, the hill is left like " the plantings of a vineyard,'''' either like the bare vine- shoots of a newly planted vineyard, or like the well- cleared terraces where vines might be planted.* Still further, we had seen that the ruins of the ancient city had not been lefl to moulder away on the hill where they were built, as is the case with other ruined cities, but had been cleared away to make room for the labours of the husbandman. The place where the buildings of the city stood has been tilled, sown, and reaped ; and the build- ings themselves rolled down over the brow of the hill. Of this, the heaps in the valley, the loose fragments in the rude dykes that run up the sides, and the broken col- umns on their way down into the valley, are witnesses ; so that the destroyers of Samaria (whose very names are unknown), and the simple husbandman, have both un- wittingly been fulfilling God's word, " / ivill pour down the stones thereof into the valley.'''' And last of all, we had noticed that many of the stones in the valley were large and massy, as if they had been foundation-stones of a building, and that in many parts of the vast colon- nade nothing more than the bases of the pillars remain. But especially, we observed that the ruined church had been built upon foundations of a far older date than the church itself, tlie stones being of great size, and bevelled in a manner similar to the stones of the temple wall at Jerusalem, and those of the mosque at Hebron ; and these foundations were now quite exposed. So that the last clause of the prophecy is fulfilled with the same awful minuteness, " I ivill discover the foundations there- of'' Surely there is more than enough in the fulfilment of this fourfold prediction to condemn, if it does not con- vince, the infidel. We examined the old church at the east end of the hill. It is a massy substantial building, supposed to have been built in the time of the Crusades, as there are many crosses of the templars on its architecture. The Mos- lems have broken away one of the limbs of each of the crosses in their zeal to shape them into the form of a crescent. Within the area of the church, there is a tomb * The word in the original may signify either the bare vine-shoots, or the plat of ground where the vines are planted. 222 SAMARIA — SCENERY. where tradition says that John the Baptist was buried. Having obtained lights, we descended twenty-one steps into a handsome vault, the floor of which was tesselated with marble. There were five niches for the dead. The centre one was said to be that of the Baptist, and the door had a hinge of stone like the remarkable doors in the sepulchres of the kings at Jerusalem. " Now," said our friend Giusepi)e with great gravity, " Tell your father when you go back to your own country, that you have seen the tomb of John the Baptist !" But the natural scenery of Samaria had greater charms for us. The situation of the city is worthy of particular notice. The sun, about two hoius from set- ting, was gilding the wliole country with his mellowed rays, while we stood and gazed around. We could plainly see the meaning of Isaiah's description, " Wo to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, on the head of the fat valleys of tliem that are overcome with wine." * The valley near the head of which the hill of Samaria stands, is even now rich in olive-trees, and pro- bably abounded in vineyards and gardens in former days, while the hill itself, covered with palaces and tow- ers, rose over it like a glorious crown. Tlie natural strength of the position of the city at once suggested the true force of the words of Amos, " Wo to them that trust in the mountain of Samaria." f Within half an hour's distance of the hill on the north and south, and still nearer on the east, the ring of lofty hills which enclose the valley of Samaria begins to rise. These are what the Scripture caWa '■'■ the mountains of Samariay They encompass the city, so that in the days of Israel's glory, when they were all clad in vine- yards, the capital would appear encircled by plenty and luxuriance. The days are coming, when these same " mountains of Samaria" shall again be clothed more luxuriantly than ever, and cultivated by the hands of ransomed Israel ; for the same unerring word that fore- told the present desolation, has foretold tlie coming glory, " Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Sa- maria ; the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things." \ ■ We rememioered the history of the siege of Samaria by Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria, \ and observed how easy it would be to shut in such a city on every side, so * Isa. xxviii. 1. See Lowth's Note. t Amos. vi. 1. X Jer. xxxi. 5. $ 2 Kings vi. 24. VIEW FROM HILLS OF SAMARIA. 223 iV? ,T^?^^'^f ?"PPlies; and it occurred to us, that p obably the unbelieving lord, who was trodden to death in the ga e, was thrown down by the stream of people 1 usinng down the hill toward the Syrian camp * ^ As we had still a journey of several hours before us we were compelled to leave Subuste before sunset. We Ip nl /''''f °^"'^ millstone in some of the houses as we passed, and saw a man kneeling in prayer on the roof of his house, reminding us of Peter at Joppa.f It was very pleasan to remember that along the road we had come and on the spot we had been traversing, Philip the Evan- gelist preached Christ unto the people. "'There was treat joy m that city"! then-greater than in the days of her foimtaSTIiTr"""' ■ ^^'''^'^' ^'°"°^^' ''^""' j'^y fr^"^ '^'^ Regaining the public road, we proceeded due north to he foot of he hills which enclose the valley of Samaria aving high on our riglit a village called »Bet-emireen^' ''the house of Emirs." In about half an hour we began to ascend, and came to a romantic village called BSurka half-way up the mountain. The peasants were all acSvely eSf^ f the thrashing-floor their houses wSuU en irelyof mud, but pleasantly surrounded by olive-trees ou of which the voice of the turtle sounded sweetly as we pa.v^ed. Looking back we saw the whole of « the fat val ^y ' beautifully illumined by the last rays of the se t ng sun A very steep and difficult ascent soon brou-ht u1 to the summit of the ridge, when a magnificent scene buist on our view. To the west lay the Mediterranean Sea, and ha part of the;./am of Shiran which stretches to ancient Cffisarea; to the north, immediately beneath us, Wady Gaba, a fine valley or undulatinc, pl4 wWc seemed like a Paradise, watered by a winding stream and abounding in olive-trees. This stream we afterwards conjectured to be thebrook Kanah mentioned in Joshua ] lo the north-east rose the hills of Galilee, amoncr which we thought we could distinguish Mount Tabor iiithe dis- tance At the head of the valley below, appeared a sheet oi water, the first we had yet seen in this country Slant- ing down the mountain side, which the Arabs called Jebel Gaba, in a north-easterly direction, we passed throu-h the small village Matalish, and then throu-h the villa-e ot Gaba; the latter may possibly indicate the position Sf • 2 Kinors vii. 17. + a „,, „ n 224 CASTLE OF SANOUR — POOL OF WATER. the ancient Gibbethon, where Nadab, the son- of Jero- boam, was slain by Baasha *for that town seems to have been near Tirzah, and Tirzah was near to Samaria. The moon rose with great beauty, and the noiseof the grass- hoppers quite filled the valley. The glow-worms and fire- flies were scattering their light around us. At length we encamped on the plain opposite Sanour. The time in which the servants were occupied in putting up the tents generally afforded us a profitable hour for meditation and retirement under the shady trees. In our evening worship together we read 2 Kings vi. which recounts some of Elisha's deeds in Samaria. We set out at six next morning (June 21,) and passed by the foot of a steep rocky hill, upon which stands the ruined castle of Sanour, a relic of crusading times. We were now within the borders of the half-tribe of Manas- seh, and remarked the abundance of streams and the remnants of fertility, far exceeding any thing we had seen in the southern parts of the country,— as if the bless- ing put "upon the crown of the head of him that was separated from his brethren," had not yet passed away. We rode alongside of the large sheet of water which we had seen the night before at the head of the valley. The Arabs called it Merj Ibnama. It is merely a gather- ing of water left by the latter rains, and is often dried up in summer. A much larger supply of rain than usual had fallen this year, which accounted for its being so full at this advanced season. It resembled not a little the Compensation Pond among the Pentland Hills near Edinburgh. We came upon two men ploughing with oxen, and no- ticed that they held the plough only with one hand. The soil appeared rich and fertile^ Thousands of a blue star- shaped flower, the name of which we did not know, decked the ground, mingled here and there with the pink, anemone, a Very large species of convolvulus, and tlie tall plants of the lavatera. The beautiful liills all round the plain were clothed with brushwood, with olives and fig- trees sometimes running up a short way from their base. Leaving this pleasant vale, we soon came to a height from which the hills of Galilee again came in view. From this we descended a rocky pass into a rich olive valley, with yellow corn-fields beyond, and found the * 1 Kings XV. 27 ; xvi. 15. TOWN OF JENUV — PLAIN OF E3DRAEL0N. 225 large Arab village of Gabatieh. Some of the houses were well built of stone, others were entirely of mud. They had no windows except loopholes, and these generally looking into the court of the house ; the doors also were very low, perhaps for the purpose of defence. Emerging from the olive-grove we got a full sight of its beauty, and again remembered the many Scriptures which compare the soul of a thriving believer to a green and vigorous olive- tree.* Two things seem invariably united in this land, namely, the voice of the turtle wherever there is an olive- grove, and a village wherever the eye discerns verdure. We met here, and often afterwards throughout the day, camels carrying home the harvest, with tinkling bells hanging from their neck. Many splendidly coloured butterflies were on the wing, and lizards without number were seen basking upon the rocks. Descending a ravine, still to the north-east, on the banks of a small stream run- ning in the same direction, we reached Jenin in three hours from Sanour. This is the frontier town of the great plain of Esdraelon in this direction, so that it must al- ways have been a place of some importance. It is be- lieved to be the ancient Ghifsa, mentioned in the wars of Josephus. It is still a considerable town, surrounded with gardens and hedges of prickly pear, interspersed with a few graceful palm-trees, over which rises a mosque with its pointed minaret. The Bedouin carnel-drivers seem to make it a place of rendezvous. Many of their brown tents were planted near, closely resembling our gipsy encampments ; and in one of their herds we count- ed as many as thirty camels. We halted for a short time under the shade of a spreading tree, while our ser- vants went into the town to buy provisions. Turning now to the N. W. we began to move along the edge of the plain of Esdraelon, the ancient valleij of Jezreel. Very lai'ge fields of ripe barley occasionally occurred, sometimes a grove of olive-trees, but oftener the plain was waste and given over to thorns. It is mel- ancholy to traverse the finest spots in this land, and to find them open and desolate. Even the highways are gone, along which the chariots of the kings of Jezreel used to run. The times of Shamgar are returned — " In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways." f The threatening of Moses * See p. 106. t Juds:. v. 6. 21* 226 VILLAGE OF RAMOUNI WASTE REGION. is fulfilled, " The land shall rest and shall enjoy her Sab- baths, while she lieth desolate." * We felt the heat of the sun very intense, while it poured its rays down upon the plain. Sometimes we sought a moment's shelter under a shady tree, and sometimes we rode briskly forward to create a refreshing current in the air. It was over these level fields that the Canaanites used to drive their iron chariots in the days of Joshua ;t and it was in these plains that Sisera was defeated with his multitude and nine hundred chariots of iron : " The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Tannach by the waters of Megiddo." I We saw how easily Ahab could ride in his chariot from Carmel to Jezreel, while Elijah ran before him, there being no obstacle in all tlie plain ;5 and also how Jehu " could drive furiously" || as he came up from Jordan toward Jezreel. It was in another part of the same valley that good king Josiah came to fight with Pharaoh Necho in the valley of Megiddo, when the archers shot at him and wounded him in his chariot, and he died. IT Leaving the plain we entered among the low swelling hills on the west near a village, Bourkeen, in less than three hours from Jenin, and arrived at Ramouni, (that is, "pomegranate,") a village finely embosomed in fig- trees, olives, and pomegranates, from the midst of which came the voice of the blackbird and turtle-dove. Could this be Hadad-rimmon, of which Zechariah speaks, and which was near the valley of Megiddo 1** There is space for a large town here, and there are many reser- voirs of water, which show that it has been a place of some importance. Flocks of goats were couching by the well, and the Arab women were milking them, while a boy drew water in a skin and poured it into the trough. Our way lay westward over the slope of low undulating hills, covered with the carob-tree, and evergreen oak, a finely wooded wilderness. Immense thistles, having heads of a rich violet hue. Spina Christi, lavatera, convol- vulus, and our common hollyhock, were the most abun- dant plants. We encamped at noon under the deep shade of a carob-tree of unusual size, and employed ourselves in writing up our notes and gathering wild flowers. Leaving at three o'clock, we rode through a fine sylvan solitude, hills and dales, all wild and seemingly untrodden, yet * Lev. xxvi. 34. t .losh. xvii. 16. t Judg. iv. 15; v. 19. $ 1 Kings xviii. 44. || 2 Kinss ix. 20. IT 2 Chron. xxxv. 23. ** Zech. xii. 11. VILLAGE OF DALEE. 227 frequently having ruins and traces of ancient terraces, which sliowed that once it had been a peopled land. The first village we came to was called Am-el-Fehm, that is, "mother of charcoal," probably from the abun- dance of wood which clothes the hill on which it stands, and the whole neighbourhood. .Soon after, an opening in the hills gave us a rich prospect to the north-east over the plain of Esdraelon, as far as the hills of Nazareth, which seemed to be not many hours distant. Riding still north-west, the hill began to assume a more barren aspect, and the valleys looked sad and waste. Thistles, browned and withered, held undisputed reign, and the white stones covering the side reminded us of the valley of dry bones. Toward sunset the mountains opened to the west, and we looked down upon the Mediterranean Sea— the great plain of waters, — and the line of coast near Ca3sarea. Here our guide missed the track, but after passing a poor miserable hamlet, Cafreen, where not a tree grew, nor a single shrub, except one small cluster of the prickly pear, we reached a convenient spot for encamping near another village called Dalee. The frogs kept up an incessant croaking in the wady be- low, and the fire-flies glistened in the dusky air. Ibraim brought a plentiful supply of rich goat's milk from the village, a refreshing accompaniment to our evening meal. We had this day been passing through a portion of the land whose luxuriance used to be proverbial, and yet we had seen little else than a labyrinth of thorns and briery plants. Isaiah xxxii. 13, again came to mind, and the remembrance was soothing, for as certainly as the curse has been fulfilled, so shall the blessing—" the Spirit shall be poured out from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field." Next morning (.Tune 22), as we left the poor village of Dalee, we noticed the women carrying their children, some on their sides and some on their shoulder. We were now traversing the portion of Issachar, whose "land was pleasant," and out of which princes came to the help of Deborah : yet now the pasture was scorched and withered, and the only traces of fertility were a few patches of barley and tobacco. As we approached the sea a cool breeze sprung up, which tempered the exces- sive heat of the morning. For about an hour after re- suming our journey, the same features as before prevailed over the country, the only variety being a few Bedouin tents, "tents of Ivedar." In about an hour we besfan to 228 VILLAGE OF IGZIM — MEDITERRANEAN. descend towards the west, and the country became much more fertile, assummg the appearance of the hill country between Bethlehem and Hebron. The swelling hills were covered with verdant brushwood, out of which issued the cooing of the dove. The deep thickets of evergreen frequently suggested to us the idea of the ancient groves of idolatry where they " inflamed them- selves with idols under every green tree."* We ap- proached a large and important-looking village, called Igzim. The houses seemed to be solidly built'of stone, and there were many large enclosures of prickly pear. Often, too, we noticed here, " the lodge in a garden of cucumbers." f Instead of entering the village, we turned to the right into a wild pass between wooded hills, which in a short time became a rocky defile, with a single sharp-pointed rock overhanging the entrance. Climbing up to this rocky pinnacle, we found some deep natural caves, which may have afforded a shelter to the prophets in the days of Elijah. The defile down which we had come issues suddenly into the narrow plain along the sea-shore, which is a continuation of the plain of Sharon. From the rocky height this plain lay stretched at our feet, and on the shore there were heaps of rubbish without any definite ruin, which mark the situation of Tortura, the ancient Dor, nine miles north of Caesarea, one of the towns out of which Manasseh was not able to drive the Canaanites.| On the rocks above us we saw the vulture perched look- ing out for his prey. After slanting across the plain, which was covered sometimes with fields of barley, sometimes with sesamine, and still oftener lay waste, our road lay parallel to the shore, and within view of it ; at length we came upon the shore of the Mediterranean, happy again to meet its deep blue waters. Proceeding north, we came in about an hour to a small stream which here runs into the sea ; its banks were skirted with tall oleanders in full bloom, and as we forded the stream many tortoises dropt into the water from the banks. Soon after, looking back we saw on a projecting point of the shore some conspicuous ruins of pillars and ancient buildings. The place is called by the Arabs Athlete, and anciently Castellum Peregrinorum. We were anxious to press forward, and therefore did not turn aside to ex- amine the ruins. We remembered with interest that we were now in Paul's footsteps, when he travelled with a few friends in * Isa. Ivii. 5. t Isa. i. 8. t Josh- .wii. 11, 12. MOUNT CARMEL — FIRST IMPRESSIONS. 229 the opposite direction from Ptolemais to Caesarea.* Four miles flirtiier north we came under the sloping sides of Mount Carmei, but it was some time before we could be persuaded that it was really the hill we iiad read of from infancy. It did not present an imposuig appearance; but, on the contrary, seemed low and almost uninterest- ing. One of our number exclaimed, "is this Larmel? Lachnagar is finer than this !" We had been expecting to see a majestic mountain towering high over the sea, and felt not a little disappointed to find the real Carmei a moderately high ridge, becoming less lofty and conspi- cuous as it approaches the sea, till it terminates in a point about UUU teet in height. Before we leit Carmei, however, and especially after viewing the whole extent of it from the heights above Acre, this feeling of disap- pointment was entirely done away. At its northern extremity, it comes very near the sea, so that there is but a narrow strip of land between the steep rocky side of the mountain and the shore. Upon this narrow strip were pitched a multitude of fents of all shapes and sizes, while men of different costumes were couching round them, or wandering along the beach. It was an animating scene, and would have been more so had we not known that this was the station where we must perform quarantine. The plasrue had been for a long time prevailing in several parts of the south of Palestine, but it had not spread to the north of Carmei. Accordingly, all travellers from the south were obliged to rest here in quarantine for fourteen days, or, if they consented to have all their clothes bathed in tlie sea, for seven days. We pitched on the shore, the waves of the sea almost washing the cords of our tents, and an Egyp- tian soldier, a simple good-natured man, was appointed our guardiano, to see that we touched nobody; for should it happen that any one touch the person, or clothes, or cord of a tent, of any other party in quaran- tine, they are obliged to begin their days of quarantine anew. The view which we enjoyed from our tent-door was every way splendid. The deep blue Mediterranean was in front of us, bounded only by the horizon. On the right was the beautiful Bay of Acre, round the whole sweep of which the eye could wander, uninterrupted ex- cept by the distant battlements of the town, or by small native vessels sailing past. In the distant backs-round rose Jebel Sheikh, the ancient Hermon,\ which "Ihe Si- • Acta xxi. 8. t Deut. iii. 9. 230 MOUNT CARMEL — QUARANTINE — SABBATH. donians called Sirion, and the Amorites Shenir ;" a noble mountain, where were "the lions' dens and the mountains of the leopards." * The sea-breeze was pleas- ant and refreshing, and we had the pleasure of bathing daily in the cool waters ; but the sand often glowed like a furnace, and the thermometer was generally 86° F. day and night. It was here that Giuseppe, the native of Beth- lehem who accompanied us from Jerusalem, took leave of us. He insisted on our giving him a backshish, which we could not refuse, although we considered that the favour was all on our side. He kissed our hands again and again, bidding us Addio. The next morning was the Sabbath (June 23,) and we welcomed the day of rest. Quietly seated in our tents, we read over and meditated upon the history of Elijah, especially his sacrifice on this mountain and his prayer, when seven different times he said to his attendant, "Go again." f In the cool of the evening we wandered far from the tents, and had delightful leisure and retirement, and every assistance from association, to spread before God the case of our own souls, our people, our land, and our journey in behalf of Israel. We longed for the effec- tual fervent prayer of a righteous Elijali. The greater part of Monday was occupied in dipping our tents, clothes, &c., in the sea, while our books and papers were all fumigated, — inconveniences to which we willingly submitted that our quarantine might be short- ened to seven days. It seems very doubtful whether quarantines, as at present conducted, serve any good purpose. A traveller whose tent was next to ours told us that his servant, anxious to spare a handsome coat from being plunged in the salt-water, hung it up among the drying clothes as if it had been immersed in the sea. Our own guardiano, whenever he came to any article of value, proposed with a look of inexpressible cunning, to bury it in the sand till the fumigating was over, and seemed not to understand why we would not agree to it. The operations of this day made us understand better the command so frequently given in the ceremonial law, "He shall wash his clothes and be unclean till evening."]: The remaining days of this week were spent in ex- tending our notes, writing letters to the Committee of our Church, and to friends at home, in preparing our- selves for further inquiries concerning Israel, and in soli- * Song iv. 8. +1 Kings xviii. 43. t Lev. xi. 40, &c. INFORMATION FROM OTHER TRAVELLERS. 231 tary meditations while we rambled along the shore. The heat was uniformly great. Before dawn, indeed, and toward sunset, there was generally a pleasant breeze, but on account of the nearness of the sea, the heat was as great at night as through the day. The food fui-nish- ed to us was simple and wholesome. The inhabitants of the neighbouring town of Khaifa brought water- melons, and cusas, and fruits in abundance. Water, however, was sometimes scarce, there being but one well to supply the quarantine, and that one not very plentiful. We had long been strangers to the luxury of sitting upon a chair, and now felt the want of that accom- modation less than we should otherwise have done. Still, the uneasy position of sitting upon the sand with our writing-desk supported on our knees, made the' labour of wriUng in such a climate much greater than any one can imagine who has not made the same attempt. Lord Hamilton and Mr. Littleton were fellow-prisoners with us; and in a tent at some distance from us. Lord Rokeby, an English nobleman, who also had been travel- ling in these countries. Stretched upon the sand at re- spectful distances, under the eye of our guardiano, we held friendly conferences on the wonders we had seen. Dr. Keith frequently applied and expounded the prophe- cies of the Word of God. On one occasion, in speaking of the wild animals that are found in the land at present, Lord Hamilton mentioned that his servant had seen during the preceding night two lynxes from Mount Car- mel, with bright glaring eyes, quite near the tents. Near the Jordan, too, they had seen many wild boars and lynxes ; and at Jenin, before dawn one morning, his ser- vant had seen sixteen hyenas at one time. Sometimes when the tide retired (for there is an ebb and flow of a few feet at this place), we gathered shells and sponge among the rocks. We saw some of our neighbours seeking for specimens of the shell-fish from which, in ancient times, used to be extracted the famous purple dye. We did not see them find any specimens, but were told that still this is found here. It used to be found in all parts of the Bay, and there were two kinds of it. One of these yielded a dark blue colour, the other a brighter tint, like scarlet ; and by mingling together these two juices, the true purple colour was obtained. It was thus that Asher, whose rich and beautiful plain supplied viands fit for the table of kings, yielded also the dye of their royal robes, conveyed to many a distant 232 MOUNT CARMEL — SIR MOSES MONTEFIORE. court by the merchants of Tyre and Sidon. And thus we see the full meaning of Jacob's blessing on Asher, " he shall yield royal dainties." * Grasshoppers abounded in the fields between the shore and the hill, and we found a few scorpions of a black colour; small, but dangerous on account of their venom. One evening, when we were walking along the beach, our guardiano discovered one. He instantly stamped upon it with his foot, and afterwards showed us its sting. This reminded us of the asp on whose hole the " sucking child shall play."t We enjoyed the view of several magnificent sunsets here. One evening especially the sun went down be- hind the great waters, tinging a vast array of fleecj' clouds with the most gorgeous crimson. In the course of the week. Sir Moses Montefiore and his company arrived in quarantine, pitching their tents a little way to the south of us. He kindly sent us a present of a fine water-melon, and afterwards two bottles of the " wine of Lebanon," procured from the convent on Mount Carmel. If this was a fair sample of that famous wine, it must have lost much of its excellence since the days of Hosea,| for it is not very pleasant to the taste. It has the same peculiar flavour with the wine of Cyprus, a flavour said to be communicated by the tar put upon the thread with which the skins containing the wine are sewed. Sir Moses and Dr. Keith frequently walked on the beach, conversing on the prophecies that had been fulfilled in the desolations of the land, a subject to which the former had evidently paid a good deal of attention ; but he posi- tively declined all reference to the New Testament. During the greater part of Saturday, although the heat was very great, he and his lady, and a medical attendant, who was a very bigoted Jew, went through the Jewish service with scrupulous attention. On Friday evening (June 28), a party of Egyptian Arab soldiers of the Pasha came into quarantine and en- camped beside us. They were rude undisciplined bar- barians, having nothing but their pikes and muskets, which they fixed by sticking the bayonets into the sand. They had often noisy quan^els with one another, and sometimes as we passed their tents, half in jest, half in * Gen. xlix. 20. The original word D^Jii'D means whatever de- lights and regales, and its cognate is expressly applied to dress in 2 Sam. i. 24. t Isa. xi. 8. t Hos. xiv. 7. QUARANTINE — CASE OF PLAGUE. 233 earnest, would level their muskets at us, crying, " Naza- rani.'''' At night, we heard them chanting their Arab songs in the same way as we had lieard our Egyptians do in the desert, — a single voice leading, and a chorus responding with clapping of hands.* Un the Saturday, a woman and her two children, in a tent witliin a few yards of ours, were declared by the physician to be ill of plague. Tliis was a solenm intima- tion in such circumstances ; but we remembered the 9Jst Psalm, and entrusted ourselves more entirely to Him who had brought us hitherto. None of the cases proved fatal during our stay. We had a longing desire to as- cend the summit of Mount Carmel, that we miglit see the place from whence Elijah's servant saw the cloud no bigger than a man's hand, and that we might fully un- derstand the Scripture references to it, several of which did not at that time appear so exactly suitable as we had found the references in regard to other places. But the regulations of quarantine would not permit us to wander to so great a distance. For the present, therefore, we were satisfied to skirt the foot of the hill, and to examine the large caverns which are to be found there. The limestone rock of tliis mountain abounds in them ; and in some such cave Ubadiah hid the Lord's prophets, and fed them with bread and water.f AVe were assured that there are no caves on tlie summit of the mountain, so that it cannot be in reference to them that Amos speaks of sinners liiding "in the top of Carmel." | On Sabbath morning (June 30,) after worshipping to- gether in our tent, we had separated for tiic day topass the forenoon in retirement, when suddenly we were roused by hearing loud cannonading from the opposite side of tlie bay, and, looking up, saw the town of Acre enveloped in smoke. This continued for nearly an hour. What it meant we could not imagine ; but at last a cou- rier arrived from Acre, to announce that the Pasha's army had gained a great victory at Nezib, and that he had commanded all the large towns to celebrate it by re- joicings during three days. This information was good news to us, and for a time set our minds considerably at rest. Our days of quarantine were now expired, though we did not intend to leave till Monday; but the question with us was, — Are we to cross tlie country to Galilee, to inquii-e into the state of the Jews in that interesting re- gion, or must we give up tiiis fondly-cherished hope, and * See p. 61. t 1 Kings xviii. 13. X Amos Lx. 3. 22 234 ASCEND MOUNT CARMEL. proceed by water to Beyrout 1 This had occupied much of our consideration the preceding day. The reports of the state of the country were very contradictory, some affirming that the Arabs, in absence of llie Pasha's troops, were intesting the roads, plundering and murdering in every direction ; others declaring that there was little danger. Now, however, we joyfully concluded that the news of the victory would overawe the Arabs, and open our way into Galilee. This gave us more rest of mind for enjoying the tSabbath, till the evening, wlien the Vice Consul of Khaifa paid us a visit which overthrew all our hopes. He came to say that the state of the roads to- wards Galilee was so dangerous, that he would not pro- vide horses for us on the morrow, since in that case he would be held responsible for our safety. Our course was now decided, and we made up our minds to sail along the coast to Beyrout. Meanwhile, in the cool of evening, we ascended Mount Carmel by a deep and rocky ravine a little way to the south. We conversed together on Elijah's wonderful answer to prayer obtained on this mountain, and felt that we could well spend the evening of the holy day in such a place. Having soon reached the summit, a con- siderable way above the Latin Convent, we sat down at a point commanding a full view of the sea to the west and to the north. Near this must have been the spot .where Elijah prayed when he went up to the top of Car- mel, and cast himself down upon the earth and put his face between his knees, and said to his .servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said. There is nothing. And Elijah said, 'Go again,' seven times."* There we united in praying for abund- ance of rain to our own souls, our friends, and our peo- ple, and for the progress of our mission, which seemed for a time impeded. It was awfully solemn to kneel on the lonely top of Carmel. The sun was going down be- yond the sea, the air was cool and delightfully pure; scarcely a breath of wind stirred the leaves, yet the frag- rant shrubs diffused their pleasant odours on every side. A true Sabbath stillness rested on the sea and on the hill. The sea washes the foot of the hill on each side, and .stretches out full in front till lost in the distance. To the east and north-east lies that extension of the splendid plain of Esdraelon which reaches to the white walls of Acre, and through which " that ancient river, * 1 Kings xviii. 42, 43. VIEW FROM MOUNT CARMEL. 235 the river Kisfwnr was winding its way to the spt nnf far from the foot of Carmel. f hese ar Jthe xvXtlT.' tw swept a^v;ay the enemies of Deborarand Bm J * and h^ were made red by the blood of the prophSs of Bald afte, Elijah s miraculous sign of fire from heiven To the south 1* seen the narrow plain between the mountains anrlS^ sea which afterwards expands into «/e S ^^^siwon And along the ridge of Mount T'armel itse f °s a ran?; of eminences, extending many miles to the south-easrill of them iiresentmg a surface of table-land on tTe ton fhe God '"■"'■ "'*°™''' "' '' "« God?%ho vl" hel surpassed i.smtS?Sce,^and1hefe;u„.e?^„f;r'"''^7;! Lo ine >^cuptural references tn thio u\u r< ' '"^o'">^i IS Its greatest altitude. But then die ranif of h^s r Jn^ nearly eight miles into the country and w-iV/n fL days fi;uitfal to. a proverb. InS/the m^tie fa ™T but also along the tabledancf of itrsumn t-^^J^fc Carmel worthy of the name, appear an iine se an? in^ garden m the midst of the land ? in the days of R pristine luxuriance, before the curse of God blasf?^ ! gory, "theexcelleney ofrarmel,''t of wfiTch thep^^^^^^^ -peaks, must have been truly wonderful ! Ho v easVa J wonnlff enibowerinff vines and deep shady fiJ-trees M ould affoM a covert for many a mile along the summft! J"dg.v.21. tlsa..xx.vv.2. t Amos ix. 3. 236 MOUx\T CARMEL — PROPHECY. And would not the beholder in other days at once un- derstand the meaning of the beautiful description of the Church given in the Song, " Tliine head upon thee is like Carmel V * Would not the jewellery and ornaments, or perhaps the wreath of flowers, around the head of an Eastern bride, resemble the varied luxuriance of the gar- dens of Carmel seen from afar .' There are at present in the Convent garden on the liill a few vines that produce excellent grapes ; but these are all that now remain to testify of the spot where Uzziah had his vine-dressers. f With the exception of these, which are not properly on the summit of the hill, we could not descry a single fruit- tree on the top of Carmel. A few verdant olive-trees grow at the northern roots of the hill, and some extend a short way up the side ; but the extensive summit, which was once like a garden, was covered as far as our eye reached with wild mountain shrubs and briery plants, all of stunted growth, except where the rock lay bare and without verdure under the scorching sun. The same God who said, " Zion shall be ploughed like a field," and " I will pour the stones of Samaria down into the valley," said also, ''The top of Carmel shall ivithtr f X and that word we saw before our eyes fulfilled to the letter. We had a fine chain of Divine truth before us in the references made by the prophets to this mountain. Amos represents the guilty sinner detected, though he was to hide in its top, or plunge into the sea at its foot. Solomon shows the sinner justified in a Redeemer's righteousness, beautiful as Carmel. Micah alludes to its rich pastures, when he would express the care of the great Shepherd in feeding his justified ones, or restored Israel, and says, " Feed thy people, which (at present) dwell solitaiy in the wood, in the midst of Carmel.'''' \ And when Isaiah would describe the fiuitfulness and beauty of the New Earth, he can say nothing higher than this, " The excellency of Carmel shall be given unto it.'' Refreshed in spirit, we descended through a deep ravine, each side of which was fragrant with sweet- smelling briers. Among other plants there was alum- dance of the Poteriuni spinosum, such as we had found in the Valley of Eshcol. We reached the shore before it was dark. Early next morning, (July 1) we saw an interesting * Song vii. 5. t 2 Chvon. xxvi. 10. t Amos i. 2. § Mic. vii. 14. JEWS VISIT SIR MOSES MOXTEFIORE — KHAIFA. 237 scene. About twenty Jews from Khaifa came along the shore to the tent of .Sir Moses Montefiore, to show him respect before his departure. They were of all ages, and most of them dressed in the Eastern manner. It was affecting to see so many of them marching in a body in their own land. Having determined to sail from Khaifa to Beyrout in a coasting vessel, we struck our tents, passed the barrier, and bade farewell to the quarantine and our kindly guar- diano. We proceeded through the little plain of Khaifa, by the foot of Carmel on the north, rich in vegetable gar- dens, with some fine figs and olives. The entrance to the town is between hedges of prickly pear. Here we met an old Jew, originally from Vienna, who had been unable to keep up with the rest in their visit to Sir Moses, and was lingering near the town ; he wore the broad- brimmed German hat and black Polish gown. We spoke to him in German, and found him very affable. He took two German tracts and one in Hebrew, and after briefly telling him, in Scripture language, his need of pardon, and that it came through Messiah, we separated, never to meet till the day of Christ. A simple incident here vividly recalled a Scripture nar- rative.* A young Jew who had been out at the quaran- tine, was returning before us; and he had come away, probably, before the morning meal, and now felt hungry, for he stopped under a spreading fig-tree, and, looking up. searched the branches for a ripe fig, but in vain. Khaifa is enclosed with walls, and appeared a neat little town. We found our way to the synagogue, and by this time most of the Jews had returned from their visit to Sir Moses. There were about thirty in the syna- gogue, all wearing the Tallith or shawl with fringes, and the Tepluliiin or phylacteries, because this was the hour of morning prayer. We conversed a little with three or four Russian Jews who spoke German, and told them our object in coming from Scotland. On our asking what the)'' expected Messiah would do at his coming, one of them said nobody could ever know that ; and this he proved by turning to Daniel xii. 9, — "The words are closed up and sealed to the time of the end." In this way he evaded the subject of a suffering Messiah. We showed them from Isaiah i. 15, "When ye make many prayers I will not hear." that their many prayers would not jus- tify them before God. They answered, " We do not * Matt. xxi. 18, 19. 22* 238 SAIL FROJI KHAIFA — 'ACRE — ZEEB — TYRE. make many prayers ; our prayers are very few." We pressed them also with £zek. xxxvi. 26, to show them that Israel at present have a heart of stone, and that they need a change of heart. Altogether they were most friendly. There were several boys present, and they too wore the Teplullim. Several of the little children came up to us, kissed our hands, and laid them on their heads, that we might bless them in the Jewish manner. They little knew how truly we longed that God would pour out his blessing upon Israel's seed, and his Spirit on their off- spring. One fine little boy followed us to the boat, and lingered on the shore till we had fairly sailed. When we reached the shore, the men were busy in getting ready the vessel, — a large open boat without cabin, and even without an awning. A man and a boy had the management of it, a poor remnant of the Phoenician sailors so famous of old. As we sailed, the town looked well from the sea, adorned with some graceful palm-trees. The flags of Britain and France were floating together on the roof of the Vice-Consul's house, and the Egyptian flag, bearing the crescent and star on a blood-red ground, waved over the fort. Behind rose Mount C'armel, stretch- ing into the country in what seemed an unbroken i-ange, bare and withered ; and we could now understand \vell the prophet's description, " C'armel by the sea," * for its northern extremity seems to descend into the very waters. The swell of the sea soon became unpleasant, the vessel rocked with every breeze, and we were ex- posed unprotected to the burning rays of the sun. We sailed past Acre, presenting a fine but not a formidable appearance. It is the ancient Ptolemais, where Paul abode one day.f The men soon after pointed to Zeeb, the ancient Achzih, one of the cities of Asher, from which he could not drive the Canaanites.| It stands upon a slope near the sea. By sunset we were opposite 7'j/re, " the strong city," and could distinguish clearly the part that was once an island. Here the breeze died away, and we were becalmed for many hours. We spent a painful night exposed to the heavy dew ; but remember- ing how our Master slept in just such a vessel as this, we were still. At break of day vv^e found ourselves op- posite Saida, the ancient Zidon, and could hear the dis- tant sound of the rejoicings in the town in honour of the recent victory. Soon the range of Lebanon appeared, * Jer. xlvi. 18. t Acts xxi. 7. t Josh. xix. 29. Judg. i. 31. ARRIVAL AT DEYROUT — MISSIONARIES. 239 rising up to the clouds in tranquil majesty.* About eleven o'clock the promontory called llas-el-Beyrout came in sight, and in a little time we sailed into the harbour ofBeyrout. We were thankful to land and es- cape the discomforts of a Syrian boat, which we had been experiencing for twenty-eight hoars. The town has a hue appearance, the rising ground be- hind being studded with villas, and completely clothed with verdant gardens and mulberry plantations. A di- lapidated castle runs out into the sea, in the midst of a singularly beautiful bay, and over all rise the towering heights of Lebanon. The public rejoicings were going on; the inhabitants were all dressed in their finest clothes; some moved through the streets with instruments of music, singing and clapping of hands ; some were carried in palanquins, and some had mock-fights to the sound of music. We were glad to find refuge in the inn of Giuseppe, a Greek Christian, the first inn we had met with since leaving Alexandria. W^e were soon waited on by two of the American Missionaries who are stationed here, Mr. Thompson and Mr. Hebard, who showed us every kindness. They seemed to be earnest, devoted men, and have been bless- ed with considerable success. They have a regular Arabic service every Lord's day, attended by sometimes more than a hundred hearers, who are chiefly Christians of the Greek, Latin, and Armenian Churchies. They have very efficient Sabbath schools for the young, and their week-day schools are attended by sixty boys and forty girls. In addition to these, they have a seminary for raising up native teachers, attended at present by about twenty Syrians. At this institution they first make trial of the boys for two months, and if in that time they do not evince sufficient aptitude or talent, their in- struction is not carried further. Some of those attend- ing are Arabs ; one is an Armenian, one a Maronite, one a Druse; and a few belong to the Greek Church. The Missionaries have baptized eighteen persons since the commencement of their labours in this country. The Roman Catholics, and still more the Maronites, are their most implacable and bigoted adversaries, throwing every * Jer. xxii. 6, alludes to this prominent and majestic view of Lebanon. The true rendering of the whole verse is perhaps as follows : — " Tiiou, head of Lebanon, art Gilead (/. e. the heap of witness) to me; surely I will make thee a wilderness of uninhabited cities!" — that is, I call upon the towering heights of Lebanon to bear witness tliat 1 will do this. 240 EEYROUT — DRUSES — JEWISH CONVERTS. obstacle in their way. The priests of both these sects would burn the Bible if they found it in the possession of any of their people. Still, by means of native agency, the Bible is distributed, preserved, and read. The Greeks, and next to them the Armenians, have far less of a bigoted and persecuting spirit. Mr. Hebard labours hei-e in the winter season, l3Ut generally in summer visits Mount Lebanon and labours among the Druses. These are a singular people, supposed to have been originally Mahometans, but having now scarcely any religion. They worship in secret places, and have doctrines which they make known only to the initiated. They are very ignorant, but much more open to the words of the mis- sionary than the prejudiced Maronites. Several of the resident merchants also showed us much attention, especially Mr. Heald, Mr. Kilbee, and some of our Scottish countrymen, among whom was Mr. Kinncar, who has since given so interesting an ac- count of his sojourn in the East. By a kind providence also, we now met with Erasmus Scott Caiman, a believing Jew, newly arrived from England. We had become ac- quainted with him in London, and were now providen- tially brought together, for he was destined to be our kind companion and fellow-traveller from that day till we arrived in England. We had also much joy in meet- ing with Mr. Pieritz, once Jewish Rabbi at Yarmouth, now Missionary of the London Society, along with Mr. Levi and Dr. Gerstmann, both converted Jews and la- bourers in the vineyard, the former laid aside for a time through bad health, the other, the medical missionary at Jerusalem. Some of the Syrian young men belonging to the American seminary were very kind and attentive to us, especially two who could speak English very well, named Abdallah and Habib. The latter said, " My name is Habib, that is, 'friend,' so when you want any thing you must call Habib." Frequently during our stay at Beyrout, we visited the residences of the American Mis- sionaries, delightfully situated on the high ground to the south of the town, and about half a mile distant, in the midst of mulberry gardens. From the roof and windows of Mr. Thompson's house we enjoyed a splendid prospect. The coast of Syria, Indented with numerous bays stretched far to the north. But we were chiefly occupied with the view of majes- tic Lebanon. It is a noble range of mountains, well worthy of the fame it has so long maintained. It is cul- GLORY OF LEBANON. 241 tivated in a wonderful manner by the help of terraces, and is still very fertile. We saw on some of its emi- nences, more than 2000 feet higli, villages and luxuriant vegetation, and on some of its peaks, GUOO feet higii, we could discern tall pines against the clear sky beyond. At first the clouds were resting on the lofty summit of the range, but they cleared away, and we saw Sannin, which is generally regarded as the highest peak of Lebanon. There is a deep ravine that seems to run up the whole way, and Sannin rises at its highest extremity to the height of 10,000 feet. The rays of the setting sun gave a splendid tint to the lofty brow of the mountain, and we did not wonder how the church of old saw in its features of calm and immovable majesty an emblem of the great Redeemer; "His countenance is as Lebanon."* The snow was gleaming in many of its highest crevices, re- minding us of the prophet's question, " Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon !" f In coming through the bazaar we had seen large masses of it exposed tor sale. The merchants slice it off the lump, and sell it to customers for cooling wine and other liquors, and it is often mixed with a sweet syrup and drunk in passing as a refreshing beverage. Not far from Sannin the ancient cedars are found, a memorial of the glory of Lebanon. Cedars of smaller size are found also in other parts of the mountain. There are nearly 200,000 inhabitants in the villages of Lebanon, a population exceeding that of all the rest of Palestine. This may give us Im idea of tiie former "glory of Lebanon," [ and may explain the ardent wish of Moses, " 1 pray thee, let me go over and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, even Lebanon." 5 Not many miles east of Beyrout, over the ridge of Lebanon, lies the beautiful vale of Cosle-Syria (hollow Syria) between Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon. It is said to be most fertile, and abounds in plentiful springs of water, which may perhaps be some of the "streams from Lebanon." || At the northern extremity of that vale there is a considerable town called Hamah, supposed to be the ancient Hamath. The narrow entrance of this fine val- ley may be " the entrance of Hamath," in the northern portion of the land which God gave to Israel.lT Ezekiel xlvii. 16, joins it with Berothah^ the very Beyrout where we then stood. Mr. Thompson informed us of the death * Son? V. 15. t Jer. .xviii. 14. t Isa. xxxv. 2. $ Ueut iii. -25. II Song iv. 15 IT ]\uni. xxxiv. 8. 242 BEY ROUT ROMAN REMAINS — JEWS of the well known Lady Hester Stanhope, which had taken place a few days before at her own residence in the mountains near to Sidon. He had attended her funeral, and read the service over the grave in her own garden. No Christian was near her when she died, and not a para of money was found in the house. One evening we went with Mr. Kilbee to see the an- cient columns that are sunk in the harbour, and the remains of old Mosaic pavement along the shore. These are the relics of Roman days, when Berytus was renown- ed for its school of jurisprudence, and frequented by the learned from various countries. An old caravansera also attracted our attention, once the resort of merchants with their camels, but now fallen into disuse. It was a large square, with buildings round the four sides, the lower part affording accommodation for the animals ; the upper, furnished with a gallery all round, intended for the travellers themselves. On the eastern side of the town there is a Moslem burying-ground, with a soUtary cypress rising over the tombs, "it was pleasant to wan- der there and look out upon the calm glassy sea and Lebanon. Nothing can surpassthesoftness of the Syrian sky at evening. At such an hour we used to see many of the citizens with their children on the roofs of their houses, enjoying the cool evening air. Some even sleep upon the roof at this season of the year. Beyrout is one of the hottest towns in all Syria. The thermometer stood generally at 85° or 90^ F. during the day, but often rose to 96° during the night. The reason of this seems to be, that there is little or no land breeze, owing to the prox- imity of the mountains, so that there is perfect stillness in the air till morning, when the sea breeze commences. There are about 200 Jews in Beyrout. We visited them and their synagogue on Friday evening at the com- mencement of the Jewish Sabbath. We found them generally ignorant men, with little of peculiar interest in their character. From Mr. Pieritz, the missionary mentioned above, we received much important information. Speaking of the best STATIONS for the labours of a Jewish missionary, he mentioned the Grand Dutchy of Posen as one of the most promising fields in the whole world. There are nearly 100,000 Jews there, among whom the London Society have sent three labourers ; but there is room for thirty. The Jews there have been enlightened so far as to be loosened from the Talmud, and yet they are not Rationalists. This may be accounted for by their situa- MISSIONARY STATIONS — TRACTS FOR THE JEWS. 243 tion among Protestant Christians. Nearly one-half of all the Jewish converts are from that country, among whom, are tiiree of tlie Jerusalem labourers. In Moldavia and Waliackia tiiere is another great field, hitherto untried. Tiie cheapness of living there is ex- traordinary, and the resources of commerce are great and unoccupied, so that Jewish inquirers and converts could easily support themselves independently of their brethren. Judeo-Polish and Judeo-German are the lan- guages they speak. From personal observation, he also mentioned Gibral- tar as a desirable missionary station. On one side lies the coast of Barbary, all lined with Jews, each of its towns having several thousands, and these men of singular in- dustry. On the otlier side are Spain and Portugal, where are many called " New Christians," who are all baptized Jews, to whom a prudent missionary might find access. In Gibraltar itself are about 2000 Jews, speaking Hebrew and Spanish ; many of whom at present allow their chil- dren to attend Christian schools there. A knowledge of the Arabic language is required by a labourer on the Barbary coast, and Judeo-Spanish on the European side. Mr. Pieritz spoke finlher upon the subject of tracts FOR THE JEWS. The most useful tract for a Jew is a plain Christian tract, such as one would give to a careless pro- fessing Christian, setting before him the simple truth of his lost condition, and the death and atonement of Christ. This is much better than a deficient controversial tract. If it is controversial, it ought to be complete, for other- wise a Jew, accustomed as he is, by studying the Tal- mud, to acute reasoning, will soon see its deficiency and throw it aside. The tract " Helps to Self examination" is good, because it sets before them the law that convinces of sin, and closes with prayer for light. " The City of Re- fuge" is another that Mr. IVicolayson considered useful. Some of Mr. Pieritz's anecdotes regarding the Jews in Palestine were very interesting. In Jerusalem, a Jew named Munsternetze, when pressed much to read the Bible for himself, rei)lied, "But I am afraid." "Why?" " Because (said he) I have a wife and children." He meant, that if he were to study the Bible, he would be convinced of the truth, and would, through the enmity of the Jews, reduce his family to poverty. Six weeks after Mr. Pieritz came there, a learned Jew, named Joseph, visited his house to converse with him, and re- mained from ten in the morning till five at night; and the result was, that he would not read his rabbinical books 244 EEYROUT — ACCOUNT OF JOSEPH, A JEW. any more. Not long after, he came secretly every day, and they read over together most of Isaiah, and all Mat- thew critically. One day he said that it had occurred to him that, as Messiah should have come just at the time when Christ appeared, it might be the case that Christ, knowing this, had taken advantage of it, and by the force of great genius, had brought all the prophecies to meet in himself Mr. Pieritz gave him Isa. liii. Dan. ix. and Zech. xii. to compare and meditate upon. 'When he had read the first of these chapters, he returned, saying that he understood it ; at the same time, he applied it partly to the Jews, and partly to the Messiah as one of the Jews. Mr. Pieritz set him to read all the three chapters. He sat very thoughtfully for a while ; then burst out into the exclamation, " Hotv to understand is easy enough, but how not to understand, is the difficulty /" From that time, he became really anxious about spiritual things. One Friday evening, talking of veracity toward God and man, reference was made to one of the Talmudical prayers, which says, '■' I thank thee for commanding" such and such things, although no command has been given for it in the Bible. He felt the force of this at once, and on going home, finding the table spread to usher in the Sab- bath, declined the service. His friends became suspicious of him ; but his change became public in an unexpected way. A Mahometan was in the room one day, to whom Mr. Pieritz said, " that the unbelief of the Jews was no objection to Christianity, as many of them did believe," appealing to Joseph, who boldly assented. The Maho- metan told this to the Jews, and Jerusalem was turned upside down. An excommunication was pronounced upon Joseph, so awful that the whole synagogue were in tears. They then forced him to divorce his wife, and, by repeated solicitations, to leave Jerusalem for Con- stantinople, whither he went, seeking Christian baptism. On another occasion, a public controversy was held, in which Rabbi Benjamin was spokesman in favour of the Talmud. It did not last long, but three montlis after, he came to Mr. Pieritz to say, that though convinced at the time that himself had the best of the argument, yet, on going home, he had been led to reflect and inquire. Another day, he and Rabbi Eleazar came both together with a list of questions written, but went away without proposing them, after hearing Mr. Pieritz's statement of the truth. They began to read the New Testament together. One evening, while thus engaged in one of their houses. Rabbi Abraham came in unexpectedly; INFORMATION REGARDING THE JEAVS. 245 they tried to hide their books, but he insisted on see- ing them. Upon a vow of secrecy, they showed their New Testaments. He was very angry, but agreed to go with them to visit Mr. Pieritz. He came full of fire against Christianity. He began by showing the inaccuracy of the quotation about Ijethlehem-Ephra- tah in Matt, ii, and said many acute things; but Mr. Pieritz kept to the statement of the gospel. Rabbi Abra- ham soon became the most earnest of the three in his love for Christianity, and all determined to make an open profession.* Two of them belong to the best Jewish families in Russia. Chaii or Hyman Paul, a young man, became convinced of the truth and was baptized. He used to go to the convent and argue with Roman Catho- lics, telling them that tliey couldnot be true Christians, because they did not care for the Jews, but hated them. On one occasion they ordered him out. On the subject of prophecy, Mr. Pieritz agreed in the sentiments of Mr. Nicolayson that it is quite necessary for a missionary to hold the literal interpretation of pro- phecy. He mentioned that some Jews in Poland con- demn parts of Abarbinel lor spiritualizing. The Jews feel their dispersion to be literal ; and tiierefore if you explain unfuhilled prophecy by saying it is spiritual, they reckon you a kind of infidel, if you say that " a wolf" does not mean a wolf but a bad man, that " Zion" means the church, and " redeeming Israel' not redeeming Israel but something else, and yet try to convince them of the truth of Christianity from the Bible, they think that you yourself do not believe the Bible. In arguing with the Jews, it is sometimes of importance to show the simi- larity between Rabbinism and Popery,t and that they have the same author. (Jne day a Jew referred to the follies transacted at the Holy Sepulchre, and said, " that religion cannot be true." Tlie missionary replied, " They do just as you do ; the}'' add to the Xew Testament, and you add to the Old." Like the Papists, the Jews do not approve of a man reading much of the Bible, because it leads him to speculate, and they say the Rabbinical com- mentaries contain as mucli as it is proper to know. The parts of scripture read in the synagogue, are generally passages that do not directly instruct in doctrine. For example, they read the 52d and 54th chapters of Isaiah, but omit the 53d. * The Jewish Intelligence for April 1840, gives the last accounts of these three. All were remaining steadfast In their adherence to the truth, but Abraham had sione to Constantinople, and had not returned. t See Appendix. No. Vll. 23 246 EEYROUT — INFORMATION REGARDING THE JEWS. In speaking of the Holy Land as a Missionary field, Mr. Pieritz gave us the smallest estimate we had yet heard of the numbers of the .Tews. He reckoned that in Jerusalem there are only 3000 Jews, in Saphet 2000, in Tiberias 1000, in Hebron 700, and in other towns and villages 1300, making in the whole land only SOOO Jews. During the last year he thought there had been a decrease in the Jewish population ; for the plague carried away more than those born during the year, and the Jewish emigrants who came to settle at Jerusalem during that time were not more than twenty. As to their means of support, the Ashkenazim depend wholly on the contribu- tions from Europe, exxept in isolated cases. The Sep- hardim are not so entirely dependent on this source, as they have a little trade. If the contributions were with- held, they would all be forced to seek support by their own industry, and this would be infinitely better for them. Every intelligent friend of Israel we met agreed in this opinion. There are no Rabbis properly speaking among the Ashkenazim, that is, the Rabbi is supported in no other way than as a member of the congregation ; but among the Sephardim there are " Hachamim" (cd^'dsh) or " Wise," for they do not call them Rabbis. These are all who are raised above the lower class, and have reach- ed a certain standard of learning. Above this is the class of the " Hacham Morenu" (umn ddh) or " Teacher." Jiim they regard with unqualified respect, and submit to him as a kind of Pope. He is well supported by them, and often lives in affluence. The Ashkenazim do not pay any such respect to their Rabbis. The Polish and German Jews are generally better scholars than the na- tive Sephardim ; but, on the other hand, the latter have more knowledge of the Bible. On the Barbary coast, it is not uncpmmon to meet with very unlearned Jews who are well acquainted with their Bible. There is a mixture of the customs of different countries among the Jews of Palestine; but a general inclination prevails to yield to the manners and laws of the Sephardim ; as, for example, in the rites of burial. There is much more of Pharisaism among the Sephardim than among foreign Jews, and much less morality. Polygamy is not unfrequent among them, but is not allowed among the Ashkenazim. There aie several in Jerusalem at present who have two wives, and some who have even four. Divorce occurs every day. Mr. Pieritz mentioned one case of a Jewess in Je- rusalem, not above thirty years old, who was then mar- CHARACTER OF JEWS IN PALESTINE KARAITES. 247 ried to her fifth husband. In how affecting a manner does this illustrate the question put by the Pharisee to our Lord, " Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause ]"* and the touching answer of Jesus. The Jews here are far lower in morals than those in Europe. Tliose living in Saphet are worse than those in Jerusalem ; those in Hebron are the most respectable of all. Their misery also is very great. It is not true, as some ha\'e supposed, that though the houses are out- wardly poor, they are well-furnis"hed within. Yet the Jews are more open and friendly in this land than in any other, because of their misfortunes. The Bible shews that affliction will be one way of humbling them ; and it is so here. In other lands, where they are involved in business, or rich and comfortable, they will not attend to the missionary. The Jews here will take an Old Testament willingly, but often they will read the historical parts only, and not the prophets ; for it flatters their national pride to read the story of the wars of their fathers. To remedy this, the London Society have published The Prophets sepa- rately, and these are often sold to them. The Karaites,! or Jews who keep by the text of the word of God and reject traditions, abound most in the Crimea, and hence some erroneously give that country the honour of originating the name. They are generally very ignorant, having no literature of their own. In the Crimea and Turkey, they are said to repeat their prayers in Turkish. Their ]-)rayer-book is a beautiful compila- tion, being taken almost entirely from Scripture, with some hymns: and they do not omit any book of the Bible in the Scriptures, as some have asserted. The other Jews hate this sect more than they do the Gen- tiles. In regard to the literary qualifications of missiona- ries, the remarks of Mr. Pieritz have been mostly an- ticipated.;^ He shewed the necessity of a Missionary's knowing more languages than Hebrew. If he speak to them only in Hebrew, he must quote the Scrii^ture simply as it stands in the Hebrew text, which they often understand in a different sense from what he does. For the sake of perspicuity, therefore, he must explain him- * Matt. xix. 3. ^'^•^|■> that is, textualists, adhering to the simiile Scripture, NV and rejecting traditions. I See pages 193, 194. 248 BEYROUT — MISSIONARY QUALIFICATIONS. self in the vernacular tongue — Judeo-Polish or German for the Ashkenazim, and Judeo-Spanish or Arabic for the Sephardim. The study of the Talmud sharpens the intellect much ; so that a Missionary wlio has not studied it deeply ouglit to have passed through an academical education. The only way of learning it is by the help of some learned Jew. The parts that are not controver- sial are the most easy. But one who is a Talmudist and nothing more will never do for a Missionary. One ad- vantage of Talmudical knowledge is, that it enables the person to argue by Talmudical logic, which is much shorter and more striking than scientific logic. Jews cannot follow a long argument. They do not feel the power of the syllogism ; and, on this account, " Les- lie's Method" does not suit them. The concluding words of our conversation with this interesting person were worthy of remembrance, " Rather send one good Missionary than fifty others. I have come after many Missionaries, and have wished that they had never been there. It was pleasant to come after Wolff All the Jews in the place knew what he ■wanted with them — viz. that without Christ there is no remission of sin." (July 5.) In the streets of Beyrout, it is common to meet Druse women wearing the tantour or " horn " of silver, with the white veil thrown over it. It is far from being a graceful ornament, and is adopted only by the Avomen of Lebanon. It is likely that this fashion was borrowed origin- ally from the language of Scripture, and not that Scripture refers to a fashion which existed long before. Probably the truth in regard to this custom, is the same as in regard to several practices in use among the Abyssinians ; they have grafted customs on a literal application of Scripture expres- FUTL-RE JIOVEME.VTS. 249 sions. Siicli passages as " 1 have defiled my horn in the dust,"* may have suggested tliis singular head-dress to the people of" Lebanon. The hoj-n to which the words of Scrii)ture refer, was simply, as among the Greeks, the horn ol" animals, — that being their principal weapon of defence, and therefore the natural symbol of power. We met a man carrying a wooden key hanging over his breast, and an iron key over his shoulder hanging down his back ; and we found that it is common for mer- chants, when they carry more than one key, to suspend them in this way over the shoulder. It was once the custom in .Tudah ; " The key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder.'"f Every body also seems to carry in his hand a string of beads, keeping his fingers in constant employment. Christians, Jews, and Maho- metans seem equally wedded to the practice. We had been deliberating for some time as to our fu- ture movements in the important Mission with which we had been entrusted ; and now, after much anxious and prayerful deliberation, came to a unanimous conclusion. Our valuable fellow-traveller, Dr. Black, had for some time felt the climate of Syria, and the rude manner of travelling, too much for his bodily strength, and feared that he would not be able to undergo the further fatigue of a journey into Galilee. In these circumstances, it was considered right that he and Dr. Keith should proceed homewards by Constantinople and the Danube, making inquiries into the condition of the Jews in all the most important places through which that route would take them; whilst the two younger members of the Deputa- tion should remain to visit the Jews of Galih^e, and re- turn to England by a land journey through Europe. To aitl us in our inquiries, Mr. ( "alman, a Christian Israelite, of whom we have alread}' spoken, a man of tried integ- rity, who had formei-lj^ laboiu-ed five years in Palestine, and was master of the Arabic and German languages, was engaged to accompanj' us. On Saturday afternoon (July 6), we were present at the Arabic service in the house of Mr. Hebard, the Ameri- can Missionary. About twent}^ Syrian converts were present, and among the rest a venerable old man, named Kai-abet, who had been twenty years Armenian Bishop in Jerusalem, but had now renounced the errors of that ♦ Job .\vi. 15. t Isa. xxii. 22, 23* 250 BEYROUT — SABBATH SERVICES. church at the cost of sacrificing all his worldly interests. A prayer meeting was conducted in English, and then an address and prayer in Arabic folio wecT. In tiie even- ing, tlie heiglits of Lebanon were here and there blazing with fires kindled by the Maronites in honour of the feast of St. John. (July 7. Sabbath.) Early this morning the missiona- ries came to take us to the house of the American Con- sul, where their forenoon service is conducted. Here, in a large commodious room with stone floor, the open windows of which commanded a splendid view of the sea, the old castle, and Lebanon, was assembled a con- gregation of more than 100, consisting of English resi- dents and their families, and many turbaned Syrians who understood English. The singing of the hymns was very sweet in a foreign land. Dr. Black preached from Rom. v. 1. At three o'clock, we parted with our esteem- ed fellow-travellers, and saw them set sail in the Austrian steamer for Smyrna. It was solemn and painful to sepa- rate from our brethren, " not knowing the things that were to befall us." We now went to the mission-house above the town ; and round the door found several of the Syrian boys waiting for the commencement of the Arabic service. Sitting down under the shade of the mulberry-trees, we conversed with them. Two of them spoke English re- markably well, and went over the Old Testament history most accurately, as far as the wanderings of Israel, ac- companying every answer with most expressive looks and actions. One of them especially was full of liveli- ness, and on asking him the story of Moses wishing to see Lebanon, related it fully, pointing to the lofty moun- tain towering before us. Three others sitting by occa- sionally added a remark, while old Bishop Karabet, and many others, looked on from the steps above. Soon after, the Arabic service commenced in a large airy room, divided by a partition, except at the place where the Missionary stood. The women sat on the one side of the partition, the men on the other, according to the custom of the Christian churches of this coun- try, the preacher standing within sight of both parts of the congregation. Mr. Thomson preached in deeply- toned Arabic, to an attentive audience of about one hun- dred and thirty, gathered out of many different coun- tries. There were tw^o Armenian bishops, with clean venerable beards, Karabet, and Jacob Aga ; there were LORD S SUPPER. 251 Greeks and Greek-Catholics, an Abyssinian Christian, and a Druse, converted Jews, American Presbyterians and Congregationahsts, and Ministers of the Church of Scot- land—atl different in name, and yet, we trust, one in Christ. This service closed, and we removed to a more convenient upper chamber, to partake of the Lord's Sup- per. The American manner of administering this sacra- ment differs little from ours, except that tliey give thanks a second time before giving the cup, in close imitation of our Lord. One of us sat between two believing Jews, the other between the two Armenian Bishops. Many of the others also participated, so that it was an emblem of the meeting of the great multitude gathered from na- tions and kindreds at our Father's table above. This was a well of living water at which we were strength- ened for our coming journey, and refreshed after the de- parture of our elder brethren. When they were gone, ■we felt as if we were beginning our journey anew in cir- cumstances of more responsibility than before. But we hoped for Asher's blessing, "As thy days so shall thy strength be." Note to page 212. * It is a somewhat curious occurrence, that the remnants of this Bible were found and drawn up from the bottom of the well, in July 1813, by Dr. Wilson and his fellow traveller, who employed a Sama- ritan from Sychar to descend and examine the well. (See Memoir of M'Cheyne, published by the Presbyterian Board of Publication.) 252 CHAPTER V. SYROPHENICIA — GALILEE. " Thy land, O Immanuel." — Isa. viii. 8. In the afternoon of Monday (July 8) we set out for Galilee, with a small cavalcade of six horses. Ibraim and Ahmet took leave of us. The latter felt little, but Ibraim ex- hibited very affectionate feelings. He followed us a little way beyond the gates, then took farewell, burst into tears, and rushed out of sight. We felt it very sad to leave this Arab for ever, not knowing how it is with his soul. Our road lay nearly south through a grove of pines, with mulberry gardens on all sides. Pleasant wild flowers adorned our path; the oleander in full bloom skirted the banks of two small streams which we crossed ; and often also our own modest white rose appeared amongst the fragrant myrtles in the hedges. We crossed a bar of sand which is here blown across the promontory of Beyrout, and is two hours in breadth. The muleteers said that this sand was blown all the way from Egypt, but we heard that the shore is composed of a very soft sandstone which accounts for its origin. Between us and Lebanon lay a splendid olive-grove, stretching north and south, said to be the largest in Palestine, which it was refreshing to the eye even to look upon. But Leba- non itself chiefly attracted our admiration, for every part of its lower ridge seemed covered with villages. From a single point we counted twenty-one villages, all appearins: at once on the brow of the mountain, each village having considerable cultivation round it. In the days" when these stupendous heights were crowned with forests of pine and cedar, how deeply expressive must have been the words of the prophet, " Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-offerinff." * We reached the southern side of the promontory be- fore sunset, and came upon the rocky sea- shore, along * Isa. xl. 16, LEBANON — NABY-Y0UNE3. 253 which our course now lay. Just as the sun went down, we passed a small khan,— a busy scene. Some were unloading their asses, some spreading their mats for the night. One man was opening his sack to give his ass provender, and forcibly reminded us of Jacob's sons ar- rived at their inn.* They invited us to stay with them, saying, " You will be plundered if you go on." We had not gone far when darkness overtook us, and we lost our way just as we came upon the bank of a broad stream that comes down from Lebanon, called Damour, the ancient Tamyras. Here we wandered among mul- berry gardens till at length we found a ford near the ruins of a bridge. The roots of the mountains here stretch out into"" the sea, forming rocky promontories. We crossed over one and another of these by what ap- peared to be a pave or ancient Roman road, and came down through a village to a khan on the sea-shore, called Naby-Younes, " the prophet Jonah." There is here a small bay, which a Mahometan tradition makes out to be the spot where Jonah was cast ashore by the whale. The keeper of the khan offered us accommodation, but, after taking a little of his salt bread and leban, we judged it preferable to encamp on the open shore near the sea. The servants who now formed our party were all of different persuasions. Botros, Mr. Caiman's attendant was a Greek Catholic ; Antonio, who waited upon us, was a young Syrian of the Latin Church, and spoke Italian. The muleteers were, Mansor, a Druse, and Tanoos, a Maronite lad, of a most gentle disposition. Sometimes at night Antonio and Botros " poured water on our hands " to wash away the dust, reminding us of 2 Kings iii. II. With these around us, and the waves of the Mediterranean almost at our tent-door, we slept in peace. Early next morning an old decrepit Moslem, with head white as snow, calling himself the Dervish of Naby- Younes, came to the fent-door asking alms. He was very grateful for a very small coin. We left this bay at six o'clock, and gaining the height of the next rocky promontory, obtained a view of the coast, indented with deep sandy bays, and of Sidon ftself two hours distant. The view of Sidon as we approached was very fine, and exceedingly like the representations commonly given of it in the sketches of Syria. The town stands upon a high rising ground, which projects a considerable way * Gen. xlii. 27. 254 SIDON — COSTUME OF .MOSLEM LADIES. into the sea. It is enclosed by a high fortified wall on the eastern side, and two mosques tower over the other buildings of the town. The most striking object is a fortress built upon a rock in the harbour, and connected with the town by a bridge of nine arches, said to be a remnant of the times of the Crusades. There is also a ledge of low rocks in the offing, near which two small vessels lay at anchor. Between the tcnvn and the moun- tains lie richly cultivated gardens witli tall verdant trees. Behind these the mountains appear, and we counted live distinct ridges of the range of Lebanon, rising one above another. Altogether, " Great Sidon," though fallen from her ancient glory, occupies a noble situation. Into the bay to the north of it flows a considerable stream, ano- ther of the many which are fed by the snows of Lebanon. After fording it, a lively scene met our view. The country people were bringing their cusas and melons to market upon donkeys. One woman wore handsome silver ank- lets, similar to those spoken of by Isaiah.* The Moslem ladies all in white, the face entirely muffled in a dark coloured veil, the feet en- closed in large yellow boots, were taking their morning walk toward the tombs. Many remains of ancient pavement occasionally oc- curred. Mr. M'Cheyne rode on before the rest, and ar- riving at the gate, inquired of the sentinel the way to the Jewish synagogue. He pointed to a Jew who was standing besidehis shop-door at the entrance of the ba- zaar. The Jew, shutting up his shop, took the stranger kindly by the hand, and led him away to his house. He tied up the horse in the court-yard, took off the carpet and bridle, and ushered him into his best room, where both sat down on the divan. After some preliminary questions, the Hebrew Bible was produced, and the first part of Ezekiel xxxvii. read, from which Mr. M. shewed him his state by nature. He seemed a little offended, yet not wishing to shew it in his own house, tried to change SILVER ANKLETS. * Isa. iii. IS. SYNAGOGUE — INTERVIEW WITH JEWS. 255 the subject of discourse, and offered coffee. On leaving the house, another Jew led Mr. M. to the synagogue, a substantial building having the roof vaulted in the Gothic style. An old man sat on the ground surrounded by some Jewish children, whom he was teaching to read portions of Hebrew. Here the rest of our company met, and the old Rabbi, whose house joined hard to the syna- gogue, came in, and was followed by soine twenty or thirty Jews. Several of them recognised Mr. Caiman, and received him in a very friendly manner. They seemed well inclined to enter into controversy on divine things. Two lads maintained an animated conversation with Mr. Bonar, during which he produced his Hebrew- New Testament, and asked one of them to read a chap- ter. They began very readily to read Matt, ii, but when nearly finishing it, an elder Jew looked over their shoul- der, and whispered to them the name of the book which they were reading. They immediately closed the book, and one of them started from his seat. We told the Rabbi that we had come from a far country to visit Is- rael ; that we had seen God's word fulfilled in the deso- lations of Jerusalem ; and we asked for what cause Israel were now hke the dry bones in the open valley ] The old Rabbi appeared to be a man of perverse spirit. He went to his house, and brought out a Hebrew New Testament, one of those printed by the London Society, a good deal worn. He turned up to Mark xiii. 32, where Jesus says that he did not know the day of his second coming, and asked how then could he be God? One bitter Jew made signs to have us thrust out of the synagogue ; but the rest showed greater kindness, especially one young Rabbi from the coast of Barbary, who spoke a little French. He showed us their manuscripts of the law, one of which he said was three hundred years old, written at Bagdad, and now much worn. It had cost them 200 dollars. This man afterwards received us politely into his house, en- tertained us with lemonade and coffee, and at parting- accepted a Hebrew tract called " The City of Refuge." He told us that there are 300 Jews in Sidon. We now proceeded through the bazaar to a handsome khan or caravansera possessed in former days by the Franks. It is a large square, built round on all sides, with a fine fountain and pool of water in the centre, over which a vine was trained ; a few orange-trees grew around. While sitting by the pool waiting till one of our mules was shod, a string of camels arrived, heavily laden with 256 SIDON — PROPHECY. furniture, which proved to be the property of the late Lady Hester Stanhope, which, we were told, was to be sold at Sidon. Here also two Druse women were sit- ting wearing the tanlour, or horn upon the forehead. On the finger they wore a massy ring, having a seal on it. This we had noticed frequently in Egypt.* In the streets we met several Greek ecclesiastics neatly attired. The town is solidly built, and the bazaars are in a thriv- ing condition. A public bath is one of the few modern buildings; but frequently we stumbled upon broken pillars and fragments of carved stones, the memorials of departed greatness. All the magnificence of Sidon is gone, for " God has executed judgments in her." f Again and again have its inhabitants been "judged in the midst of her by the sword on every side." There are no more any mer- chants worth mentioning here. In two or three shops, fishing-rods were exposed for sale, but there are no signs of trade. " Be thou ashamed, O Zidon ; for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins." X The city, and the sea that laved its walls, now lament the want of its once crowded and stirring population. It no more can boast of a king. "All the kings of Zidon" have been made to drink the wine-cup of God's fury, even as it was foretold. ^ Before leaving the town, a Greek Christian, who acts as a consular agent, came to us, and advised us not to proceed, for a traveller had been killed by the Arabs the day before, three hours on the way to Tyre. We had no reason to suspect this person's veracity, and yet we hoped that his information might be untrue ; and committing ourselves to God, left the gate of Sidon an hour after noon. The gardens and groves that shelter the east side of the town, afforded a pleasant shade. Among some of these Abdolonimus may have been found by Alexander the Great ;|| and there the rich merchants of Sidon enjoy- ed their wealth, and revelled in that luxury and ungodli- ness which made the Saviour fix on them as eminent in- stances of guilt, "It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than for you." IT Our way lay directly south, through the fine plain which stretches * Gen. xli. 42. Luke xv. 22. t Ezek. xxviii. 22. I Isa. xxiii. 4. § Jer. xxv. 22. II Justin, lib. x. cap. 10 ; and Quin. Curtius, lib. iv. cap. 1, § 19 IT Matt. xi. 22 SAREPTA. 257 beyond Tyre. Some parts of it were cultivated, yield- ing barley, dhura, and tobacco, but the greater part was lying waste, covered with thistles and tangling briers. It is skirted on the east by a low range of hills connected with Lebanon, and these frequently open and show plea- sant little valleys, with villages and olive-trees on the heights. In three hours we came upon many fragments of marble pillars scattered on the shore. These and other similar remains appear to be the remnants of ancient villas, if not of some town. In tlie days when Tyre and Sidon enjoyed their greatest splendour, this midway sit- uation would be most favourable for the country-seats of the princes and merchants. Here, far removed from the noise of the city, they might be refreshed by the sea- breeze tempering tlie heat of summer, while, from the neighbouring heights, they enjoyed the view of their stately vessels sailing past. At this midway point stands Sarfend, the ancient Zarephath or Sarepta. It formerly spread toward the shore, but now is on the heights. The hills are here about a mile from the shore, and the village is pleasantly situated upon the steep brow of one of them, overhang- ing a ravine filled with fine olive-trees, and commanding a wide view. The vine once grew upon its hills in great luxuriance, and is celebrated by a Latin poet, " QiiaBque Sareptano palmite missa bibas :" * (" Wines %vUicli the viiiuyards of Sarepia yield.") But it was matter of far greater interest to us, that it was hither that Elijah came from the brook Cherith, and here he was nourished out of the widow's barrel of meal and cruise of oil, and here he raised her child from the dead by prayer. Tliese simple facts invest the place with a sacred interest. It was the theatre where God displayed his amazing sovereignty. The Lord passes by the many widows that were in Israel — he passes by all the princes of Tyre and Sidon, and fixes on one who dwells unknown in Sarepta, "a woman that was a wi- dow;" teaching the world tliat he chooses his vessels of mercy where and when it seems good in his sight. Eli- jah may often have walked along these shores, and it was pleasant even to imagine that we were treading in his footsteps. There is reason to believe that this fertile plain, which may well be called "?/ie horilers of Tyre and Sidon,^'' was also the scene of one of the most affect- * Sidon. ApoU. 17, 51. 24 25S SIDON TO TYRE — RUINED KHAN. ing of the gospel narratives, showing the same sover- eignty and grace as the wonders of Sarepta. For it was toward this plain that Jesus directed his steps from the Sea of Galilee, when the woman of Syrophenicia came and fell at his feet.* More than an hour to the south of Sarfend, we diverged from the shore to visit the caves and tombs which occur in the precipitous face of the low hills. We climbed up into one large cavern, apparently natural, about sixty feet deep by "thirty broad, and from twenty to thirty feet in height. From the mouth of the cave we could count aboutlwenty sepulchres cut in the face of the rock, pro- bably part of the ancient works of Tyre, the tombs of her rich men and princes. Two hours further south, we arrived at the largest stream we had yet seen in the land. The banks were skirted with the red blossoming oleander, and many tor- toises were creeping in the shallows. This is the Kasi- mieh, believed to be the ancient Leontes, which has its source from Baalbec, flows through the .splendid Vale of Ccele-Syria, and empties itself into the sea, an hour and a half north of Tyre. We crossed the stream by a substantial bridge, upon the side of which we found sitting a cluster of Bedouins, wild, suspicious-looking men, with a little yellow shawl over the head, encircled by a rope of camel's hair. They seemed to be looking out for a prey, and our seiwants evidently did not like their appearance, but we saluted them peaceably and passed on. On the high bank over- looking the river stands an old dilapidated khan; and here, as the sun was going down, we resolved to encamp for the night. Perhaps tlie story we had heard at Sidon of the dansjer of the way made us think more of "perils of robbers^' than we should otherwise have done; nor was it any addition to our prospects of a peaceful night's rest, to be told that the ground here was full of scorpi- ons, and that even the floor of the old kiian was not free from them. However, we decided to go up to the khan, and seek shelter within its walls. Here, as the brief twilight came on, there arrived first one company and then another of mules, with tingling bells, till the square of the buildiner presented quite a lively appearance. We pitched our tent on the roof of the old ruin, where the grass had been allowed to grow ; and committing our- selves to Him that keeps Israel, lay down to sleep in * Matt. XV. 21—28. Mark vii. 24—30 TYRE. 259 peace. Occasionally we heard the cry of the jackal, but nothing else disturbed our rest till the rising sun shone with intense brilliancy into our tent. (July 10.) We were soon on our way to Tyre, an hour and a half distant, through a fine plain, covered mostly with thorns, with here and there a held of dhura. Tyre appears a long promontory stretching into the sea. Half- way between the town and the hills, there is a conical rising ground surmounted either by a khan or a tomb, and nearei-^Tyre appear the remains of the ancient aqueduct. Arriving at the gate, we were detained some time under the shade of some fig-trees, till the Governor had fully ascertained that we came from the north, and not from places where the plague prevailed. We entered, and with some difficulty rode through the bazaar, which was shaded with mats and vines, till we arrived at the khan, a large half-ruined building, where we put up our horses. Tyre is but the wreck "of a town. You cannot tra- verse its streets without meeting at every turn fragments of other days. Thus, at the gate there are two fallen pillars ; in the bazaar, another prostrate pillar helps to complete the pavement ; and on the shore of the penin- sula (once THE island), broken columns lie on all sides, over which the sea dashes its waves. We stood awhile amidst the ruins of the old Christian church, at the south- east corner of the town, where Eusebius is said to have preached, and looking over, observed the waves break on two large columns with their capitals that lay close under the wall. From this point, and from the summit of a tower to which the Jews led us to the south-west corner of the town, we surveyed the whole extent of what was Insular Tyre, once densely covered with the palaces of Tyrian merchants.* The island appears to have been of the shape of a prolonged diamond, stretching nearly a mile from north to south. The breadth it is not easy to esti- mate, as we cannot tell where Alexander's causeway commenced. We observed a chain of low rocks in the offing, all a little under water, which may very possibly * A recent traveller, Mr. W. R. Wylde, found in some of the rocks holes exactly fit for pots, in some of wliich were pieces of shells, with the debris of other shells lying round. These shells all belonged to the species Murcx trunculus, Irom which the purple dye used to be extract- ed. Hence he concludes, that these holes were anciently the vats used for preparing the Tyrian dye. We found specimens of the shells he speaks of on the shore under Mount Carmel. 2G0 TYRE — PROPHECV. have been built upon in former days. The modern town or village is thinly scattered over the eastern part of what was formerly the island ; the part next the sea is culti- vated, and bears good tobacco. The little harbour of Tyre lies on the north side of tlie peninsula, and is nearly enclosed by a wall, the ruins of which are standing here and there. It would not now vie with the harbours of any of our fishing villages ; we counted some ten open- decked fishing-boats riding in it ; but larger vessels can- not enter. The island was originally nearly half a mile distant from the shore ; but across the intervening gulf Alexander with amazing labour formed his famous cause- way, using for that purpose the stones and the very dust of ancient Tyre, scraped from off her. During the lapse of ages, the sea has washed up the sand on each side of this causeway, so that it is now a broad neck of land, with fine sandy bays on each side. Ruins of ancient walls and foundations are still to be found in different parts of it. The houses, or rather cottages of Tyre, are built of good stone, with many palm-trees, vines, figs, and pomegranates interspersed, giving the place a cool and pleasing aspect. The modem name is Sour, and there are about 1500 inhabitants. There is some probability that the sea has advanced upon this coast, and materially affected the size of the ancient island ; and if this be the case, we can have no difficulty in understandinfir how the almost impregnable fortifications, of which history speaks, and the palaces of the Tyrian merchants, were once crowded together upon this interesting spot.* In order to understand fully the accomplishment of the divine predictions against Tyre, it must be borne in mind, that though the island may have been very soon occupied as a stronghold, yet the most ancient city, called by historians Pala Tyrus, or Old Tyre, was situated on the mainland, at a distance of nearly four miles south from the island. This was "the strong city Tyre" mentioned in the days of Joshua,! and the " stronghold of Tyre" in the time of David. | As many travellers'have * Mr. Wylde gives many interesting proofs of the advance of the sea all along the coast. For example, the old castle at Beyroiit. whrcii is now surrounded with water, was once joined to the land. The shallow- ness of the harbours at Jaffa and Acre seem to show the same thing. He also saw ruins under the water at Tyre. If we are to trust Benja- min of Tudela, he says that, in his day, if one went out in a ship a little way, he might see ruins of streets and towers at the bottom of the sea. t Josh. x\x. 29. } 2 Sam. .x.xiv. 7. SITE OF OLD TYRE. 261 done before us, we stood upon the ruins of insular Tyre, and stretching- our eye round the bay to the south, con- jectured where old Tyre may have been situated ; and afterwards on our return from Acre, we traversed tlie coast and sought with the utmost care for any remains of tlie strong city — but in vain. The word of the Lord has come to pass, "Though thou be sought for, yet thou shalt never be fomid again, saith the Lord God." * About eight miles south from the island, a high rocky promontory appears, forming a precipice over the sea, called Cape Blanco, from the whiteness of the rock. The road passes over it, and there are singular steps cut in the rock, supposed to be the Scales Tijrio7-um, or Tyrian Ladder, of the ancients. Now, between Cape Blanco and the island, there is a spacious bay, with one or two lesser curves. It occurred to us that, in the days of Tyre's glory, when they took " cedars from Lebanon to make masts for her, and oaks from Bashan to make oars, and fine linen from Egypt to be spread forth as her sails ;" when "all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in her to occupy her merchandise," this vast bay may have afforded her an anchorage, where the forests of masts would present to the eye a spectacle not less noble than any which can be seen in the harbour of the very greatest of our commercial cities, and this in a region of surpassing beauty. Indeed, it is not unlikely that Old Tyre may have ex- tended as far as the precipitous summit of Cape Blanco, from which its name Tsour, that is, " a rock," may have been derived. Tyre on tlie Island may have been at first, as Jowctt has conjectured, the harbour of the ori- ginal city, connected with it, as the remaining aqueducts testify, although four miles distant from its gates. If there be truth in this conjecture, it would at once explain the vast circumference of the city as described by Pliny, and would illustrate the glowing description of Ezekiel, when he describes how " her builders had perfected her beauty." Keeping both the Tyres in view, we could not fixil to notice with what awful accuracy tlie word of God has been verified concerning them. The word of Amos has been fiilfilled, "For three transgressions of Tyrus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof But I will send a fire on the wall of Tyrus which shall destroy the palaces thereof"f Not a vestige of her * Ezek. xxvi. 21. t Amos. i. 9, 10. 24* 262 TYRE — FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY. palaces remains, except the prostrate granite pillars, over which the wave is ever beating. We remembered, too, as we looked along the bare shore, the minute prediction of Ezekiel, "They shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea ; for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God." * Alexander the Great seems actually to have scraped away the very rubbish as well as the stones of Old Tyre to construct his causeway;! and now the bare rocks along the shore, on some part of which the ancient city must have stood, are literally a place for the spreading of nets. The first man we met in the gate of Tyre was a fisherman carry- ing a load of fish, and the fishing-boats in the harbour we have already mentioned. If, indeed, the sea has made an advance upon the coast, then the very rocks where Old Tyre stood may be now under water, and the nets of the fisherman may thus also be literally spread over them. And this, also, would give new meaning to the expression, " Thou shalt be broken by the seas in the depths of the waters ;"| although at the same time the ruin of her fleets and merchant-ships will completely satisfy the terms of this prophecy. How interesting, too, is the very uncertainty that hangs over the true situation of ancient Tyre, some placing it on the shore, some at Ras el-Ain farther inward, and some on a rocky eminence called Marsh uk, to the north-east — all combining to shew how awfully the thrice-repeated curse has been fulfilled, "/ icill make thee a terror and thou shalt he no mo7'e;'"\ and how true to the letter, " Though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never he found againy Looking to the bare rock of the island, or to the vil- lage that stands upon it, without a remnant of the triple wall and fortress once deemed impregnable, a traveller is ready to ask, in the very words of the prophet, " Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days ]" " Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traf- fickers are the honourable of the earths The Lord of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and * Ezek. xxvi. 4. Dr. Newcome's note on this passage gives us the full sense: "The hare shining surface of a rorh." t The words of Quintus Curtius, quoted by Dr. Keith, are very re- markable : " HuMris aggerebatur." t Ezek. xxvii. 31. § Ezek. xxvi. 21; xxvii. 3(3; xxviii. 19 JEWS — SYNAGOGUE. 2G3 to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth." " He stretched out his hand over the sea: he shook the kingdoms ; the Lord hath given a commandment against the merchant-city, to destroy the stronghulds thereof." * But a brighter day is yet to-dawn upon Tyre, when it sluill be acity of lioliness. For the same sure word of prophecy declares, that thoufrh after its ruin it should return to its sinful gains, yet a time is coming, when " her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord ; it shall not be treasured nor laid up; f^r her mer- chandise shall be for them that dwell beibre the Lord, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing."t May not this allude to some event connected with Israel's resto- ration ; for it is they who shall be in a peculiar manner the people " l/iat tliceli before the Lnrdr Perhaps as Hiram supplied cedars and other materials for the tem- ple in the days of Solomon, Tyre may again send her supplies to assist Israel on their return home. The fu'st Jew whom we met in Tyre was from Algiers. He had there acquired a little knowledge of French from the army, and told us that there were about a hundred .Tews in Tyre; of these, five families had come recently from Algiers, and the rest from Saphet, on occasion of their dwellings being destroyed by the earthquake on 1st January, 1837. He led us to the synagogue, one of the poorest and most wretched we had yet seen, having a solitary lamp burning beside the ark. Several Jews gathered round us. The Hebrew Bible was produced, and we soon entered into conversation on divine things. One interesting young Jew seemed a little impressed, and often carried his difficulties to the elder ones, seek- ing from them an answer. Under a verandah, outside the synagogue, an elderly Jew sat on the ground teach- ing some cjiildren. Mr. Oonar tried the children with a few simple sentences in Hebrew, and they in turn asked him in Hebrew the names of several Scripture charac- ters, putting such questions as -i:'a 3n >c, " who was the father of Nloses !" We next visited the Rabbi of Tyre at his own house. He seemed a sagacious-looking man, kind and polite in his manners. In discussing passages of Scripture, when Mr. Caiman pushed him hard, he invariably resorted to his commentators, taking down from a shelf some old thin folios. As we sat looking out at the open window • Isa. xxiii. 7, 8, 9, 11. t Isa. xxiii. 18. 264 TYRE — DISCUSSION "A'lTH THE RABBI. upon the brio-ht blue sea, we observed that " the earth shall yet be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea ;" upon H'hich he made this inter- esting remark, that as there are many caverns, and ine- qualities of depths in the sea, and yet the surface of the water is all smooth and level; so shall it be then, people will still possess unequal capacities of knowledge and enjoyment, yet all will present one common appearance, because each will be filled up to his measure. He as- serted, that the purpose for which the Jews are now scattered over the world, is to diffuse the knowledge of the true God; but was at a loss for a reply when we re- ferred to Ezekiel xxxvi. 23, " My great name, ivhich ye have profaned among the heathen." We now retired to the khan, and spread our carpets for a little repose before leaving Tyre, but our visit ex- cited curiosity throughout the Jewish community, and many whom we had not seen before came to visit us. With our back to a pillar of the khan, and the Hebrew Bible in our hand, we maintained a broken conversation, often with half a dozen at a time, some going away, oth- ers coming. One, as he departed, cried, " Come away from that Epicurus." Some were a little angr}^ but most were kind and good-natured. We showed that Isaiah i. 7, had been fulfilled before their eyes, " Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire, your land strangers devour it in your presence;" and, therefore, v. 3 must be true of themselves, "Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider." We proved to them from Zech. xiii. 1, that, as a nation, they did not at present know the way of forgiveness ; for God says, '■^ In that day, there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness." Several of them remained with us to the very last, conducted us through the nar- row bazaar, and parted with us outside the gate, with expressions of kindness. As we moved slowly round the fine sandy bay on the southern side of the peninsula, we remembered the sol- emn scene which that very shore had witnessed, when the Apostle Paul visited Tyre on his way to Jerusalem, as recorded by Luke. The Tyrian disciples "All brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city; and we kneeled down on the shore and prayed." * * Acts .\xi. 5. ANCIENT TOMD — TIUUE OF ASHER. 2G5 Not far from the town, our mules stopped to drink at a well, where the trough was of beautifully carved stone, and seemed to have been an old sarcophagus. We pass- ed a small grove of fragrant lemon-trees, and then cross- ed an old aqueduct, with water running in it. Several of the gardens had watch-towers in them, in one of which we saw two men sleeping on a sort of loft. We soon began to ascend the heights which Ibrm the eastern back- ground of the plain around Tyre, and often looked back to enjoy the magnificent view of the sea, the coast of Syrophenicia, and Tyre itself, with its rocks stretching south from the end of the peninsula. In two hours from Tyre, our attention was attracted by a singular monument or tomb, resting upon immense hewn stones. The upper stone was very large, and it was not easy to see how it had been lifted on to its fel- lows. Where are they that raised it ! Their name and object are alike unknown.* Reaching the summit of the ridge, our road lay south- east, as it penetrated into the interior of the country. In crossing tlie hills, we noticed in them another capability of this wonderful land, distinct from any we had seen in the southern parts. The sides, and even the summits, were sprinkled over with vigorous olive-trees. Some of these hills were no doubt 1000 feet high, yet their top.*? were frequently crowned with groves of olives, showing how fertile and how suitable for the cultivation of the olive this range must have been in former days. This was the more remarkable, because we were now in the tribe of Asher; and the prophetic blessing pronounced upon Asher, was, '■'■ Tjft him dip his foot in oil.'" j His hills appear to be suitable neither for the vine nor for pasture, but for the olive, whose berries yield the finest oil. To this also, as well as to Asher's luxuriant plains in the south of his possession, the words of Jacob may refer, " out of Asher hi.s bread shall be fat.''' I Nor is it unlikely that t!ie promise, " Thij shoes shall be iron and brass,'' ^ niay have a reference to these hills, that were his defence against his hostile neighbours in Tyre and Sidon. In days of quietness and peace, his hills yield him * Robinson mentions this monument, and says that it bears among the common jieople the name of Kabr Ilairan. "Sepulchre of Hiram." " It is possible (he adds) that this sepulchre once held the dust of the friend and ally of Solomon." Vol. iii. 385. t Deut. xxxiii. 'il. t Gen. xli.\. 20. $ Deut. xxxiii. '25. 266 KANAH OF ASHER — VILLAGE OF SEDEEKIN. oil in which he dips his feet; in war, his hills are to him as shoes of iron and brass. In an hour from the ancient monument, we came to a kind of basin in the bosom of the mountains — a gentle hollow, with a thriving village in the midst. It was sur- rounded with luxuriant corn-fields and verdant olives, and the villagers were all busy at the corn-floor. We asked an old peasant the name of tlie village ; he said, " Kana." The name thrilled to our heart, so strange and pleasant was it to hear a Scripture name from the lips of an ignorant Moslem. It is every way probable that this is the Kanah of Asher mentioned in Joshua.* Near it are some caves or tombs, and there is a heap of stones on a hill to the right which caught our attention, but which we had no time to investigate. The situation of the village is retired and peaceful. In the last cottage we passed, some Jews, who seemed to be travellers, were much surprised when we saluted them in the holy tongue. Leaving Kana, we proceeded up a steep ascent, on the summit of which was anotlier village called Sedeekin, that is, " The faithful," so called by the Moslems because none but Mahometans dwell there. It is beautifully situ- ated in the midst of fields of tobacco and fig-trees in abundance. It may be the site of some one of the towns named along with Kanah, "Hebron, and Rehob, and Hammon." The inhabitants were all in the field reap- ing their harvest. The climate on the high hills of Gal- ilee we found to be delicious. The hills around, as far as we could see, were covered with a carpet of green, not of grass, however, but of brushwood and dwarf-trees. Crossing over a low hill, and descending a very steep declivity, we came to the entrance of a deeply shady glen, called Wady Deeb, that is, " Valley of the Wolf," no doubt from its being a favourite resort of that animal. Here we met a Moslem returning from cutting wood, with his axe in his hand, while his wife followed carrying the bundle of wood upon her head, an example of the degradation to which women are subjected in eastern countries. The steep hills on each side of the pass rose to the height of 800 feet, and were finely clothed with tall shrubs and trees. The road winds through by. a footpath, which in winter is probably the bed of a torrent. No- thing could exceed the romantic beauty of this ravine. * Josh. xix. 28. VILLAGE OF JETTAR — A JEW SHOT. 2G7 Every kind of tree and shrub seemed to show them- selves in turn, the beech-tree and valonea oatc, tlie wild rose, the broom, and many others; while the white flowers of the woodbine and clematis clustered like gar- lands round the stronger siirubs, loading the evening air with their fragrance. We pressed on for an hour and a half, till \ve reached a large natural cave on the left side of the valley, where the pathway became very steep and rocky ; yet it was wonderful to see how the little Syrian horses clambered up. The darkness had now settled down upon us, and the fireflies were sparkling through the air in all directions. Reaching the summit, we discerned our nearness to a village by the scent of the straw, peculiar to Arab villages. The name of it was Jettar, and we were directed to the khan, an enclosure at the end of the village, which had a roof and one wall made of the boughs of trees. Under these we spread our mats, thankful to find a place of rest. The villagers were very kind ; and so many of them came to visit us, that our lodging was full of strangers till a late hour. About forty families live here, all of them Mahometans, Fifteen houses were destroyed by an earthquake in 1837. There is a large pond of water be- side the village, and to this herds of leopards and wolves come to drink at night. Wolves and wiW boars abound in the valley we had passed through ; and gazelles are numerous. The villagers told us, that near this place are the ruins of several old towns, some of them exten- sive. They mentioned the names of three, Mirapheh, Mar-Yamin, and Medinatnahash ("city of brass.") The name Jettar, and the striking features of the valley Wady Deeb, up which we had passed, suggested to us that this may be the valley of '■'■Jephlhah-er mentioned in Joshua.* It is above five hours distant from Tyre. (July 11.) We were awoke early in the morning by the sound of horses' feet, and starting up saw a soldier, armed with gun and pistols, looking in upon us. Along with him were two Jews from T^^re, whom we imme- diately recognised as friends. One told us in his broken French, that a messenger had brought word to Tyre of a Jew having been shot by the Bedouins two hours further on the road to Saphet, and they were now going to find his body. Whether this was a true report or not we * Josh. xix. 27. 263 TYRE TO SAPHET — MOUNTAIN SCENERY. never ascertained, but it made us feel that our way through GaUlee was not unattended with danger. The villagers, too, seemed alarmed ; they were going to a market at some distance, somewhere in the direction of Saphet, and were very anxious that we should accom- pany them, either out of kindness to us or through de- sire of protection to themselves. We thought it better, however, to journey forward by ourselves, as we could not have reached Saphet by the proposed bypath the same night. Their advice reminded us of the days of Shamgar, " when travellers walked through byways."* We read Isaiah xxvi. in our morning worship under a tree, at a little distance from the village, and rode on our way through the tribe of Naphtali. On a hill near were the ruins of a small fortress, and caves that may have been used as sepulchres. The Arabs called the place Bedundah. In a little while a deep valley came in sight lying beneath us, with a fine pass winding to the east, the hills beyond appearing wooded to the top. The mouth of the pass was shut up by a conical hill, completely wooded. In winding round this hill, we came upon a well and a watering trough, where several shepherds had gathered their flocks together to drink. The quietness of the valley contrasted with the rumours of danger from the Bedouins, reminded us of Judges, " They that are dehvered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water."! For some time hill and valley alternately presented themselves, covered with shrubs and trees. At one place, a large snake glided away from us among the shrubs, and once or twice an owl was seen perching on the trees.J Coveys of par- tridges also frequently crossed our path. On the height above was a village called Jibbah. The way was adorn- ed with many witd flowers, and we were occasionally refreshed by romantic scenery. The jasmine is called by the Arabs " Jasmin-el-barie," that is, wild jasmine, and appears to be a native of the country. Often it was seen creeping to the top of the trees, and there forming a snov/y crown, or twining from branch to branch a garland of white flowers. The yellow broom also, a native of Palestine, was flourishing in great profusion. Through another mountain valley we came into a small * Judg. V. 6. t Judg. V. 11. t Ps. cii. 6, "An owl of the desert places." OLIVE-PRESS — RAMEA — KEFR-BIRHOM. 2G9 plain of great beauty. Here an old olivo-press was lying on the road-side. A wooden screw and vice seemed in- tended to press a large stone upon the olives, while a stone trough beneath received the oil. At the eastern end of this plain, we came to a considerable village call- ed Ramea, with a large circular pool of water. In a wide area close by, heaps of corn were piled up ready to be trodden out, and at another place horses were em- ployed in treading. Many flocks of sheep and goats were on tlieir way to drink at the pool. Leaving this beautiful plain, our way led us through mountain passes of a similar character to those already described, only here we olxserved the remains of ancient terraces, and remarked that the natural rock is frequent- ly in the form of terraces, as in the hills of Judah. About mid-day we came in sight of a village on the sum- mit of a rocky hill ; to which we gladly turned aside to enjoy a little rest. Throughout all the morning we had expected to fall in either with the Bedouins, or our Jew- isli friends; and many a lurking-place suitable to the designs of the robber we passed," but no evil came near us. The name of the village to which we had come was Kefr-birhom; its inhabitants, about 200 in number, are all Maronite Christians. They received us very kindly, and introduced us to their priest, a gentle and venerable- looking man. His dress was a dark caftan or cloak, and a high black turban. He pressed us much to take up our lodging in an upper room which he pointed out fo us; but we preferred the deep shade of a spreading fif- tree. He sat down with us, and many of the villagers at a respectful distance; and, through Mr. Caiman, we had some discussion on points of doctrine. One of us, wandering through the village, entered into the cottage 25 270 KEFR-BIRHOM — ANCIENT SYNAGOGUE. of a Maronite, and sitting down read a little of his Sy- riac prayer-book, to the infinite delight of the poor man, who thereupon welcomed the unknown traveller as a brother. Soon after, when we were all reclining under the fig-ti'ee, this man came with a present of four eggs ; and on being presented with a pencil-case, ran back to his house, and brought us two pigeons. Contrasting this gift with the present of a sheep which the Governor of Hebron brought us, we saw in a very clear manner the considerateness of the command in Leviticus i. 10, 14, where the rich man was expected to bring a sheep for an offering, and the poor man two young pigeons.* While seated under the fig-tree, several Jews arrived on their way from Tyre to Saphet, among whom we recog- nised the young man who had been a little impressed in the synagogue. He soon came and spoke with us, and taking up the Hebrew Bible, he put his finger on Joshua ii. 1, where Joshua is described as sending out two spies to view the land, " Now (said he) you are these spies." We found in the village traces of former greatness, especially in the north-east, where are considerable re- mains. The principal ruin is that of an ancient syna- gogue. The doorway and two windows (one on each side of the door) was still in good preservation, but half sunk in the rubbish. The upper part of the door is * Comp. Luke ii. 24; Lev. xii. 8. MOUNT NAPHTALI — VILLAGE OF GISH. 271 ornamented with a fine wreath of vine leaves and bunches of grapes carved in the stone, and in beautiful preserva- tion. The windows are also adorned with carved work; three columns are still standing, and several fragments lie scattered thj-ough the village. The Maronites and Jews both called it a Jewish synagogue, and connected it with the name of Isaiah.* We were told also that the Jews sometimes go there to pray. In a field about a quarter of a mile distant stands another doorway, said to be not so elegant, but bearing an inscription over it. We regretted much that our time did not permit us to visit it and endeavour to decypher the inscription. In the afternoon, we set out again, having the Jews in our train, and conversing with them by the way. A fine spreading mountain now came in sight, two hours dis- tant on the right hand, commonly supposed to be Mount A'aj^/^^a//, resembling Q,ueensberry Hill in Dumfries-shire. There is a considerable plain around its base, which may be part of the plain of Zaanaim, where Heber theKenite dwelt, and where Barak gathered his army.f The hill would serve as a mark easily seen far off by " all Zebu- lun and Naphtali," and so would render this spot the better suited for a rendezvous. Tiie town at which tliey met was Kadesh, the birtliplace of Barak, and also a City of Refuge. If Kadesh stood near this hill, it would be well fitted for a city of refuge, as the hill would point out its situation at a great distance to the fleeing manslayer, while the plain made his flight easy. In tliis respect it would resemble Sychem and Hebron, which were also cities of Refuge. On the left hand, we passed, without seeing it, the vil- lage of Gish, supposed to be the site of Gischola, which Josephus says was mostly peopled with agriculturists, and near which (lie says) was Kydessa, which may be the modern village Kadyta, a little to the south-east. Mr. Caiman had visited Gish immediately after the earth- quake by wiiich it was totally destroyed. In one place he mentioned that the rocks were torn asunder to a con- siderable breadth, and no one could tell the depth of the fissure. About half a mile flu'ther on we turned off" the road to the left to visit a singular pool called Birket-el Gish. It bears evident marks of having been at one time the crater of a volcano. It is of an oval form, and about 1 100 paces in circiunference. This we ascertained by * Comp, p. 280. + Judg. iv. 10, IL 272 PLAIN OF GISH — SAPHET. walking round as near to the edge as the sharp project- ing rocks would allow. The rocks are all black, evi- dently composed of lava, and it is singular to notice that, to the south and east the fields are covered with black stones of the same description, while there are none to the north and west. A considerable quantity of water was collected in it, and the flocks are driven down to the edge to drink. The neighbouring plain is called Sachel- el-Gish, or " Plain of Gish." The plain, the pool, and the village all bearing the same name, shew that it must have been a place of some importance. Returning from this pool, we obtained our first glimpse of a small part of the Sea of Galilee, by looking past the shoulder of Mount Naphtali. Saphet also was full in sight, its snow-white houses perched on the summit of a lofty hill, gleaming under the rays of the setting sun. This is believed, though without any positive evidence, to be the ^^city set on a hill,''' to which our Lord referred, and perhaps pointed, in his Sermon on the Mount ; and certainly no place in all Palestine could better answer the description. We were not able to ascertain even from the Jews the name of any Scripture town situated there.* Before coming to Saphet, we passed a village called Saccas, on a high rugged hill. Descending this hill, Mr. Bonar's mule entangled its foot in a fissure of the rock, and rolled upon its side. Its rider was precipi- tated to the ground, without suffering any injury; but the poor animal's foot was sorely crushed, and the mule- teer led it along, pouring out incessant lamentations, and often kissing it like a child. After crossing several ravines, all running south to- ward the Sea of Galilee, we climbed the hill on which Saphet stands by a very steep path, worn deep in the white limestone rock. Mr. M'Cheyne rode up by the path, on the east side of the hill, and came upon ruins made by the earthquake, which on that side are very ap- palling. Arriving at the house of a Jew, he was kindly entertained, and requested by his host to tell the news of the war. Another Jew kindly guided him to the rest of our company. Mr. Caiman, being well acquainted with the place and with the Jewish inhabitants, soon obtained for us a comfortable lodging in the cottage of a German Jew, who willingly renioved to make way for us. He * The name Saphet may be derived from nss the capital of a pillar (1 Kings vii. 41), alluding to the appearance of the town which sur- mounts the hill, very much in the way that a capital surniounls a pillar. ARRIVAL AT SAPHET. 273 lighted up the lamp filled with ohve-oil. and we spread our mats upon the tioor. We found all the Jews here livmg in a state of great alarm. The troops of the Pasha had been withdrawn, being engaged in the war, and the Bedouins were every day threatening an attack to jilun- der the town. Only four soldiers had been left to delt-nd them, and these, along with ten Jews, used to patrole the town all night to give alarm in case of an assault. We observed how poorly clad most of tiie Jews seemed to be, and were told that they had buiied under cround all their valuable clothes, their money, and other pre- cious things. It was easy to read their deep anxiety in the very expression of their countenances : they were truly in the state foretold by Closes more than 3000 years ago. " The Lord shall give thee a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind : and tliy life shall hang in doubt before thee ; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life." * And all this in their own land ! The Jews wondered that we had travelled so safelv when we did not even carry fire-arms. But "the Lord had gone before us, and the God of Israel had been our rereward." We felt deeply thankful for the mercies of this day, and slept quietly in our Jewish cottaee, the loud cry of the jackals being the only sound to break the si- lence of the night. (July 12.) The morning air was cool and delightful in this elevated region. The hill on which Saphet stands appears to be of great height, not inferior even to Tabor. The town is built upon two heights, of which the north- ern and upper is occupied almost entirely by the Jews, the lower by the Mahometans. On the highest point are the ruins of the castle. All its houses are built of a pure white limestone, which gives them' a dazzlin"- appear- ance. The ruins of the town, caused by the earthcpiake 1st January 1837, are every where to be seen, and in some places are literally heaps upon heaps; for the town having been built on the slopes of the steep hill, one range of houses actually hung over the other, and hence, in the earthquake, the houses were cast one upon an- other. The Jews have rebuilt a great part of their quarter, out of veneration for the Holy City, but the Ma- hometan quarter is still an appalling ruin. The situation of Saphet is singularly beautiful. Look- ing west from our cottage door, the noble mountain of * Deut. xxviii. 65, 66, 25* 274 SAPHET — BAZAAR — MARKET. Naphtali met the eye, verdant to the top, and the fine un- dulating plain stretching east and west at its base. Look- ing down the hill on which the town itself stands, we saw pleasant groves of olives, and vineyards supported by terraces, while footpaths and tracks in the white rock wind up in all directions, along which the country peo- ple were moving slowly with mules and camels, this day (Friday) being the market-day. Close to the town, in the N. W. is a village — a small suburb — called Ain Zei- toun, " well of olives." Further off, in the same direc- tion, is the village of Kadyta, and on a height nearly due west, Saccas. And upon the side of the hill of Naphtali, the white tombs of Marona are dimly visible, — a highly venerated spot, because of the rabbis buried there. Walking round to the southern brow on which the Mahometan quarter is built, we sat down among the tombs in full view of the Lake of Galilee— solemn, calm, and still — and meditated over the scenes that had been transacted there. Returning by the bazaar, we had an opportunity of witnessing the market which is held here weekly. All was bustle and noise, very hke a market at home. The Bedouin Arab was there, fully armed, with his long firelock under his arm; for, though he is known to be a robber, yet he attends the market in peace, no one laying a hand upon him, in wonderful ful- filment of the prophecy, "His hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him, and he shall chvell VI the presence of all his brethren.''''* Here, too, ■were the Syrian women wearing the nose-jewel alluded to by Isaiah,! fastened by a hole bored through the nos- tril, not so large or uncomely as we had expected. A much more unpleasant yet common custom is the stain- ing of the chin and under the mouth with dots of henna. In many of the shops the only weights in the balance were smooth stones, which we learn from the book of Proverbsl were also used in ancient days. The custom of drying corn and other articles on the roofs of houses here, appears to be as common as it was in the days of Rahab.^ The houses in the streets have their flat roofs so connected, that nothing could be easier or more natural in case of any alarm, than to walk along the whole length of the street on the housetop, without coming down.l] Indeed, there are some yet remaining, * Gen. xvi. 12. t Isa. iii. 21. X Prov. xi. 1; xvi. 11. See original. 5 Josh. ii. 6. Also 2 Sam. xvii. 19. II Luke xvii. 31. CURIOUS LAW CASE. 275 where the roofs of the lower row of houses form the pathway of tlie row above. This was very generally tlie case in Saphet before the earthquake, and, in refe- rence to it, a well-known story is current among the in- habitants. A camel-driver passing along the street sud- denly saw his camel sink down. It had been walking on the roof of a house, and the roof had given way. The owner of the house was filled with alarm and anger at seeing the animal descend into his apartment. He carried the case to the Cadi, claiming damages for the broken roof of his house. But he was met by'tlie camel- driver claiming damages from him for the injury his camel had sustained by the fall, owing to the roof not being kept in good repair. We did not hear the decis- ion of the Cadi in this difficult case. Towards evening, we clambered through a vineyard to the shapeless ruins of the castle, which surmounts the highest peak of the hill of Saphet, and commands the finest view of the Lake of Galilee. Here we disturbed several serpents of considerable size, which darted out of sight at our approach, or glided down the slope. Large vultures also were hovering over our heads in great numbers. We climbed up to the highest part of the untenanted walls, and sat down. Immediately below us was the Governor's house and the Mahometan quarter, and part of the hill clothed with fig and olive trees. Three ridges more intervene, and the^i the Lake of Galilee appears. It did not seem more than two miles off, though in real- ity four hours distant, so much does the clear atmos- phere deceive tlie sight. The greater part of the lake was in view, nearly in the form of an oval, — a deep blue expanse of calm, unruffled, silent waters. Through part of the middle of tlie lake, we could discern a streak like the track of a vessel that had lately cut the waters. This might possibly be caused by the current of the Jordan passing through it ; but of this we were rather sceptical, for at other times we could not discover any thing like this appearance. On the eastern side the mountains are lofty and bare, descending abruptly on the shore. We could not descry a single village or town on that side, although smoke was rising from one or two points. On the western side the hills are not so lofty nor so close upon the lake ; but there is more variety. We remarked that there was no part of the margin which showed any thing like a plain except that part in the north-west 276 LAKE OF GALILEE — GENNESAHETH. where a v^erdant plain extends apparently three or four miles along the shore, and seemed to be a mile or a mile and a half at its greatest breadth. We concluded at once that this must be the plain of Gennesareth, of which Josephus speaks in such glowing terms,* and the land of Gennesareth, so often mentioned in the Gospel narra- tive, where stood Capernaum, and other cities, whose very site is now unknown. South of the plain, two rocky promontories run out into the lake. Over the nearest, a few buildings, dimly discernible, indicated the site of Tiberius ; but a little further a white building attracts the eye upon the shore. It is the hot baths of Tii^erias. Over the second promon- tory a distant village is visible, probably Kerak, the an- cient Tarichaea ; and there tiie view of the lake is bound- ed. The whole extent of the lake may be about fifteen miles in length, and nine miles at the greatest breadth. The view of the hill country to the west and south-west of the lake is very beautiful. The heights of Huttin, commonly fixed on by tradition as the Mount of Beati- tudes, appear a little to the west of Tiberias. Over these the graceful top of Mount Tabor is seen, and bej^ond it the little Hermon, famous for its dews; and still further, and apparently higher, the bleak mountains of Gilboa, on which David prayed that there might fall no dew nor rain.f A view of the position of Tabor and Hermon from such a situation as that which we now occupied, showed us how accurately they might be reckoned the ^'umbili- cus terra''''' — the central point of the land, — and led us to infer that this is the true explanation of the manner in which they are referred to in the 89th Psalm : " The north and the south thou hast created them ; Tabor and Her- mon shall rejoice in thy nfl7»e."| It is as if the Psalmist had said. North, south, and all that is between — or, in other words, the whole land from north to south, to its very centre and throughout its very marrow — shall re- joice in thy name. We could imagine the days when Jesus walked down by the side of that lake, and preached to silent multitudes gathered round him. It seemed at that moment unspeak- able condescension, that God in our nature should once have stood on some of these slopes, and stretched out his hand to sinners as he spoke in the tone of heavenly * Wars, iii. 10, sec. 8. t 2 Sam. i. 21. \ Ps. Ix.xxi.x. 12. SAPIIET — JF.WI3H SYNAGOGUE. 277 love, *« Come unto me, and I will give you rest !" And it was strangely solemn to be gazing upon rocks that echoed to his prayers by night, and deseit places where he was alone with his Father: "He departe'd again unto a mountain himself alone ;" " and his disciples went down unto the sea."* All sides of the lake are now compara- tively bleak and dreary; yet they suit the stillness of the scene. Not a tree is to be seen on the mountains; and even the land of Gennesareth, so famous in the days of Josephus for the amazing variety and luxuriance of its trees and shrubs, is now only a wilderness of reeds and bushes. " Behold your house is left unto you desolate !"t The house remains, but it is desolate. The rocks and mountains around the sea continue unaltered ; the water of the lake is as pure and as full as in ancient days; and yet the place is most desolate. Its cities are gone, and the vast population that once thronged its shores are now reduced to a few miserable inhabitants of mud- walled villages. Returning from this solemn scene, we bent our steps toward the JgVk'ish quarter. They reckon Saphet a pe- culiarly holy city, because Simeon, author of the Zohar, and many other eminent rabbis, are buried in its vicinity. We entei'ed a synagogue, where several persons were reading the Talmud and the Commentators. A young man was reading a commentary on 1 Chron. xxix. where the dying words of David are recorded. This led us to speak of what a man needed when death arrived, and we came at length to the question, How can a sinner be righteous before God? We were speaking in a mixture of Hebrew and German. The young man was very earnest, but several gathered round and stopped the conversation by asking "From what country do you come ?'' Before leaving, Mr. Bonar read out of a Ger- man tract the story of Salmasius, who on his deathbed wished that he had devoted his life to the study of the Holy Scriptures. In another synagogue, a young man who spoke Hebrew and German, conversed with us, and three old men joined us for a short time, but all of them looked suspiciously upon us, and soon went away. We learned in the course of the day, that they had heard from some of Sir Moses Montefiore's attendants, that we were come for the purpose of making them Christians, and had been warned to enter into no discussions. In the evening toward sunset, we could observe the * John vi. 15, 16. t Malt, xxiii. 38. 278 SAPHET — JEWISH SABBATH. preparations going on in every Jewish dwelling for the Sabbath. The women brought out of the oven the bread they had baked, beautifully white wheaten bread, the first we had seen among the natives of Palestine. The houses were all set in order, the table arranged, and the couches spread ; in every dwelling the Sabbath lamp was lighted, and a low murmur was heard, while the father of the family repeated the appointed benediction. "Blessed art thou, O Lord, King of the World, who hast sanctified us by thy commandments, and commanded us to light the Sabbath lamp." Soon after, all hurried to the syna- gogue, to bring in the Sabbath there. There are two synagogues of the Ashkenazim, and two of the Sephardim in Saphet ; and six of those places for study called Yishvioih. We visited one of the former, and found it very neat and clean, beautifully lighted up with lamps of ohve-oil. Several very venerable men were seated all round; morethanhalf of the worshippers had beards verging to pure white, and grey hair flowing on their shoulders. It was indeed a new scene to us. In reading their prayers, nothing could exceed their vehe- mency. They read with all their might ; then cried aloud like Baal's prophets on Mount Carmel ; and from time to time, the tremulous voice of some aged Jew rose above all the rest in earnestness. The service was performed evidently as a work of special merit. One old man often stretched out his hand as he called on the Lord, and clenched his trembling fist in impassioned supplication. Some clapped their hands, others clasped both hands to- gether, and wrung them as in an agony of distress, till they should obtain their request. A tew beat upon their breasts. One man, trembling with age, seemed to fix on the word " Adonai," and repeated it with every variety of intonation, till he exhausted his voice. All of them, old and young, moved the body backward and forward, rocking to and fro, and bending toward the ground. This indeed is an important part of worship in the esti- mation of strict Talmudists, because David says, " All my hones shall say, Lord, tvho is like unto thee /" * When all was over, one young man remained behind prolong- ing his devotions, in "great excitement. We at first thought that he was deranged, and was caricaturing the rest,"but were assured that, on the contrary, he was a peculiarly devout man. Sometimes he struck the wall, and sometimes stamped with his feet ; often he bent his * Ps. XXXV. 10. SYNAGOGUE WORSHIP — VINEYARDS. 279 whole body to the ground, crying aloud, " Adonai, is not Israel thy people ]" in a reproachlUl tone, as if angry that God did not inimediately answer. The whole service seemed embodying to the life the description given by Isaiah, " Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou .seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our souls, and thou takest no knowledge 1" " ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high." * We never felt more deeply affected at the sight of Israel. It was the saddest and most solemn view of them that we had yet obtained. — Sincere, anxious, devout Jews "going about to establish their own righteous- ness." None seemed happy ; even when all was over, none bore the cheerful look of men who had ground to believe that their prayers had been accepted. Many had the very look of misery, and almost of despair. We had just time to look in upon two other syna- gogues before they broke up. The devotions in all seemed to be conducted in one spirit of vehement and intense excitement. Yet it is said that the Jews of Ti- berias exceed them in the earnestness of their religious services. All the Ashkenazim here belong to the sect called " Chasidim," who are by far the most superstitious and Pharisaical sect among the Jews. On Saturday morning (July 13), walking out a little way, we came to part of the hill where are some small vineyards, with vines trained on terraces, afTording a specimen of former times. It is a surface of rock with a thin sprinkling of earth, that has been thus cultivated. Frequently tlie rocky terraces are entirely concealed by the verdant vines which hang over them, and often we passed through rows of vines, where the road was covered from view by the spreading luxuriance of the branches. To such a fruitful and spreading vineyard, where the very roads were overspread by luxuriant boughs. Job referred, when he said of the wicked's final ruin"^ " he beholdeth not the way of the vineyards.'" f We had planned a journey to explore the upper end of the Lake of Galilee, and see if any marks could be found to decide the position of Bethsaida ; but difficulties came in our way. Some assured us that the journey would occupy only two hours ; others said that it would require seven, and that the Bedouins had taken some horses there a few days ago, so that we must be accompanied by a guard. The uncertainty as to distance determined us * Isa. Iviii. 3, 4. t Job xxiv. 18. 2S0 VISIT TO MARONA. not to go, for we did not wish to risk breaking ni upon the Sabbath-day. We accordingly resolved to visit Ma- rona, whose white tomb was in sight, the burying-place of many illustrious Jews, and also a village named Jur- mah, higher up the mountain, whither many Jews had fled from the present danger. Every year Jewish pil- grims visit the sepulchres of Marona, and after many prayers, burn precious shawls dipped in oil in honour of the dead rabbis. Tliis very year Sir Moses Montefiore had gone on a pilgrimage to it, the Jews of Saphet ac- companying him "in a body. They sung as they went, and clapped their hands in concert with the song. They prayed at the tombs and returned. Mr. Caiman preferred remaining in Saphet, both in order to see some of liis old Jewish friends, and not to give needless offence, which would have been done had they seen one of their former brethren travelling on the Jew- ish Sabbath. Descending from the hill of Saphet, we crossed a rocky wilderness, and passed through a fine olive-grove. Here we met a large train of mules carry- ing merchandise on their way from Nablous to Damascus. Soon after, we began to ascend Mount Naphtali, and in less than two hours from Saphet came to Marona. It must have been an ancient place, for there are the ruins of terraces; also many caves and excavated tombs, some of them large and very curious. But the most re- markable object is a beautiful gateway, like the one we saw at Kefr-birhom. The carving appeared to be after the same pattern. The stones are very large, and the whole space occupied by the edifice can be accurately traced by the large foundation-stones that are distinctly visible. A pillar said to belong to this building, lay among the ruins in the village. Below this spot are situated the tombs of the holy men of the Jews, having a white-washed oratory built over them, and enclosed within walls. We entered by a narrow gate, and found ourselves in a court, in the centre of which grew a spreading fig-tree. From this court is the entrance to the white oratory, a cool pleasant spot, having an ostrich- shell suspended from the roof There is a desk with prayer-books for the use of Jewish pilgrims, among which we left one of our Hebrew tracts. The devout Jews have left their names scrawled over the walls. Beneath re- pose the ashes of Jewish saints, and the most distin- guished of all, the author of Zohar, lies here.* A little * See his history in the Appendix, No. III. VILLAGE OF JCRMAH. 281 lower down the hill, we entered a large cave, having seven vaults hewn out in it, containing many places for dead bodies, all empty. At the entrance lay four singu- larly carved stones, probably intended for lids of the sar- cophagi. Some of the Jews of the place were absurd enough to assert, that this village, Marona, is the Shim- ron-meron of Joshua xii. 20, and they called the channel of a small winter-torrent close by " tlie waters of Megiddo." They proved the former merely from the likeness in the name, and the latter from the circumstance of JCedesh, Megiddo, and Taanach, all occurring in the histoiy of Barak's expedition against Sisera, and then occurring along with Shimron-meron in Joshua xii. 20, 22. The vil- lage itself is poor and wretched, adorned by a solitary palm-tree. It belongs to the Maronite Christians, who have such respect for the chief man among the Jews there that they give full protection to all his brethren. We now ascended an hour higher up the mountain to Jurmah. The road was wild and beautiful, and the at- mosphere at this elevation pure and delightful. The myrtle-trees were in full blossom, and the whole way was lined with shrubs and evergreens, till we reached the village. It is situated upon a level brow of the hill just where the view opens out towards the Lake of Gal- ilee. Here we had been directed to inquire for the house of Rabbi Israel. We found him sick and in bed, but his family and the other Jews of the place received us very kindly. About fifteen reside here, principally Russians, who had left Saphet on account of the unsettled state of the country. The table was spread with a clean white cloth ; bread, cheese, milk, and a kind of spirit, were pro- duced, and we were pressed to partake. We conversed in Hebrew and German, and before leaving had some conversation regarding the pardon of sin. We felt it deeply interesting to partake of Jewish hospitality in one of the villages of the land of Israel, and they seemed friendly and not at all offended by our words. From the door of the house, they pointed out Bet-jan, a village half an hour from this, in which several Jewish families had taken refuge ; and told us of a village three hours further up the mountain, called Bukeah, where twenty Jews re- side, and where they cultivate the ground like Fellahs. If this be true, it is the only instance we heard of in which the Jews till the ground in Palestine. Descending the hill, we returned to Saphet in time to 26 232 RETURN TO SAPHET — SEPHARDIM SYNAGOGUES. visit the synagogues of the Sephardim. On our way we met an oM Jew, carrying his prayer-book in his hand, in the same manner as our old Scottish peasants carry their Bibles to cliurch. O that Israel had the same light upon the Word of God, that the Holy Spirit has granted to many of our peasants in Scotland ! The synagogues of the Sephardim are both within a small court, in which fig-trees are planted ; and both are clean, white-washed, and well lighted up. Here we got into converse with the same interesting young Jew who had followed us from Tyre. When we Were speaking on Psalm xxxii, the blessedness of being forgiven, he said, " But I obtained forgiveness long ago, by taking four steps in this holy land." And referring to Isaiah liii, he said, " Yes, it applied to Messiah, who is now sit- ting at the gate of Rome among the poor and the sick" — a singular legend which exists in the Talmud, and is one of the ways by which the Jews evade the force of that remarkable prophecy. Whenever any entered into converse with us in the synagogue, they were forbidden by the frown and authority of elder Jews. At last they cut off all further debate by beginning the public prayers. The same young Jew afterward meeting Mr. M'Cheyne in the street, and observing a strong staff in his hand, requested him to give him a present of it. He made his request in Hebrew aniN hdn "'JN in^' qmjh cni nrn 7\-Jrr\ '•h jn nrn y;2 "Give me this. staff, and if the Arabs come, I will smite them with it." It was strange to hear this youth speaking the language of his fathers on their own moun- tains. This evening, we heard that a party of Bedouins had come down upon the little village of Mijdel, on the bor- der of the Lake of Galilee, and'plundered the villagers of all their goods and cattle. This news spread fresh alarm through Saphet. (July 14.) We spent a pleasant Lord's day. We sat in the open air enjoying "the shadow of a cloud,"* and the coohng breeze that^swept over the hill. In the fore- noon, beneath the shade of an olive-grove, with Mount Naphtali full in view, we read together the Epistle to the Philippians, and worshipped. In the afternoon we join- ed again in social worship on the southern brow of the hill among the Mahometan tombs, with the Lake * Isa. XXV. 5. TOMBS — THE " ERUV." 283 of Galilee at our feet. While walking down the face of the hill, we came upon a cave where the Jews had thrown aside, from religious scruples, leaves of Hebrew books, and many MSS. written on parchment rolls, in which some delect had been found. This cave was amidst the flat gravestones that whiten that part of the hill. On tiie tombs, few of the inscriptions were inter- esting. Almost all ran in the same terms, beginning generally with the common formula, viz. the two letters, jd, that is, " Here is buried ;" and then the individual's name and character, ^^z'•'^ cdh i^vs, "A man perfect and upright." One quaint inscription quoted the words of the prophet Habakkuk, and applied them to a dead rabbi, as one whom even the inanimate objects would lament, " For the stone shall cry out of the wall ; and the beam out of the timber shall answer it."* In returning to our dwelling in the afternoon, a Jew constrained ih: Caiman to go'into his house. It turned out that the man was intoxicated, and that he was a Russian who had become a Jew. Such cases of apos- tasy on the part of professing Christians sometimes occur. Mr. f'alman knew two'others who had become Jews in a similar manner.f It was here tliat we first observed the 2->->-;, " Eruv," a string stretched from house to house across a street, or fastened upon tall poles. The string is intended to re- present a wa/l, and thus by a ridiculous fiction the Jews are enabled to fulfil the precept of the Talmud, that no one shall carry a burden on the Sabbath-day, not even a pra3'er-book or a handkerchief, or a piece of money, except it be within a walled place. How applicable still are the words of Jesus, " In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."t In the evening, our servant Antonio, a simple kind- hearted lad, read with us in the Italian Bible. He was much struck with Christ's words on the cross, "Dio mio, Dio mio, perche m' hai lasriaio,'''' "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me .'" He had for several nights, at the end of the day's journey, sat down alone to read a little. Mr. Caiman began to address the muleteers ; but one of them, when he heard how the Sabbath ought *Hab. ii. 11. t There is a singular instance in the history of our own rhurch, re- corded by Wodrow, of one Fr. Bortliwick, who was accused of Juda- ism. t Matt. .\v. 9. 284 SAPHET AS A BIISSIONARY STATION. to be sanctified, said, " He did not like that, for it was the only day he had for fantasies,'''' that is, amusements. Thus our last evening in Saphet came to a close. We could not help desiring that the time would come when our beloved Church should be permitted to establish a Mission here. When the Deputation was unbroken, we had often spoken together upon the subject, and had always turned toward this spot as probably the most desirable situation in Palestine for a Mission to Israel ; and now that we had visited it, our convictions were greatly strengthened. The climate of Saphet is very dehghtful even in the heat of summer. The thermometer immediately before dawn stood at 58° F. ; at 8 o'clock, 64° ; at noon, 76'^ in the shade. The mountain air is pure, and the hills are finely exposed to every breeze that sweeps by. A Mission established in Galilee would have this great advantage, that the head-quarters might be at Saphet in summer, where the cool atmosphere would enable the missionary to labour without injury to health, and at Tiberias in winter, where the cold is scarcely felt. There is no missionary at present resident in either. The missionaries at Jerusalem visit both places occasionally, but by no means frequently. The Jews of Saphet have intimate communication with those of Jeru- salem, and of the coast, so that all the motions of our English brethren at Jerusalem, and even our movements as we travelled through the land, were well known to them. They are also quite accessible to the efforts of a kind and judicious missionary, though many of them were shy of us because they had been warned from an influential quarter to have no dealings with us. Still the Sephardim were quite willing to hear; and all were friendly. In the village, where no external influence had been used, they were kind and attentive. They here have little or no employment, and have therefore abun- dant leisure to read and discuss. They are also in deep affliction, "finding no ease, neither has the sole of their foot rest," a state of mind more favourable than carnal ease for affording opportunity to press upon them the truths of the gospel. If it were thought advisable to engage converts in ag- ricultural pursuits, it would be much more easily accom- plished here than in any other part of the land. They might settle in a village among the mountains, and till the ground, or train the vine, like the Jews at DEPARTURE FROM SAPHET. 285 Bukeah of whom we heard. The Jews both of Saphet and Tiberias are most interesting, ii'om the v^ery circum- stance of their extravagant devoUon and bigotry. They have a peculiar love for these two places, being two of their four holy cities, and many of their saints being buried near. They say that Jeremiah hid the ark some- where in the hill of Saphet, and that Messiah will come first in Galilee. This notion is probably derived from Isaiah, "Galilee of the nations, the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light."* That remarkable prophecy was fulfilled when our Lord Jesus, the great light of the world, came and dwelt beside the lake of Galilee ;t and who can tell whether He may not choose the same favoured spot to make light spring up again on them who sit in the region and shadow of death I If the Spirit of God were poured down upon Saphet, it would become a city that might shine over the whole Jewish world. " A city set on a hill cannot be hid." Such were our feelings upon the spot in 1839. The blast of war has passed over the country since then, and the reins of go- vernment of Syria have been wrenched from the hand of Mehemet AH, and transferred to the feeble grasp of the Sultan. At present (1S42), the country is said to be so unsettled, that no missionary would be safe in Saphet or any where in the interior of Galilee. But if tranquillity was restored, the desirableness of the place as a mission- ary station would be as great as ever. (July 15.) We were up before the sun, and, by six o'clock took leave of our Jewish host and his family. Many Jews saluted us as we passed through the town. We proceeded south, with the Lake of Galilee fully in view, and descended into a deep valley, with a remark- able range of high and precipitous rocks, composed of reddish sandstone, on the left hand. In the bottom was a fresh stream of running water, issuing from a copious well, the oleander blossoming all around. The name of the valley was called Wady Hukkok. It may be the spot mentioned in Joshua, " The border of Naphtali went out to Hukkok, and reached to Zebulun on the south side."]: The name has evidently been given in re- ference to its steep precipitous sides.J It seems probable that the border of Naphtali ended at this point. 1| * Isa. i.\. 1, 2. + iMatt. iv. 13. t Josh. xix. 34. § The root " ppn" sitjnifies to cut or engrave. 11 The ditficult prophecy in regard to INaphtali's portion in Deut, 26* 286 JOTAPATA — PLAIN OF GENXESARETH. Descending still further south, we observed on the right a singular rock, of considerable height, in which were many caverns, and one part of which seemed to indicate excavations made by art, capable of containing a large number of men. We did not ascertain the name of this place, but afterwards conjectured that it might be the site of Joiapata, the city of Josephus, for it answers well to the description of that fortress given by him.* " Jotapata is almost wholly a precipice, abruptly enclosed all round on the other sides with immense valleys, whose depth wearies the eye of the beholder, and affording an access only on its northern side." The caves of Arbela (sup- posed to be the Betharbel of Hoseaf), in the valley of Doves, south-west of the plain of Gennesareth, appear, from the description of travellers, to be very similar. Leaving this spot on our left, we crossed over a plea- sant hill to the south-east, and came down into the fer- tile Plain of Gennesareth, near a fountain called " Ain-el- Tin," " the fig-tree fountain," supposed by some to be "the fountain of Capernaum" mentioned by Josephus. We did not search out the ruins of the city, but there were pointed out to us heaps among the luxuriant bushes of the plain, which some have thought to be the remains of Capernaum. The land of Gennesareth is a beautiful little plain, extending along the shore nearly four miles, and about two miles fromlhe lake to the foot of the hills at the broadest part. It is in the shape of a bow and string at full stretch, and there is a gentle slope from the hills to the water's edge all round. It seems highly pro- bable that part of the hills which enclose it, may have been included in the territory of Gennesareth in the days of its splendour. Gardens and orchards could not find a better soil tlian these declivities, and it must have been on the different steps of this amphitheatre, tliat the varietj' of trees yielding the fruits of different seasons found each its appropriate climate, as described by Josephus. xxxiii. 23, should probably be translated, " Possess thou the sea (a') and the south." The term " south" is intended to fix the meaning of "the sea;" q. d. not the Great Sea or Mcditcrraneiin, but the sea that lies south of thy border; that is, the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum, Beth- saida, and other fishing towns, belonged to Naphtali, so that his ves- sels commanded the whole lake, or, in other words, "possessed it." Just as, in Gen. xlix. 13, the border of Zebulun is said to "be unto Zidoji ;" because he might be said to extend to that point when his vessels were trading thither. * Wars, iii. 7. ' t IIos. x. 14. PLAIN- OF GENXE3ARETII. 287 Moving on southward we crossed a fine stream flowing througli tlie plain, the saine wiiich we had seen gusliing from its fountain among the hills below Saj)het. Its banks were adorned with tiie oleander and other flow- ers. A fine flock of goats were watering here, and a rich crop of dhura was springing green and beautiful. The reeds and thistles were growing to an amazing height beside the water. Soon after, we crossed another stream from the mountains, full and rapid. On the lefl; bank upon the height, there were the remains of an an- cient tower, in no way interesting, and the name of which we could not learn. In the middle of the stream stood a ruined mill. Many tortoises were seen dropping into the water as we approached. The i)lain opens out considerably, aflTording spots of pasturage, where we observed several Bedouins feeding their horses; l)ut still there was a vast profusion of reeds and shrubs, and thorny plants, the most common being the tree called nabbok by the Arabs. In almost an hour fi-om Ain-el-Tin we came to Mijdel, at the southern extremity of the plain. Such is the present condition of the Land of Gennesa- reth, — once a garden of princes, now a wilderness. We have seen that the remains of Capernaum, which is called the Saviour's " oivn city,'" * are scarcely to be found ; and the traces of Chorazin and Bethsaida are still move doubt- ful. There seems every probability that they were also ■within the limits of this little plain, but where, no one can tell, f The solemn " wo" pronounced by the Lord Jesus on these three cities, in whose streets He so oft:en spoke the words of eternal life, has fallen with silent but exterminating i)ower. It is more tolerabh^ for Tyre and Sidon than for them. "And thou, Capernaum, which wast exalted to heaven, art brought down to hoII."j: He took out his believing remnant from the midst of tliem (as he took Lot out of Sodom), Peter, Andrew, and Philip, three worthies from Bethsaida, — and three from Caper- * Matt. ix. 1. + It seems evident that there were two towns called Heihsaida, on opposite sides ot the Sea of tJalilce. One was the town of Philip, .An- drew, and Peter, (John i. tl), assuciatid with Chorazin and raptrnaum (Matt. xi. 20 — -21), and bclon, whicli had been spread on the top of the house, — like Saul, when Samuel called him ontlietopof his house at Raniali.* The Jews were met in their syna- gogue for morning worsliip; and one unusual sight was three women sitting under a veranilah with large folios before them, ajiparently prayer-books. Several of the children wliom we had spoken with yesterday recognised and saluted us. Miglit not an opening be found into the bosom of Jewish families by shewing kindness to their children ? We made our way over the southern wall of the town, through one of the breaches occasioned by the earth- quake. On the outside, the country people were already busily engaged in thresliing and winnowing their wheat harvest. We rode smartly along the smooth edge of the lake for about two miles, till we arrived at the " Ham- mam Taberiah," or "hot baths of Tiberias," a white building which we had seen from Saphet. it is supposed to occupy the site of a fenced city called "■Ha in math, " mentioned by Joshua,+ and which stood near the town Cinnereth, that gave its name to the lake. An attendant came forward and held our horses, wliile we were ush- ered into a commodious apartment. The building, which was erected by Ibraim Pasha, is handsome, the floors being all of marble. The batii is open to the public gra- tuitously, only the batiiers pay the attendants, who fur- nish them with every thing needful. There are small baths of white marble in private apartments, and the common bath is in the centre— a large circular basin built of marble, and continually supjilied with hot water from hot springs without. We found it about five feet deep, and it was with difficulty that we could at first bear the heat of the water. After swimming round and round for some lime, it became exceedingly pleasant, and every pore of the body seemed to be freely opened. V\'e after- wards enjoyed the luxury of free and copious perspira- tion as we sat in the ante-room, and were refreshed with water-melons and cofiee. We examined two of the principal spiings, from which the water boils up so hot that we could not keep our hand in it more than a se- cond. Between the springs and the lake are many curi- ous petrifactions. Tiie stump and roots of some old * 1 Sam. ix. 26. t Josh. .xix. 35. 296 DEPARTURE FROM TIBERIAS — PLAIN OF HUTTIN. olive-trees, over which the water from the spring flows, were completely petrified. We were anxious to obtain a view from the last pro- montory on tliis side of the lake, and accordingly rode a little farther south along the shore, finding the banks fringed with beautiful oleanders and reeds, among which one solitary palm raised its head. Two deep ravines in the mountains on the opposite side were from this point distinctly visible, but we obtained no fuller view of the southern end of the lake. We would gladly have gone farther down and explored the remains of Tarichcea, and the place where the lake discharges its waters into the Jordan; but a long day's journey lay before us, so we turned back to the town, struck our tent, and about ele- ven o'clock issued from the gate of Tiberias. Two Ger- man Jews shook hands kindtly with us at the gate. It was with real regret that we bade farewell to the blessed shores of the Sea of Galilee. Our course lay due west, up the steep hills which enclose the little plain on which Tiberias stands; and as we turned back to gaze on this sea, it lay at our feet serene and bright, reflecting the deep blue sky as peacefully as on that day when Jesus stilled its waves, " and there was a great calm." The rocks over which we travelled were black and of volcanic origin. Reaching the summit of the hill, the beautiful plain of Huttin lay on a lower level on our right hand, extending to the brink of the hills which en- close the lower plain of Gennesareth. On our left was a still higher plain, nearly all cultivated, and chequered with fields of green and yellow. The plain of Huttin was also variegated with wild flowers and occasional patches of cultivation, giving it tlie appearance of an ex- tensive carpet. Here we saw the gazelle bounding on before us, over shrubs and rocks and every obstacle, and felt the exquisite fulness of meaning in the Church's ex- clamation, " Behold, he cometh leaping upon the moun- tains, skipping upon the hills ! My beloved is like a gazelle or a young hart." * It is the very nature of this lively animal to bound over the roughest heiglits with greatest ease ; it seems even to delight in doing so. Looking back, we obtained a distant view of the north- ern part of the lake, from which we were gradually re- ceding ; the white summit of snowy Hermon appeared more "majestic than ever, and Saphet with its white build- * Song ii. 8, 9. . MOUNT OF BEATITUDES — VILLAGE OP LUBIAH. 297 ings could not be hid. Our way lay through large fields of splendid thistles, having purple tiovvers, and very fi^a- grant. The stalk was often six or eight led iiigh, bear- ing twelve or liftcen heads. Again we were reminded of the oft-recurring tlu'eatening, " There shall come up briers and thorns."* But tliere is a different day ap- proaciiing of which the same propliet writes, " The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters; but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as (he chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like thistle-down before the ivhirlwindy-\ At the very moment, on a neighbouring height before us, a husbandman was tossing up his wheat into the air, that the brisk mountain breeze might carry the chaff away ; and often by our side, the wind caught up some of the loose thistle-down and whirled it rapiflly over the plain. With the same ease and rapidity shall Israel's enemies be swept away : " Behold, at even-tide trouble, and be- fore the morning he is not ! This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us." In a short time we came in sight of Mount Tabor, called by the Arabs Jebel Tor, in the distant south, while near us, on our right, appeared the Horns of Huttin, a rocky hill with two conical tops. The latter is the hill called by tradition "the Mount of Beatitudes," l)eing supposed to lie the scene of the Sermon on the Mount, for which rea- son it is also sometimes called the hill of Toul^at or Bles- sings. Another tradition supposes it to be the place where Jesus fed the five thousand with five barley loaves and two fishes.]; It is not impossible that one or both these traditions may be true; but there is no positive evidence of their truth, and it seems too probable that they arose from the hill being so prominently marked by two peaks. Turning to the south, we soon came to a village called Lubiah, situated high on a limestone ridge, commanding a full view of Tabor. Here we encamped till the heat of the day was past. The village is large, and surrounded with the fig-tree and prickly pear, which gives it an aspect of plenty and pleasantness. Most of the houses have a place for sleeping on the roof, as at Tiberias, and we observ-ed here one of the most interest- ing examples of the stair from the roof down to the street. 5 From Lubiah we descended into the valley of * Isa. V. 6. t Isa. xvii. 18. See margin. t John vi. 3— It. $ Referred to in Matt. .\xiv. 17. 27* 298 PLAIN OF ESDRAELON — MOUNT TABOR. Jezreel, now the plain of Esdraelon ; and having directed Antonio and the muleteers to carry our luggage to the village Dabourieh at the western foot of Tabor, accom- panied by Botros only we rode smartly forward over the plain, intending to climb Mount Tabor before sunset. The plain (extending about thirty miles in length, and twenty in breadth) is singularly level, cultivated in some spots, but for the most part a wilderness of weeds and thorns. There is the appearance indeed of varied pro- duce upon it, but this is caused merely by the difierent colours of the thistles and briers which cover it. It is reckoned that not more than one-sixteenth of the whole is under cultivation ; and at this part, the proportion is certainly still smaller. How strikingly are the words of Isaiah fulfilled, " They shall lament for the teats, and for the pleasant fields."* The eye is much deceived in judging of distances over this vast plain. From the heights of Lubiah, it appeared to us that we might reach Tabor in less than an hour, and yet it occupied fully two hours, though we rode nearly at full speed. The weeds ■were often as high as our horses, and scarcely a tree was to be seen on the plain till we approached Tabor. Tabor is a truly graceful mountain, but presents a very different appearance when viewed from different sides. This accounts for the great diversity in the re- presentations given of it. From the north, it had the appearance of the segment of a sphere, and appeared beautifully wooded on the summit, affording retreats to the animals for whom " the net was spread on Tabor."t From the west, it is like a truncated cone, appearing much steeper and higher, with the southern side almost destitute of trees. But on all sides it is a marked and prominent object, as the prophet intimates when he says, "As Tabor is among the mountains.''^ We passed through several flocks of goats, and near the hill came to a ruined khan, and beside it a fortress, with towers at the corners, which bore marks of having been built by the Franks in crusading times. Close by was the tomb of a Moslem saint luider a fine spreading tree, with a jug of water upon the grave, according to the practice of Mahometans. The lower branches of the tree were covered with votive rags of different colours. We stopped a little to examine a plough, which lay * Isa. .\xxii. 13. See p. 119. t Hos. v. 1. | Jer. xlvi. 18. A PLOUGH — ASCEXT TO MOUXT TABOR. 299 thrown aside under a tree. It was made entirely of wood, the coulter only being sheathed in a very thin plate of iron, and was theretbre exceedingly ligiit, and fit to be guided by a single hand. We at once saw how easy a matter it would be literally to fulfil the words of the projjiiets, " They shall ijeat their swords into plough- shares." * The approach to Tabor is through a wide and shallow wady, regularly wooded with fine oak trees, so that it was more like the entrance to a nobleman's policy than an open wilderness. The Balut and the com- mon oak were the most frequent. Taljor itself, and the low ridge which connects it with the hills of Nazareth, were both covered with the same; not brushwood, as on the hills of Judah, but trees, and these growing at regular distances, as if planted by the hand of the forester. We had ascertained that the village Dabourieh, to which our baggage was to be carried, lay west of the hill, close under its base, and we ought to have gone to that village for a guide, or at least we should have as- cended the hill by the i)lain path on that side of the hill, as is usually done. But the day was far spent, and we had no time to lose, so we resolved to press up the northern face of the hill from the point where we were. Leaving the road, and penetrating by a narrow footpath through a beautiful grove of oaks, we crossed to the pro- per base of the hill, and began the real ascent. We soon lost all traces of a path, and were involved in mazes of tangling shrubs and briers, and strong trees. The ac- clivity, too, was very steep, and occasionally a project- ing rock or a smootii precipitous ledge nearly bafiied the efforts of tiie mules to ascend. At length we dismounted, the closely twined branches of the trees frequently forcing us first to thrust through our own persons and then to drag on the nnimals. Anxious to reach the summit be- fore sunset, and now not a little perplexed and wearied, we again sought for the smallest track, — but in vain. We had no alternative, therefore, but to press upwards without delay. Our attendant Botros, whose clothes as well as our own had by this time suffered consider- ably from the trees and thorns, finding it no common labour both to ascend in face of such obstacles, and also to drag up the mules, kept muttering angry curses on us in his own language. At one time we had almost * Mic. iv. 3, and Isa. ii. 4. 300 VIEW FROM MOUXT TABOR. concluded that we must make up our minds to spend the night where we were, on the wooded mountain side, and surrounded by its wild beasts, for we appeared to be still far from the summit. The sun was beginning to sink in the west, and to retrace our way to the foot through the same intricate passage, would liave been as difficult as to ascend. However, we asked guidance of Him who keepeth Israel, and pressed on. Suddenly and much sooner than we expected, we came upon ancient stones, which were evidently the remains of some build- ing. By this sign we knew that we must be' now close to the summit, which to our great joy turned out to be the case. The sun had just disappeared, but we had still light enough to seethe chief points of the magnificent landscape. We climbed up upon the ruins of the old fortifications on the south-east corner, wiiich appeared to be the highest point on the summit, and looked around. To the north and north-east we saw the plain over which we had travelled, the heights of Huttin, and the deep basin of the mountains enclosing the Sea of Galilee. Other travellers have seen a part of tlie lake ; this we did not observe, but the hills of Bashan, steep and frowning, appeared quite at hand. To the west and south-west lay the largest part of the great plain of Esdraelon, bounded by the long ridge of Carmel, and watered by the full flowing Kishon, makmg its way through it toward the Mediterranean. To the south, and immediately in front of us, was the graceful range of Little Hermon, and be- hind it the summits of Mount Gilboa. Between us and Hermon lay stretched that arm of the plain of Esdraelon which encircles Tabor, beautifully variegated with im- mense fields of thistles and wild flowers, giving the whole plain the appearance of a carpeted floor. How great must have been its beauty when its wide open surface was adorned with thriving villages planted amidst fields of waving grain, and gardens of blossoming fruit-trees, and closed in by the fertile hills that gird its horizon ! At the foot of Hermon, Mr. Caiman pointed out tons Endor, where Saul went to consult the woman who had a familiar spirit on the last night of his unhapjiy career ;=^ and a little way to the west of it the village ol Nuin, still mark- ing the spot where Jesus raised the widow's son to life.f Tabor is about a thousand feet above the plain, an- * 1 Sam. xxviii t Luke vii. 11. ASSOCIATIONS — DESCENT FROM MOUNT TABOR. 301 swering well to the description " an high mountain apart." Its level top, about a mile in circumference, covered with groups of line trees and brushwood, alFords a spot of complete retirement in the very midst of the land. If this was really the scene of tlie Transfiguration, there is a ditficulty arising from tlie fact, that both a fortress and a village once stood on its top, though otherwise it would not be easy to find a spot in this world more suitable for that heavenly transaction. It is a solenm thing to feel that you are treading the very ground on which holy beings have walked; .and here we believed we were on ground called by Peter " the holy mount,'"* hallowed by the visit of Moses and Elias, by the presence of the trans- figured Saviour himselt; and by the voice, of God the Father, when he spake from the excellent glory, " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased ; hear ye him." Barak assembled his 10,000 men on this hill,! in company with Deborah ; and in the plain at its foot, not a few learned men have supposed that the armies of An- tichrist (gathered together to the place called Armaged- don,J) are to be destroyed by the Lamb when the great day of his wratli is come. We would gladly have lingered long upon the summit of Tabor, to meditate over the history of the past and the future, for even when we had nothing but the associa- tions connected with it, we felt it "good to be here." The darkness, however, was rapidly descending and shutting out the view, so that our stay was very short. The moon rose, and by her light our servant guided us down a steep and rocky footpath on the south side, so that we were able, though with some difficulty, to ride down the whole way. But where we were to find Da- bourieh we did not know. On reaching the foot of the hill, six or eight men sprang up from the ground on which they were lying, and advanced towards us, each carrying a large club in his hand. We were somewhat alarmed, but were soon relieved by finding out that they were friendly villagers watching their heaps of corn by night, like Boaz in the history of Ruth.^ They on their part imagined that we were plundering Bedouins, against whose depredations they were watching, and were over- joyed to find that we were mere harmless travellers. It was only now that we began to learn how wonder- * 2 Pet. i. 18. t Judir. iv. 1 i. t Rev. xvi. IG $ Ruth lii. 2—7. 302 ESCAPE — VILLAGE OF DABOCRIEH. fully our God had preserved and guided us. The villa- gers could scarcely believe that we had come over the mountain, for they told us that a band of Arabs were lurking among the woods, and had killed several per- sons the day before. We knew not how much or how little to beheve, but it was evident that we had been saved from danger, and had escaped the hands of the Bedouins, simply in consequence of our leaving the di- rect road and climbing a part of the hill seldom visited. The darkness, too, which prevented our making a com- plete circuit of the hill, had providentially kept us from approaching the retreat of the plundere)-s. Two of the villagers agreed to conduct us to the village of Dabou- rieh, which they faithfully performed for a small reward. There we found our servants anxiously looking out for us. They had put up the tent and set a light within it, that we might see the white curtains from a distance ; but both they and the villagers had begun to conclude that we had fallen into the hands of the Arabs. Perhaps never before had we felt such gratitude for a deliverance as we did that evening, when seated in our tents in peace and comfort, after the anxieties and alarms of the day. Had we gone round by Dabourieh at first, to ob- tain a guide, we would then have heard of the danger, but now, without knowing of it, we had been permitted to visit the summit of Tabor in peace. We could see plainly that every step of our way had been graciously overruled, and that our very difficulties and vexations which had troubled us at the time, were made the means of our safety. The simple villagers of Dabourieh gather- ing round expressed great astonishment at our escape. We sang praise in our tents with a full heart, in the words of Psalm cxxiv, " Had not the Lord been on our side," &c. (July 17.) During the greater part of the night the wolves and jackals kept up a loud and angry howl, which was responded to by the bark of the village dogs. At morning the clouds were hanging beautifully on the top of Tabor and the adjacent hills, and the sky was cov- ered with a veil of fretted clouds, the first of tlie kind we had seen in Palestine. It was easy now to understand why Tabor had been so often made a place of rendez- vous from the days of Barak and downward,* the hill * Judg. iv. 6. VILLAGES OF ENDOR AND NAIN — BEDOUINS. 303 being so commodious as a place of defence, with a co- pious supply of water on the very summit, even when the enemy spread themselves on the plain below. From our tent-door we saw across the plain the villa- ges of Endor and Nain, at the foot of Little Hermon. Endor lies under the brow of the hill, and Saul would have an easy road from it to the fountain of Jezreel, at the foot of Gil boa, where his army were encamped.* Nain is further west, and appears to lie still closer under Hermon. We observed cultivated fields, and verdure round it ; and it was here that Mr. Calhoun, our Ameri- can friend, whom we met at Alexandria, found many tombs cut out of the rock, one of which may have been the intended sei)ulchre of the young man whom Jesus met as they carried him out dead, and restored to the weeping widow. Jesus must have known this spot well, for he would often pass it on his way to the Lake of Galilee. No place in all this land furnishes more re- markable illustrations of the sovereignty of God than do these two villages. At Endor, you see a king in the an- guish of despair, consulting with a diviner, and warned by the dead that the Lord had departed from him and become his enemy. But on the same plain, a few miles from Endor, a thousand years after, you see at Nain, " God over all " coming in our natui*e, and wiping away the tears of a poor widow. Over the western shoulder of Hermon lies Solam, the ancient S/tunem, and farther south, near Gilboa, Zerin, the ancient Jezreel ; but these we did not see. In the village of Dabourieh itself, one of the first sights that attracted our notice was a group of Bedouins, near kins- men, no doubt, of the very robbers who had been ranging the hill and keeping the neighbourhood in alarm. Yet here they were sitting at their ease smoking their long pipes, the passing villagers giving them a suspicious glance that indicated no good will, but nobody daring to challenge them. Could there be a simpler or more stri- king illustration of the prophtcy mentioned before, "His hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him; yet he shall dwell in the presence of all his bi-ethren .?"t One good-natured Bedouin approaching our tent permitted us to sketch him, and smiled when he saw his own likeness. The little yellow shawl over * 1 Sam. xxi.\. 1. t Gen. xvi. 12. 304 GROUP OF BEDOUINS. the head, and the twisted rope of camel's hair that binds it, are the chief peculiarities of their dress. Close by the village of Dabourieh a small stream flows from the north to join the Kishon. They called it by the same name as the village. This name may possibly be derived from Tabor, at the foot of which it lies ; others conjecture that Deborah's exploit in this region, when she accompanied Barak to the hill, may have given name to the town and stream ; but still more probably, it is the same as the Levitical city Daberath, which belonged to the tribe of Issachar.* * Josh. .xix. 12 ; xxi. 28. NAZARETH — CONVENT. 305 We left our encampment about nine o'clock, descend- ing from the height on which Uabourieh stands, and tra- velling in a north-west direction. We soon entered a defile, finely wooded with oak-trees and brushwood, often looking back to admire the graceful tapering cone of Mount Tabor. On the top of a hill to the right, ap- peared a village, Ain Muhil. Our road now lay over limestone hills of a much barer character, until, about two hours from Tabor, we began to descend the slope that leads into the Vale of Nazareth. The town of Nazareth lies on the west side of the val- ley, on the acclivity of one of the many hills that meet here. The valley has sometimes been compared to a cup ; and the hills have all a whitish appearance from the limestone of which they are composed. There are numerous tracks, worn deep in the calcareous rocks, leading from the town in different directions, to neigh- bouring villages on the other side of the hill. The houses are of a very white stone, and appeared to be more sub- stantial and regularly built than those of other towns of Palestine. The buildings of the Convent are massy, and there is a mosque in the town, adorned with cypress trees. There were no ruins visible, except the remains of an old khan near the entrance of the town. Fig-trees and olives abounded in the gardens, hedged in with prickly pear. The women at the well also appeared to be better dressed, and in more comfortable circumstances than in most other places of the land ; and, on the whole, we found Nazareth a more thriving place than we had anticipated. We put up our horses at the khan, which is one of the best specimens we met with of the Eastern inn. The Bazaar, howevei', was poor, having no great show of things for sale. Cusas and cucumbers, cloths and red shoes, formed the staple commodities. A great many bony-featured Bedouins, with the rope of camel's hair round their head, were loitering about the street. The situation of Nazareth is very retired, and it is said that, on account of this seclusion, the worthless charac- ters of Galilee resorted thither, till at length the town became a proverb for wickedness. In this town, among such a race of men, did the blessed Jesus live thirty- years, in calm submission to his Father's will, obeying in obscurity for us. We visited the Convent, and saw all its pretended wonders. We were shown the chamber of the Annun- ciation, where the angel Gabriel saluted Mary, " Hail, 28 306 NAZARETH — MOUNT OF PRECIPITATION. thou that art highly favoured ;" also, the house of Joseph cut out of the rock, and the pillar curiously (the inhabi- tants say miraculously) suspended from the roof They wished to take us to another part of the town, to see the stone-table from which Christ dined with his disciples, both before and after his resurrection — a visit which pro- cures seven years' indulgence to the deluded pilgrims of the Romish Church ; but we were no way inclined to see more of their follies, and grievously offended our guide by declining to go. One or two of the paintings in the convent are good, especially a large one of the Annun- ciation, but ithas the painful profanation of representing God the Father as an old man. There is also a curious ancient picture of Christ, said to be the very one sent by him to the King of Edessa, on which is inscribed, " Hcec vera imago Domini,'''' &c. From the convent garden the monks pointed out to us the Mount of Precipitation, regarded by them as the hill from which the angry Nazarenes wished to cast the Sa- viour headlong, about a mile and a half distant from the town. This is a tradition which disproves itself, being contrary to the express words of the Gospel narrative, " They rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill tvhereon their city ivas built, that they might cast him down headlong."* We next visited the place which Dr. Clarke conjectured to be the true precipice, immediately above the small church of the Maronites. This is really a continuation of the hill upon which the town is built. It is composed of lime- stone rock, forming several precipices, so that a person cast down from above would without doubt have more than one dangerous fall. We had no hesitation, when standing there, in concluding that the brow of that hill was the very spot where the men of Nazareth rejected the Lord of gloiy. The white rocks all round Nazareth give it a peculiar aspect. It appears dry and tame, and this effect is in- creased by the trees being powdered over with dust dur- ing the summer season. The heat was very great, and the glare from the rocks painful to the eyes. There is a good fountain near the entrance of the town, called the Fountain of the Virgin, because it is said that Mary and her Son were in the habit of drawing water there. * Luke iv. 29. LEAVE NAZARETH CANA OF GALILEE. 307 We were detained in this town longer than we intend- ed, by the abrupt departure of the muleteer whom we liad engaged at Saphet to accompany us to Acre, but who had set off to join a caravan that was collecting near the town, and bound for Damascus. On discover- ing this, we went to the Cadi to lay our complaint be- fore him, and found several people waiting at the door of his house, who, when he made his appearance, kissed the hem of his garment — an act, like the kissing of the image of Baal,* indicating respect and reverence. Per- haps also there may be an allusion to the same custom in the words, " Kiss ye the son lest he be angry." f The Cadi could do nothing for us, and sent us "to the Mate- selim ; and he again said it was not a cause to be laid be- fore him, but before the Sheikkl By this time, however, the man was out of reach, and we had no thought of re- maining till search was made for him. We therefore proceeded on our journey without him. We left Nazareth by a well-worn track leading over the rocky hills to the north-west, passing on our right a village called Reineh. Beyond this lies Kefr Kenna, generally supposed to be Cana of Galilee, where Jesus made the water wine.J In an hour and a half we reach- ed Sephourieh, the ancient Sej^phoris. The name, which means "a bird," (in Hebrew, mex,) seems to be derived from the position of the town ; the town being on an eminence, like a bird perched on a hill-top. Its castle is in ruins, but still occupies the summit of the hill. The village is small, but many fragments of pillars and other ruins lie scattered about. Having so lately visited Tibe- rias, lying low upon the edge of the Lake of Galilee, we could now see the force of the saying of a rabbi, who wished his portion to be with those who began the Sab- bath at Tiberias, and ended it at Sepphoris." The sun lingers of course longer upon the hill of Sephourieh, and makes a longer day than is enjoyed in low-lying Tibe- rias. Rabbi Judah, the holy, who completed the Mishna, was born in this town. The people of this village were kind and affable. Some of them offered us lehan, of which we gladly sat down in a court-yard to partake. Beside us were women and * 1 Kings xix. 18. Hos. xiii. 2. t Ps ii. 12. X The researches of Robinson go far to prove, that the true site of Cana of Galilee is not Kefr Kenna, but Kana el Jelil, a ruined villasre three hours north of A'azareth. The latter village was within our view after leaving Sephourieh, but we did not take notice of it. 308 SEPHOURIEH — AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS. children busily employed in arranging and binding the leaves of the tobacco plant in bundles. A large thrash- ing-floor was also near, and we put many questions to the peasants in regard to their farming operations. A flat board, which is drawn over the corn to bruise it, is called loah. It is made of two or three boards firmly united, and the bottom is spiked with stones arranged at regular distances, not unlike the nails in a ploughman's shoe. It is drawn by two horses or oxen, a boy sitting upon it, and driving them round and round. This in- strument is universally used, and is probably " the thrash- ing instrument" mentioned by the prophet.* The wood- en fork for throwing the bruised corn up in the air, is called midra, and the flat, hollow wooden shovel next used for a similar purpose, is called ruha. The latter is evidently the fan of the New Testament. When this implement is used, the wheat falls down in a heap on the thrashing-floor, while the chaff is carried away by the wind, and forms another large heap at a little distance. The peasants do not burn it; they give it to their cattle; but it is so perfectly dry, that, were it set on fire, it would be impossible to quench it. In how striking a manner do these simple customs illustrate the words of David, * Isa. xxviii. 27. PASS OF ACILENE— SL-R.MISKS OF DANGER. 309 "The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wmd driveth away ;"-^ and those of John the Baptist concerning Jesus, " Wliose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his fl(;or, and gather his wheat into the garner: but he will burn up the chaff with lire un- quenchable."! Leaving Sephourieh, we proceeded still north-west, and alter half an hour of a rough undulating road, entered upon a vast plain, stretching flir to tlie north and east, bounded by gently swelling hills. Here and there we came upon fields of dhura, but by far the greater part was covered with weeds and thistles. The around was very hard, so that although there seems to be a o-ood deal of travelling upon this road, it was not at all cut up, but smooth and good. No wheels ever pass over it. Here we missed our servant Antonio, and found that erro- neously supposing tliat he had left a cloak behind at bephouneh, he had gone back without our knowledge to rec«3ver it. ApjM-oaching the north-west corner of the vast p ain, where the hills come near to one another, and lorm the entrance to the fine pass of Abilene, we arrived at a well and a ruined khan, where we halted for a little time to wait for Antonio; but as he did not appear, we prepared to go on without him. Meanwhile an old man came up to the well riding on an ass, and immediately warned us not to proceed further, for there were eicrht armed Bedouins in the valley, who had sto.iped and threatened him : and had allowed him to escape only be- cause he was old, and his ass worth nothin*^ They were lurking for the very purpose of waylayiifcr travel- Jers that might be passing on to Acre. On hearino- his account we were considerably alarmed, and hesifated what fo do. One proposed that we should encamp in tiie old khan, and proceed under cloud of nio-ht- and another that we should cross the plain to a village in sight. While we were deliberating, some other "^men caine up, who were leadinsf camels to Sephourieh They had met nobody in the valley, and conjectured that what the old man took for Arabs miearance. The story of his adventure was very much what we had suspected. Having gone back to Sephourieh in search of the cloak, and not finding it, he rode quickly after us in order to regain our company. But meeting a woman on the road of whom he inquired the way, he was directed to a route different from that which we had taken. He had entered the valley at the very time when we were waiting for him at the old khan, and had not proceeded far, when six or eight Be- douin Arabs, fully armed and mounted on horseback, rushed out upon him. They demanded who he was — what he was doing there — where he was gcjing — and where his comjiany were. Antonio forged a story in reply, saying, that he was servant to a scribe, who had gone on before with a company of twelve men, and would be out of their reach. The Arabs said that he must come with them ; and immediately with their long lances pricked his horse up to the hills. When they had got him out of sight of the road, they tied him hand * Acts xxi. 7. ESCAPE OF AXTO-N'IO — RESPONSIVE SONG. 313 and foot and led away his horse, after asking such ques- tions as, " Uan it stop suddenly in the midst of a gallop ?" They then stripped him of every article of dress, and one brought out a large club stuck with nails, threatening to beat him to death ; but he entreated them to spare him, crying out, that he had given them every thing, and that his death would do them no good. At length they left him bound in this state, till the sun went down. While all this was going on, we had passed in the valley below ; and the fact of their attention being occupied with our poor servant, was thus in the hand of Providence the means of our preservation. After sunset they came and loosed him, and led him a little way further up among the hills, that he might not soon be able to find his way to the public road, and give information against them. Then bidding him find his way home, they left him. The poor lad, in a state of nakedness, sat all night upon a tree to escape the wild beasts. He said that his face and upper part of his body were as if bathed in water, the perspiration pouring down in streams from the effects of fear. From the same cause, his mouth was filled with bile, and his voice almost inaudible. As soon as the light of morning dawned, he came down from the tree, and found out the road to Acre. The first person he met was the Pasha's dromedary post, who gave him a small piece of clothing, — and then he reached a village where the people supplied him with more. After this he made out his way to Acre, and soucht for us at the convent, where he found us to his unfeigned joy and ours. We could not but perceive the special providence of God in our escape, and again we had reason to sing as at Mount Tabor, " Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken and we are escaped." Even the monks seemed to acknowledge the hand of God in it. At night, we heard Antonio and the other servants of our company, singing a song of vengeance on the robbers. It was in the style of those songs we had usually heard from Arabs, a single voice loading, and then a chorus responding, with clapping of hands. It was to this effect — Single voice — " The curse of Allah rest !" Chorus — " Upon the Bedouins." Clapping hands. Single voire — " The sword of Allah come I" Chorus — " Upon tiie Bedouins." Clapping hands. 314 ACRE — VICE-CONSUL — AGA — SYNAGOGUE. In style, this resembled Psalm cxxxvi, though in senti- ment it was the reverse of its strain of thankful love. We visited the English Vice-Consul, Mr. Finch, an in- telligent Jew, who speaks German, Italian, and a httle English. He showed us every attention, and when we told him the whole matter, his remark was, "that surely we were upon God's errand; otherwise God would not so protect us." He conducted us to the Governor, or Aga, a mild, placid old man, with an immense turban, and long beard, seated in state upon a carpet in one cor- ner of his chamber. Taking off our shoes at the door,* we sat down on the floor, and related our story, Mr. Caiman and Antonio being the narrators. He caused his secretary to write it down, and promised to send twenty soldiers to tlie Wady Abilene to find out the rob- bers. Probably, he thought no more of the matter after we had left him. While we were in the court, a poor man came in to complain that his garden had been plun- dered by the Arabs. The days are not come when "vio- lence shall no more be heard in tliy land."t We were anxious to visit the Jews of Acre. Meeting one in the bazaar, we invited him to partake with us of some melons with which we were refreshing ourselves. He consented, and three others soon joined us. They then led us to their synagogue, a very humble one, with a short inscription on a pane of glass above the door. About a dozen Jews gathered round, one of whom re- cognised us, having seen us at Tyre. They said that there are sixty of their brethren residing here. We had some interesting conversation with three young men, one of whom eagerly read a chapter in the NewTesta- ment, though his companion stood by, watching us very suspiciously, and apparently uneasy at seeing his friend so employed. An old man then came into the syna- gogue, and mounted the reading-desk. He placed a jar of water beside him, then opened his prayer-book, wash- ed his hands, and put on his Tallith. We were inform- ed that he meant to spend six hours in prayer that day, and the jar of water was intended to keep his throat from becoming dry during his exercise of bodily devotion. How remarkably this illustrates the words of Christ, " Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye, for a pretence, make long prayer; therefore ye shall receive tlje greater damnation. "J * Perhaps this oriental custom is derived from Exod. iii. 5l t Isa. 1.x. 18. I Matt, xxiii. 14. PLAIN OF ACRE — VILLAGES — NAKOURA. 315 The same afternoon we left the walls of Acre behind us, little thinking how soon they would be laid in ruins. We halted for a time at an aqueduct on the north of the town, whicli is evidently an ancient work, and is still used, having a Iiundred arches entire. Passing a small village called Ismerieh, we came to Mezra, where a fine stream from the hills runs into the sea, and where is a beautiful garden belonging to Ibraim Pasha. It is en- closed by a row of tall cypresses, while within the lemon and other fruit-trees of the East were clothed with the richest foliage, and fragrant shrubs and richly coloured flowers diffused their^'delightful odours. Many small villages are scattered overlhis beautiful plain. On the right, a little off the road, stand Sheikh Daud, once a Christian village, and Zeitoun. In the plain where is the spring of water by which the aqueduct is supplied, is EI Capri, and on the hill Tersccha, and not far otf a monu- mental pillar, Kulat Jedin. After these we came to El Hamsin. Still further north, and on the shore, lay Zeeb, three hours from Acre. It is the ancient Achzib. It has a high situation near the sea, and is surrounded with palm-trees. A shepherd in the neighbourhood of this place was playing on his pipe at the head of his flock— a sweet soothing sound in the stillness of eveninar, and all the sweeter because so rarely heard in Palestine. After one hour more we came to Boussa, situated in carse ground, and bordered with trees. Here the fertile plain of Acre ends, and the low range of swelling hills that form its eastern boundary for'twelve or thirteen miles run out into the sea, forming a high rocky pro- montory. Looking back from the height, the view of the plain, enclosed^by the hills on the one hand and the sea on the other, was rich and beautiful. The plain along the coast south from ( 'armel, the plain of T)Te, and the plain of Acre, are all very like each other, al- though the last seems to bo the most fruitful. The sun went down behind the .Mediterranean Sea as we passed a small ruined fort or khan on the highest point of Nakoura. The khan of Nakoura is nearly an hour further north, and we made haste to reach it before dark. The graceful gazelles were sporting along the shore, and bounding on the rocky heights abov-e us. Sandys mentions that, in his time, leopards and boars used to come down from the brushwood of these hills, but we neither saw nor heard of any. "\\'e slept that night in a stubble-field near the khan'of Nakoura; and 316 SHORE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN — CAPE BLANCO. early next morning were on our way, journeying north by the edge of the sea. The shore in this vicinity is often grand and picturesque, the white roclis being worn into curious forms by the incessant dashing of the waves ; and in addition to the natural beauty of the scene, the as- sociations of the past invest the very waters with a pro- found interest. One of our company thus expressed the impressions of the moment : — These deep blue waters lave the shore Of Israel, as in days of yore ! Though Zion like a field is ploughed, And Salem covered with a cloud — Though briers and thorns are tangled o'er, Where vine and olive twined before — Though turbaned Moslems tread the gate, And Judah sits most desolate — Their nets o'er Tyre the fishers spread. And Carmel's top is withered — Yet still these waters clasp the shore As kindly as they did before ! Such is 'rhy love to Judah's race, A deep unchanging tide of grace. Though scattered now at Thy command, They pine away in every land, With trembling heart and failing eyes — And deep the veil on Israel lies — Yet still Thy word thou canst not break, " Beloved for their fathers' sake." In a short time we came to a well-built and copious fountain, where we obtained a plentiful draught of deli- cious water. It had a pointed arch and Arabic inscrip- tion, and still bears the name of the great conqueror of Tyre, " Iscanderoon." Soon after leaving it, we found ourselves on the remains of an ancient causeway, said to be the work of Alexander the Great. This is the " ScalcE Tyrioi-wm'' leading over a high rocky promon- tory of limestone, which here descends precipitously into the sea, the Album Promontoriiim or Cape Blanco, about eight miles from Tyre. The steps on the northern side are cut out of the rock with immense labour, and a solid parapet is left along the margin, over which we looked into the clear deep^waters of the Mediterranean. We saw fish swimming about in great numbers at the base of the rocks, and o^^er our heads the owl perched on sol- itary cliffs as in the days of the Psalmist.* From this * Ps. cii. 6. OLD TYRE — RA3-EL-AIX. 317 point we began to search along the shore with deep interest for any remains of ancient Tyre. About half an hour from Cape Blanco, we came upon the ruins of some ancient place, where were several cisterns, but no dis- tinct remains. These were the only traces we could find of any tiling like a city along the bay south of Tyre. Within an hour of Tyre, we turned aside from the shore to the rigiit, to visit the famous pools said to have been made by Solomon for Hiram, King of Tyre. The place is called Ras-el-Ain, or " Head of the Fountain," evidently because it was the source from which Tyre was anciently supplied with water. It is about three miles from the gate of modern Tyre. There are four large and remarkable reservoirs, three of which we ex- amined. They are considerably elevated above the plain by means of solid mason-work, and you ascend by steps to a broad border, on which you may walk round the water. The fountains springing up from beneath keep them constantly full. Two of them are connected with each other; the one measuring 17 yards by 15 at the water edge, the other 13 yards by 10. The third is a regular octagon, measuring 8^ yards on each side. From the first two the water is conveyed by a fine old aqueduct to the rocky hill Marshuk, and from thence anciently to Tyre ; but the only use that seems to be now made of the water of the largest one, is to turn a mill for grinding corn. The work is beautifully exe- cuted, and the abundance of water makes every thing around look verdant and beautiful, so that we lingered near enjoying the pleasant situation. While we were refreshing ourselves with bread and lehan, a man from Tyre joined our partj', who told us that, a few days before, a number of Jews from Saphet had come to take refuge in the town till the disturbances of the country should pass over. So truly are tlie words of Moses stiil underiroing their fulfilment, "TIiou shalt find no ease, neitlier shall the sole of th)' foot have rest."* It was after midday when we set out again. We did not enter Tyre, but passed at a distance, nearly in the course of the old aqueduct. Wo came near the hill of Marshuk, which some have supposed to mark the site of Pake Tyrus ; though this cannot be the case, for Strabo says that it lay thirty stadia to the south of the island, whei-eas Marshuk is less than a third of that distance to * Deut. xxviii. 65. 29 818 TYRE TO SIDON — SAREPTA. the east of modern Tyre. Crossing the plain, we soon came upon the same track by which we had travelled in a contrary direction a fortnight before. At the bridge of Kasimieh, we were refreshed by a draught of goat's milk which some shepherds gave us. An hour before sun- set, we came to that part of the plain overlooked by Sar- fend, the ancient Sarepta. Two of us rode up the steep hill on which the modern village is built by a path worn deep in the rock. We visited the mosque, said to be erected over the widow's house where Elijah dwelt, and the cave beneath it, where a lamp is kept continually burning, and where miraculous cures are reported to have been performed. The view from the village commands the plain and the sea, and is very fine. A deep ravine on the south is clad with an olive-grove, and the hills around bear marks of having l^een at one time covered with the vine, for the terraces still remain. We passed through a village on the shore immediately opposite to Sarfend, called Ain-teen (" the well of the fig, ") which some be- lieve to be the true site of Sarepta. The sun being set, we now pressed forward 'toward Sidon. The gazelles were gamboling on the rocky shore. Seven large stones stand on the roadside, of which a curious legend is told. It is said that these are seven Moslems turned into stone for pursuing a Christian, whose companions were guilty, but who himself was in- nocent. A little farther on is a cairn, or heap of stones raised over the tomb of a slave, wdio was executed on this spot for murdering and plundering passengers. It is customary for travellers to add a stone to the heap as they pass. Arriving at a khan called Ain-el-Burak, the owner, who was ontlie roof, invited us in,* but we thanked him and pressed on. The near approach to Sidon seemed peculiarly beautiful in the soft moonlight. A sweet fra- grance was breathing from shrubs and flowers, and our road conducted us through groves of luxuriant trees, while the eye was not pained by the sight of dry dusty fields. We reached the gate of Sidon by ten o'clock, having been fifteen hours on horseback. We were too late for admission into the town, and had to encamp on the outside of the walls. The ground was so rocky and uneven, that it was with difficulty we managed to drive in the pins of our tents, but this did not prevent us from enjoying a refreshing sleep. * See Prov. ix. 1 !, 15. ARRIVAL AT EEYROUT — SABBATH. 319 We rose early next morning (July 20), and saw the Moslem ladies, all swathed in white, movin"- out of the town to visit tiie graves, as much lor recreation as from respect to the dead. These are in a pleasant grove of cypresses and other trees which shelter the eastern side ot the town. The English \ice-Consul waited on us at our tent, and brought us the news of the death of the Sultan of Constantinople. We were soon mounted, and leaving the walls of Sidon far behind us, we rode along the bay of l\aby-Younes again, ci-ossed the Damour, and passed through the mulberry ijardens where we had lost our way. On leaving the sliore, instead of crossing the bar of sand, our servants guided us by a very pleasant road, through the vast grove of olives that stretches along the foot of Lebanon. In one of the gardens is a khan which they call a " Sunday-khan," becliuse it is regularly frequented on Sunday afternoons by the Greek priests and their people, who spend the day in anmsements and dissipation. We were anxious to reach Beyrout in time to visit the Jewish synagogue, for that was the day set apart for the commemoration of the destruction of the Temple, a remarkable occasion among the Jews. But m this we failed. We arrived, however, before the sun went down, and rode in at the gate filled with joy and thankfulness to God for permitting us to visit Galilee and bringing us back in safety and peace. ' (July 21. Sabbath.) In the forenoon, Mr. Bonar preach- ed on John vii. .37, to a respectable audience in the spa- cious apartment of the American Consul. We afterwards attended the Sabbath-school in one of the Mission-houses, and had the pleasure of addressinsr a class of youuir Sy- rians who understood English, "in the evening^ Mr. M'Cheyne expounded Acts' ix. in a large prayer^'meet- ing, at which the American brethren and their families were present. And thus we drank of "the streams from Lebanon," in a dry and thirsty land. We now foimd that the next Austrian steamer would sail for Smyrna in a week; so that we took up our abode again at the inn of Giuseppe, who paid us every atten- tion. We occupied ourselves during this time, chiefly in making up our journals and writing home, and in the cool of the evenings enjoyed a qui^t walk alons- the rocky beach. One eveniiiStamboul was pointed out — the site of Trous, the place where Paul saw in a vision a man of Macedonia that said, " Come over to Macedonia (across the .Egean Sea) and help us,"* and where he preached till midnight and raised Eutychus from the dead. Here also was the residence of Carpus, the friend with whom Paul left his cloak, books, and parchments.f We were gazing on it on the Sabbath-day, " the first day of the wee"k,"f and the remembrance of Paul's wondrous labours there helped us to enjoy this blessed day, even when so far removed from ordinances. Very near this point are two celebrated promontories, Rkobteum, where Ajax was buried ; and Sigeum, called now Jenesherry, where Achilles was buried. We are told that Alexander the Great stood here upon the tomb of that hero, and longed for another Homer to record his own deeds. On the plain of Troy we saw two of the ancient tumuli, each in the form of a small conical hill ; the one probably that of Antilochus, the other that of Patroclus. They meet the e)^e like " wrecks of a former world." The mouth of the Scamander, and the point of its junction with the Simois, were shown to us. An obliging young officer kindly pointed out the different localities, and added, that at present English officers might be found fishing every day in these ck^ssical streams. In a few hours we entered the Hellespont, now called the Straits of the Dardanelles, and passed between the far-famed Sestos and Abydos. Near this, the sti'ait is said to be seven stadia, or not quite a mile in breadth, so that two mighty continents seem to approach and gaze upon each other. The modern castles of Romania and Natolia, which have come in place of the ancient towns, are of no great height; their situation is in low ground near the water-edge; but under skilful manage- ment their command of the strait would he complete. Each fortress is furnished with more than 100 pieces of cannon. It was here that Leander immortalised himself by his adventurous exploit. It was here, too, that Xerxes, the king that "stirred up all against the realm of Gre- cia,"^ built his bridge of boats, joining Asia to E(u-ope, in order to transport his enormous hosts. When he sur- veyed them lining the shores of both continents, he wept in the vexation of his proud heart, because in a hundred years not one of all that multitude would remain to * Acts xvi. 8, 9. t 2 Tim. iv. 13. t Acts XX. 7. $ Dan. xi. 2. 348 SEA OF MARMORA — VIEW OF CONSTANTINOPLE. swell the pomp of his power. Plow unlike the tears of Him who wept over perishing .Terusalem ! Tlie average breadth of the Dardanelles is three miles, and it is about sixty miles long. A delightful breeze and a smooth sea made our sail pleasant and easy ; and we were able to spend much of the day in retirement and meditation. While we were reading in the cabin, two Turks came down from the deck to pray, spreading out their mat, and then prostrating themselves to the ground repeatedly till their head touched the floor. k5ome of the Jews on board were frank and simple. One had a Hebrew Bible which he had got from Mr. Co- hen at Smyrna, and on our showing them our Hebrew Bibles, they took them into their hands, examined them, and then held up some of the leaves between them and the sun, to see if there was not a cross stamped on the paper ! About evening, we came to GalHpoli (which stands opposite the ancient Laiiipsacus), not in itself interest- ing, but it gives name to the straits, and is situated not far north of the banks of the stream ^gospotamos, at the mouth of which Lysander gave a fatal blow to the power of Athens. The Sea of Marmora, the ancient Proponiis, opened upon us ; but night came on, and we sailed through it in darkness. At half-past five in the morning we came in sight of Constantinople, and every moment as we advanced nearer the scene broke upon us with increasing magni- ficence. The situation is splendid. Having the straits of the Dardanelles for its gate on the south, and the Bos- phorus for its gate on the north, it could rest securely on its seven hills, and look around on all its prosperity un- disturbed by the fear of an enemy. The morning sky was cloudy, but this of itself was delightful to us, who had scarcely seen a cloud for nearly four months. It was like a pleasant summer morning in Scotland, when the mist is still lying on the hills, and the clouds are ling- ering on the face of the heavens. Tlie first part of the city "which meets the view upon entering the Bosphorus from the south, is called Stamboul. Here the massy dome of St. Soj^hia, and graceful minarets of every kind, crowd upon the sight. " Palaces, mosques, and baths, seem to be without number in this renowned capital. And then the rich verdant trees that surround so many of the white marble buildings, and the clear blue sea, which like a deep full river laves the shore and flows COXSTANTIN'OFLE — "THE GOLDEN HOKX." 349 up the harbour, combhie to give Constantinople a gor- ge(Uis beauty, which is perhaps unrivalled by any city in the world. Old Sandys truly says of the view from the sea, " It seenieth to present a city in a wood to the pleased beholders." We anchored in the well-known harbour called "the Golden Horn," so called from its resemblance to the shape of an ox's horn, and this so filled with merchandise that it is a true "■ cornu copiae." It is so deep that in many places the largest vessels (it is said) could touch the houses with their prows, while the stern is still floating in the water. We were conveyed to the shore in a caique, a light skiff, in breadth generally three feet, and above twenty in length, resembling a ca- noe, hundreds of which are seen shooting along in all directions with amazing swiftness. We landed at the part of tlie city called Galata, on the northern side of the harbour, intending to proceed to Pera, and there to take up our quarters in Romboli's inn, to which we had been directed. The inn, however, was already more than full ; tiie recent conflagration and an overflow of travellers having united to fill it, so that no vacancy was left for us. Alone in this great city, we allowed a young man, a Maltese, to guide us to a lodging in Galata, two por- ters (here called hama/s) bearing our luggage. It was by no means a desirable locality. The American Mis- sionaries, howevei-, Mr. Goodell and Mr. Calhoun, on liearing of our arrival, sought us out that same day, and insisted upon our taking up our residence with them in Pera. These American" brethren and their families were full of kindness and brotherly love ; and under their roof we enjoyed all the comforts of a home. From their fellow-iabourers also, Mr. Adger and Mr. Hamlin, we re- ceived unremitting attention. We went out in the afternoon to visit the English Con- sul, riding up the steep streets on horseback, as the day was excessively hot. Somewhat to our surprise, the state of the public mind in the city was calm ; Ibraim Pasha's recent victory at Nezib had made no impression. Indeed, the Turks seem to take every thing with apathy. Sometimes an order is issued on occasions of political excitement, forbidding two people to be seen together in the streets talking ahout the weather; in other words, about the state of public affairs. But at this time there was less excitement in Constantinople than in Smyrna, and less known in public of the real state of things. 350 CONSTANTINOPLE TURKISH CARRIAGES. In the streets we noticed the Turkish carriages for ladies, called arabah, drawn by two horses, and not much raised above the ground. The windows have no glass, but curtains, resembling veils. Within, it is said, the sides are often ornamented with mottoes and curious devices, by which some have illustrated the description given of the chariot in the Song, " the midst thereof being paved with love." * Wagons drawn by oxen are as common on the streets here as at Smyrna. We saw melons growing on the house-tops, in the very heart of the town, and many vines trained up the walls of houses. The buildings are in general miserable. Often the lower part of the house is of marble (brought like common stone from the neighbouring islands), while all above is a clumsy shed of wood. We passed one of the Dervish establishments, resembling that of a monastery. It was that of the Dancing Dervishes ; some of whom were sauntering in the court, wearing the round, high cap, a mark by which they are easily known. In the evening, we walked among the ruins occasioned by the fire. Several tents, chiefly of Armenian mer- chants, who had lost their all, were pitched among the smoking ruins. One of these was overheard to say, as a funeral passed by, " Would to God that I too had been carried to my grave." f In the bitterness of his soul, he unconsciously imitated the impatient burst of Job. In oiH' way home, we observed several persons wrapt in their hyke, preparing to sleep under the open sky. Indeed, it is a frequent custom here, and in all the East, to sleep in the open air all night, and this may explain the case of the young man who followed Christ, " having a linen cloth cast about his naked body." X (Aug. 20.) We were visited by Mr. Farman, the Jew- ish Missionary of the London Society, who brought along with him a converted German Jew, named Merku- son. Another Jewish convert, since dead, named Jeru- schalmai, was prevented by domestic circumstances from accompanying them. From them we received much valuable information with regard to the Jews. But as yet, no one has been able to obtain accurate statistical information as to the numbers and condition of the Jew- ish population of Constantinople. They reckon their numbers, including the Jews of Scutari, Ortakoy, and the * Song iii. 10. t Job iii. 20, 21. X Mark xiv. 51. JEWS. 351 suburban villages, at 80,000 souls.* Most of these are originally Spanish Jews, whose fathers took refuge here when expelleil from Spain. Tliey, therefore, speak the Spanish and Turkish languages. There are about GOO German, and 200 Italian Jews. The great mass of the Jewish community here are ignorant and unlearned. Mr. Farman, as well as the two Jewish converts, agreed that schools for the children of the German Jews might succeed well. But in order to induce the parents to send their children, it would be needful to offer to teach them French and Italian. The expense of an Italian master could not be less than 3/. lOs. a-month, and a French master the same. It would also be needful to teach the boys and girls in separate apartments. A Hebrew teacher could easily be found. It would not be very difficult to find some liberal-minded Jew, who would teach Hebrew from the Old Testament, and who would not object to a missionary's visit to the schools. Mr. Farman even thought that the New Testament might be introduced. If such a school were established, probably fifteen boys and as many girls might be persuaded to attend it at once. These remarks apply only to the German Jews. In regard to the Spanish Jews, who constitute the mass of the population, they are very bitter in their enmity to Christianity. But if the experiment were tried with the others, it is possible that they also might be induced to follow the example set them by their German brethren. The reason wliy the German Jews would be willing to send their children is, that they have brought with them to this country some of the spirit and principles of Germany — they know the value of education, and wish for it. if a German Christian lady were appointed fe- male teacher of the school, it would not be objected to by the Jews. The expenses of a missionary in Constan- tinople are necessarily great ; it is not uncommon to pay 400/. as the rent of a moderately-sized dwelling. But the great hinderance in the way of carrying the gospel to Israel here is the total want of protection to converts and in(|uirers ; for the Jews, being recognised by Govern- ment as a community, have power to get any one of their brethren banished if they desire it. If a Jew is con- * Rabbi Bibas of Corfu, whom we afterwards met, reduced the num- ber to -20,000; but without statins; any evidence to induce us to credit his espenion. He may have meant the Jews of the city without those of the suburbs. 352 CONSTANTINOPLE — JEWS. verted and receives baptism at the liands of a Protestant minister, the Greelja-> n3i'?n (halukah rab- bonim), " The shirt of the rabbis," a dress which they wear in imitation of the writers of the Talmud, who are said to have worn the same, and in which all rabbis are buried. This rabbi commenced, and soon all joined in re- peating; the 47th Psalm seven times over. The rabbis think that the verse, " God is i.'one up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet," gives some countenance to the peculiar ceremony of tiie day, nam«My, the blowing of a irunipet. They also believe that every New Year's Day is a kind of day of judgment. " Every year, on the festival of Kosli Uashanna^ the sins of every one that Cometh into tlie world are weijjhed afrainst his merits. Every one who is found righteous is sealed to life. Every one who is found wicked is sealed to death." Accord- ingly, they imagine that Satan at this season comes be- fore God specially to accuse every soul. In order, there- 85 390 BUCHAREST — JEWISH SYNAGOGUE. fore, " to confuse Satan," and prevent him from bringing forward iiis accusations, and also ''to chatige God's at- tribute of judgment which was against them into mercy ^* thieir wise men of blessed memory have ordained that the trumpet should be blown on the first day of the month EIul every year. The old rabbi made use of a small ram's horn, which he had some difficulty in getting to sound. One rabbi chanted the word of command, n;;^|in (takeeah), at which the other blew through the horn. Nine times this was repeated, and the last was a long blast ; then all jiresent shouted and imitated the sound with their hand and mouth. They resembled exactly a company of children imitating a military band, and but for the heart-rending fact that these very follies form part of the strong delu- sion to which God has given up his ancient people, the whole scene would have been irresistibly ludicrous. The prayers that followed were offered with great vehemence, and a rabbi and three young men sang well the Psalm which does not now apply to Israel, " Blessed is the peo- ple that know the joyful sound." In another Polish synagogue close by, we saw the same ceremony. We also "visited the Spanish syna- gogue, where the Jews present were handsomely dressed, and the Jewesses whom we saw at the gate, were enve- loped in silk mantles edged with fur. They were engaged in the same ceremony, only they did not seem to "be so zealous, and went through it with greater dignity. Alas, Israel, "children are thy princes, and babes rule over thee !" * " The Lord hath taken away from Judah the stay and the staff, the judge and the prophet, the pru- dent and the ancient." In the afternoon we went to the synagogue again, in expectation of seeing the Jews march down to the river- side, and " cast all their sins into the depths of the sea,"f which they do by shaking their garments over the water, as if casting their sins out of their bosom. But we were too early, and were told that they M'ait till it is dusk, when the people of the town will not observe them. Mr. Caiman pointed us to a proof of the degraded character of the Jews here, as we were passing a com- mon eating-house. — On the walls of it many German sentences of a jovial character were written in Hebrew letters. Thus, * Isa. iii. 4. t Mic. vii. 19. JEWISH MISSIONARY. 391 nVj y;t3 nn>n *' To-day I have money, iSj ]y ijij;di To-morrow none — nxpn pjiyj In the (Jewish) year 5098." The Jews here, in gaining their liveHhood, are employed by persons of all religious persuasions, so tiiat they do not depend on their brethren for supply of work. Per- haps nine out of every ten carpenters are Jews; and no questions are asked in employing them, except regard- ing their capacity as workmen. This is a most impor- tant fact, which would remove entirely the difficulty so often felt by Jewish missionaries in the support of inquir- ers and converts. The Consul was of opinion that a missionary in Bucha- rest would require 250/. a-year. He must have a house with four rooms, which would cost 25/. or 30/. of rent. He must maintain several servants, for each will do only his own peculiar work ; and the state of the streets is such in winter, that he must keep a carriage and two horses, as every respectable person does. Provisions are cheap; a lamb may be got for two shillings, a sheep for four shillings and sixpence, and an oke of meat (that is 2^- lbs.) for one piastre, that is about twopence. But firewood is very dear. A large family often pay 50/. a-year for this article alone. The expense of travelling from England to Bucharest, the Consul estimated at 30/. As to the prospects of success, he thought that any di- rect attempt to convert the Greeks would be immedi- ately fatal to any mission. A Jewish missionary must confine his lal)ours to the Jews, and not interfere with the natives. The light will spread indirectly. The only danger to a mission is, that the priesthood, fearing its indirect influence, might bring in the arm of Russia to put it down : and Russia could easily do this in their own secret way if they had the will. (Sept. 10.) In the forenoon, we set out to call on Sam- uel Hillel, a Jewish banker, who was to introduce us to Rabbi Bibas of Corfu. By mistake we were led to the house of a wealthy Spanish Jew, and ushered into a fine suite of apartments. Several Jewish ladies came in fully dressed for the festival of the season. They received us very politely, and after discovering our mistake, directed us to the banker's house. He was not at home, but we found his son (who said that he had seen us at the syna- gogue), and his three daughters, richly attired, wearing diamonds on their head — for the daughters of Judah, 392 BCCHAREST — INTERVIEW AVITH RABBI EIBA3. even in their captivity, have the same love for gay appa- rel tliat they had in the days of Isaiali.* In conversa- tion with the son, we soon discovered that he was one of those Jews who care little about Palestine, and do not expect a Messiah, believing that education and civiliza- tion alone can exalt the Jews; to which he added, — "a knowledge of arms, that they may defend their land when they get possession of it." We at^erwards saw Ills father, who conducted us to the house where the rabbi of Corlu was lodging. Rabbi Bibas received us politely. He spoke English with great fluency, told us he was a native of Gibraltar, and was proud of being a British subject. He has a congregation of 4000 undei* his care in Corfu. On our entrance, he excused himself for not rising, a slight indisposition and tiie fatigue of travelling obliging him to lie on the sofa. We said, " The Eastern manner became one of his nation." He replied, •• -\o ! no! the Jews are not Easterns." We said, " Abraham came from the distant East." " True; but you are not to reckon a nation b}' their tirst parent." Immediately he began to speak of tlie situation of the Promised Land, asking us to say. Why God chose Israel for his peculiar people, and that portion of the earth as their land ? Much conversation arose on these points, and as often as we tried to break off and introduce something more directly bearing on om- object, he stoi> ped us b}' affecting great logical accuracy, and holding us to the point, if we had any pretensions to the charac- ter of logical reasoners. He denied that God ever meant the Jews to be a people separate from other nations, as- serting that He intended them to enlighten all the earth, a duty which they must still perform whenever it shall be in their power. If they had means like the English they ought to send out missionaries. When we gave this reason why God chose Israel to be his peculiar people, " that the Lord wished to show that he was a sovereign God," he disputed this, because His sovereign- ty was already known to the heathen. He thought we must be content to reckon it among the secret things that belong to God. He then suddenly started another speculative question, " Where Eden was, and how four such streams as Moses described could have existed, since they are now nowhere to be found." On this point he at length rested satisfied with the remark, that it must be true, because declared in the Word of God. Af- * Isa. iii. IS — 24. RABBI EIBAS — CHURCH OF THE METROPOL, 393 ter this he signified to us that it was the hour of prayer, and we must excuse him from further conversation at present. He showed great craftiness and skill in keep- ing the conversation from turning upon matters of ex- perimental religion ; for that was evidently his aim. On our rising to take leave, and mentioning that love to Israel had brought us to visit him, he declared that he loved Christians exceedingly, and that no Christian loved the Jews more than he did the Christians. He said that he was travelling for the sake of his degraded brethren, to see what might be done for them; and was anxious to meet with Sir Moses Montefiore on his return from the Holy Land. He disliked our reference to Scripture. Thus, on his remarking that the Jews must have been a very holy people since God so preserved them, we re- plied in the words of Ezekiel, " Not for your sukes do I this, saith the Lord God, be it known unto you." * But he hastily changed to another topic. (Sept. IL) In the morning we went to the church of the Metropol, to witness the Fete of the Prince of Wal- lachia, on occasion of his birthday. It is a splendid build- ing, and the walls very showy within, being covered with gilding, and paintings of apostles and saints without number, with a rich silver chandelier suspended from the roof The splendid pulpit, which had the appearance of being seldom or never occupied, was adorned with gor- geous gilding, — a poor substitute for "the words of eter- nal life." The Prince himself was not present, being unwell: but all the principal Boyards of Wallachia were present, and also .Alilosh, the exiled Prince of Servia, a man of dull, heavy-looking aspect, dressed in a rich pur- ple uniform, with a costly diamond girdle. His son stood by his side. Consuls of different nations stood around, wearing their respective uniforms; and an immense crowd of well-dressed people, all standing, filled the church. The priests, arrayed in beautifurrobes, sur- rounded the table. The Bishop wore a splendid mitre, with a diamond cross on the top, and his garments were stiff with gold embroidery. He is said to be an amiable man ; and we could not but honour him for this, that he has permitted the free circulation of the Holy Scriptures in Wallachia. The service consisted chiefly of prayers for the Prince ; followed by the responsive chanting * Ezek. xxxvi. 33. 35* 394 SUPERSTITIOUS WORSHIP OF THE GREEK CHURCH. of men and boys, not very melodious. At the end, the Prince and Nobles came forward to the Bishop, kissed a cross in his left hand, the Bible on the table, and the Bishop's hand, receiving from him a small piece of bread. This seemed to be the sacramental bread, — a miserable profanation of the holy ordinance of the Supper. When the pageant was done, and most had withdrawn, we remained behind to see the rest go through their de- votions. In different parts of the church the worship- pers were choosing out the picture of their favourite saint, and after many crossings and prostrations on the ground, they kissed the feet and hands of the picture. In one corner an open coffin was exhibited, containing, we were told, the remains of St. Demetrius, the patron saint of the Prince. A frank Wallachian who was with us said, somewhat archly, " This was not the old St. Demetrius, but a new one." The body was buried in the channel of a river, and the spot was disclosed to a pious young woman, before whom the waters of the river were miraculously divided. The coffin was highly ornamented with silver, and the dead body wrapped in cloth of silver and gold. A shrivelled hand was all that was left exposed ; and this was the great object of attraction. The worshippers approached in great num- bers, men and women, rich and poor, officers and sol- diers. First they kneeled to the ground three times, crossing themselves and kissing the pavement. Then they drew near, and reverently kissed the withered hand and a cross that lay beside it, dropping a piece of money into a little plate which lay at the feet. The priest touched their forehead with a little cross in his hand, and muttered some parting blessing. With three prostra- tions more the worshipper retired. One poor boy, more intense in his devotions than the rest, made about twenty prostrations, being often disturbed by the crowd; and we could not see that after all he ever got a kiss of the skinny fingers. A rustic, with long uncombed hair, and his wife, brought their little baby in their arms to be blessed beside the holy coffin. The priest laid the crucifix upon its brow. It was altogether a scene of the grossest idolatry, and it was melancholy to see so many respectable, intelligent- looking people engaged in it. What a stumbling-block are such Christians in the way of the conversion of the Jews ! And yet there are about 200 Jews in Bucharest SECOND INTERVIEW M'lTH RADCI DIBAS. 395 who have been baptized into the Greek Church. But of these we were told that only three hail made the change from any real concern about their soul. We visited asain our friend Rabbi iiibas, and resolved this time to take the start of him in the topics of con- versation. -Mr. Caiman at once beiran by shewing the wickedness and folly of several things taught in the Talmud, The rabbi's first answer was, that the Talmud was written by those who composed the Sanhedrim, and that God commanded us to b(nv to their decision on pain of death.* Then he explained away its apparently im- moral precepts ; but, in defending its errors in history and geography, plunged into gross absurdities, by en- deavouring to prove from the Bible that the Holy Land was of immense extent, and that Jerusalem once con- tained many millions of jieople. In proof of the latter point he referred to a passage, where so many thousands are said to have been '■'■ ut Jerusalem;" but he insisted that a must be rendered " in Jerusalem." f He wished to shew us that Messiah must be a mere man ; and directed us to the description of Ezekiel's temple, where "the Prince and his sons" are mentioned. J AVe explained that Messiah was not there spoken of, but the Prince over Israel under him. His only remark to this was, " Oh, then, you give us two rulers !" He admitted the state of his people at present to be most wretclied. In Poland especially, he saiil, they were grossly supersti- tious, for they understood every thing in the Talmud literally. Indeed, he had not gone to speak with the Polish ra])bi, believing that it would be useless on ac- count of his ignorance. The first remedy was to remove their ignorance. He would have the Jews gathered and educated in schools, where they should read and learn the Bible till ten years of aere; the Mishna from ten to fifteen, and the Talmud fiom fifteen to twenty. He thought that the collections for the Holy Land ought to be given up, and that the Jews there ouaht to be ohiijred to work even were it by the iiayonet. Sir Moses Monte- fiore's plan of purchasing land for them in Palestine he con.sidered useless, as lonir as there is no security fiir property there. The peojile must first be educated and • Dinif. xvii. 11, ]-3. t The precise |i!is«nire hats esenprd our menior\"; b\it it was some such passage as .Iiidg. i. 8, all Judah fighting in Jerusalem. t Ezek. xlvi. ir.. 306 BUCHAREST — YOUNG JEW CONVERT. taught tlie sciences. He believed from Zechariah xiv. 14, which he translated ^'■Judali also shuli Jiglit against Jerusalem" that many of the Jews are yet to fall into infidelity, and fight against their brethren. We now at- tempted to speak still more closely to his conscience, but he refused to argue on the Messiahship of Jesus except in writing. We shewed him the end for which we had left our country and were seeking after Israel. He asked, "For what good?" We answered, "To send teachers to Israel." " The moment they begin to teach Christianity, all Jews will turn away from them." " No (we said), some will receive the truth," and we pointed to Mr. Caiman. The rabbi started and looked quite surprised, for he had not suspected that our friend was an Israelite; then added, "Ah! well, there are one or two." We then pressed upon him to compare the blind and wretched state of the dry bones of Israel des- cribed in the prophets, with what he knew to be the real condition of his people, and solemnly urged him to in- quire if the blood of Jesus, which they were rejecting, might not be the very "fountain for sin," by which Israel was to be saved. He seemed surprised by our earnest- ness, evidently felt our sincerity, and we parted good friends. Mr. Caiman called on an interesting and very res- pectable young Jew, lately baptized into the Greek Church, named Alexander Rosiski, a teacher of music. Mr. C. asked him how a conscientious Jew could ever become an idolater, as the Greeks were. He said that he never worshipped their pictures, though he attended service in their church. He had felt a want in his soul, and, from wliat he heard of Jesus, thought that in Him he would find his want supplied. This first led him to the Greek Church ; but he confessed that his ignorance was still so great, that he could not meet his brethren in argument, and therefore avoided them. When Mr. Cai- man explained Isaiah liii, expounding to him the work of Christ and "tlie way of God more perfectly," the young man was overjoyed and delighted ; for the in- struction thus imparted was more than all he had got among the Greeks. He had a Hebrew New Testament, but understood little of it, and owned that often he had asked himself, '^Mny he had become a Christian'? But now he saw the truth in a way that convinced and estab- lished him. He longed for an insti'uctor, and rejoiced at BUCHAREST TO FOXSHANY. 397 the idea of a missionary coming to settle there, and teach his brethren. What an interesting scene does this open up, and how many " hidden ones" God may have among the scattered thousands of Israel, who, like " prisoners of hope," are waiting for some one to direct them to the stronghold ! (Sept. 13.) Having parted with our kind friends at the Consulate on the day before, we bade farewell to Bucha- rest at nine o'clock, A. M., and set out for Foxshany, a distance of eleven posts. The postillion drove like the wind, raising up clouds of dust which annoyed us sadly. Looking back, we observed how the city lies in a singu- lar plain, marshy all round. A well, surmounted by a tall pole and cross beam, is the most frequent object that meets the eye. Fine brushwood and low trees line the road on both sides for many miles. When we had nearly completed our first stage, the axle-tree of the brashovanca broke, and left us helpless in a wilderness. After long delay, a wood-cutter, who happened to be by the road- side, made two young trees fall for us, and we contrived by their means to support the axle, till we drove gently to the next post, where the broken part was taken to a Zingan, who repaired it. After a detention of three hours, we set off again, swiftly as ever, through woods and shrubs. There was something quite ex- citing in this mode of tra- veiling. The two postil- '^^^ lions, with their Wallachi- ^^^g an vest, loose shirt sleeve, ^"^=_ large boots, small fur-cap, ~ and unshorn locks flow- ^ ing behind, cracking their h strong whips, and'mak- ' \\ ■'"III// insr the woods reverberate OjtV i'a their cries, were most pic- ' turesque objects. The air also was delicious, and the flat plains seemed to fly past. At mounting, each postillion springs into the saddle cry- ing Hee, when all the horses start off simultaneously. Their loud, wolf-like cry is very singular. One befrins very low, gently swelling his voice, till it becomes a scream, then it dies away.' Before he is done the other 398 VILLAGE OP BUSEO — ARRIVAL AT FOXSHANY. commences, and so on. They crack the whip at every turn of the hand in setting off or coming near a post or town. Near the second post, first one flight of quails passed us, and soon after another. We descended a steppe into a wide platform, and twice crossed a calm flowing stream on bridges made of wood. Towards evening we began to see hills in the distance, and came on a sweet village called Buseo, with its church, from which the evening bells were sounding deep and calm. It reminded us of Longforgan in the Carse of Gowrie, and called our flocks vividly to remembrance. During the night we forded a broad but shallow stream, and, as morning broke, reach- ed a village called Rimnik. For a short space the coun- try was beautiful, with wooded hills on the south-west. But soon the road again became level as formerly. As we proceeded, a wheel of our vehicle rolled off, but by means of a rope, the postillions contrived to bind it. We next crossed a stream, and ascended a stepjye to the plat- form where stands Foxshany, which we reached about ten o'clock, A. M. This town is situated pleasantly among trees, and adorned with glittering tin spires, which give it a fine appearance. It has a tolerable khan, dignified with the name of " Hotel de France," kept by a little Spaniard, who is also the French Consular agent, and this khan we were glad to make use of instead of sitting as hith- erto to eat our meals in the carriage or on the grass. But our patience was not a little tried on finding that no post-horses could be got ; Prince Milosh and the Russian Consul had so overwrought them, that they were too wea- ried to set out again at present. We engaged a Wallachian JEWS — DAY OF REPENTANCE, 399 peasant, who had four horses, to carry us forward next day to Birlat, for a considerable sum. Meanwhile we visited the town, and lighted upon a large school as- sembled in the open air, under a verandah. At the close, we observed that all prayed and made the sign of the cross. We visited the Jews, of whom there were about sixty families in the town, all Polish, ruled by a rabbi, who is maintained by his brethren and carries on no trade. We were told that they have four teachers, each attend- ed by a few children, and supported by the high remune- ration which is given by parents for their education. One man gave 12 roubles, or 21. \0s. a-month, for two children; and another paid 13/, for five months for his family. And yet these children learn very little. The Jew who took us to the postmaster, spoke to us on the object of our visit, and we explained to him the only way of salvation. Most of the Jews here are mechanics ; very many are tailors and shoemakers. We found such a measure of sincere devotion among them, that no one would lend us his horses, or accompany us on the mor- row, simply because it was the Jewish Sabbath. They have two synagogues, and one " Beth-midrush,'" or pub- lic room for study. This evening was the commencement of the " Day of Repentance," {7\2v-^7\ ai>, yom teshuvah,) a name given to the Sabbath immediately preceding the " Day of Atone- ment." On the morrow the Rabbi was to preach a ser- mon urging them to repentance ; and this is one of the two occasions during the year whereon they have a re- gular sermon, the only other sermon being at the Feast of the Passover. In the ten days between "the Xew Year and the Day of Atonement, the Jews abound more in almsgiving and prayers than during all the rest of the year. Accordingly, both their synagogues were full of worshippers, loud and active in their dev^otions; even the little boys were rocking to and fro, and reading prayers with great earnestness, their gestures resem- bling those of the Jews of Saphet more nearly than any we had seen. When the service was over, a crowd came round, and asked who we were, and whence we came. We said that " we came from a far country out of love for Israel, to tell them the way of forgiveness." Not knowing what to make of us, they at last demanded "ivhether Messiah had come, or was to comer W^e an- swered, " that both were true, that he had come once to 400 FOXSHANY TO BIRLAT — RIVER SERET. die, and was to come a second time in glory." Many turned away on liearing tliis, and would listen no more. Foxshany being the frontier town of Wallachia and Moldavia, we were harassed a good deal in getting our passports rightly signed, having to go first to the Gov- ernor of the "town, then to the Wallachian police, next to the Moldavian pohce, and lastly to the British Vice-Con- sul. A narrow stream running through the town di- vides the two provinces. At the Wallachian office a man was in attendance with the knout in his hand, a large thick whip, often applied without mercy to those who are in the least degree disrespectful or unruly. (Sept. 14.) We bade adieu to the obliging little Spani- ard, the keeper of the Hotel de France, and started at three o'clock in the morning. On reaching the frontier gate, however, the soldier on guard could himself neither read nor write ; and, the examiner of passports being asleep, we were forced to wait till he chose to rise, sigh- ing in vain for the liberty of our native land. It was nearly sunrise before we were fairly clear. We were now riding briskly, in a misty cool morning, on our way to the river Seret, which we soon crossed by a bridge of boats, at a deep and rapid part where lives have fre- quently been lost. Nearly forty yoke of oxen, dragging heavy laden wagons to the market, were waiting on the other side, and crossing one by one, after paying toll. We then ascended a steppe into a fine plain of vast ex- tent. Soon the country became more undulating and better wooded. Several pleasant villages appeared, with scattered white cottages. The name of one of these was Taoutchy. Mosl of the houses in the villages we came to are built, not continuously, but at small inter- vals, with trees round each, giving them a picturesque and cleanly appearance. The churches are frequently white-washed and surmounted with glittering spires. The tall poles at the well, and the large haystacks afford- ing provision for their long winter, are characteristic objects ; while the large ugly swine, with immense bristles on the ridge of the back, and the handsome shaggy dogs that rush "'out as you approach, enliven the scene to a passing visitor. About nine o'clock we stopped and set the horses free to feed and rest, while we got a supply of milk at a cot- tage, and sat down upon tlie grass to breakfast, adjourn- ing afterwards to the wooded banks of a stream that BIRLAT — SABBATH. 401 wandered through the wide vale, that we might taste the joy of the Psahnist, " My meditation of him shall be sweet." We then proceeded, and having at midday reached the '■' j^oduvino" (as our drivers called it in Rus- sian), tliat is, " half-way," our horses were again turned loose on the grass, while we climbed a wood}' eminence commanding a wide view of the country. The scenery during the rest of the day was much like the preceding, only it had more of hill and dale. We reached Birlat about five o'clock in the evening, being five posts from Foxshany. We occupied the upper room of the khan, and spreading our mats on the wooden divan, enjoyed a pleasant Saturday evening, writing home, and preparing for the Sabbath that was drawing on. Birlat is pleasantly situated, occupying, like all Mol- davian towns, a large space of ground, and having a population of 10,000. The principal church has three handsome tin spires, surmounted by four gilded crosses, much ornamented, as the crosses of the Greek church always are. The outside of their churches, especially where there are Russians, have pictures on the walls. In the church-yard, instead of gravestones, they have black wooden crosses; and by the way-side there are stone crosses, the same as we observed before, often two or three together. (Sept. 15. Sabbath.) We enjoyed a comfortable Sab- bath in the upper room of the khan, though it was with difficulty we procured necessary food, as" the people at first told us that we could have none without going out to the bazaar to buy it. The atmosphere waspleasant, the thermometer standing at 74^ in the shade, as in a summer day at home. In the afternoon, we went first to the principal church, and found only the priest and three deacons, without an audience, hurrying througli the prayers, and chanting without feeling or even melody. We next went to a smaller church, built entirely of wood. Here the priest had six or eight boys, in ragged clothes, who repeated the responses, while two old men and half a dozen of old women made up the audience. The walls of both churches were covered over with pictures and other ornaments, and when all was done, every one kneeled down with the head to the floor three times, crossed themselves between every prostration, kissed the pic- tures, and retired. The morning service commences at eight or nine, and 36 402 BIRLAT — GREEK CHURCHES — SYNAGOGUES. at that time all the churches are crowded; but after that is over, the whole day is spent in amusements, cards, billiards, and drinking, the priests themselves setting the example. May not a Jewish missionary be blessed to shed some light even on these dark abodes of a heartless superstition 1 The synagogues of Corinth and Thessa- lonica brought salvationlo the Gentiles in their respec- tive towns ; and it may again be so in these regions, if the Lord answer our prayers and prosper our mission- aries. We had seen Jews in the streets on Saturday when we arrived ; and now we met one, who led us to their syna- gogue. There are 130 Jewish families from Russia, Austria, and Germany, who live quietly here, and, gene- rally speaking, suffer no persecution. In the synagogue two lads entered very eagerly into conversation with us in German. We began "by telling them how different Christians in England and Scotland were from those in their country. They wondered much, and asked, "If we wore l^ephillin" i. e. phylacteries. We said, "No, for this is not commanded in the Word of God, but only in their traditions." We then spoke a long time on the Scriptures being the Word of God, whereas the Talmud was the word of man. We referred to their prayers ; showing that they did not procure pardon, but that Mes- siah only could do this by becoming surety for us. Both of the young men were very attentive, and greatly sur- prised that we believed the Scriptures (^jn) as firmly as the Jews do. Meanwhile, a group gathered round Mr. Caiman. They told him that they all believe in the divine authority of the leader of the Chasidim, in Russia, a Rabbi of wealth, who used to have attendants and a band of music following him whenever he rode out in his carriage. He had a chamber in his house, where it was believed that Messiah will stay when he comes ; and at the beginning of each Sabbath went into this chamber, pretendingto salute Messiah and wish him "Good Sabbath." He had two fine horses, on one of which Messiah is to ride, and himself upon the other. Not long ago, being accused before the Emperor by the Jews who are not Chasidim, of sending great sums of money to the Holy Land, and teaching that it is no sin to cheat the Government by smuggling, he was imprison- ed at Kiow, and, though large sums have been offered for his release, he is still in p'rison. They also spoke of another Rabbi of the Chasidim, at Navoritz in Poland, LEAVE BIRLAT — YOKE FOR OXEN. 403 who had been warning the Jews against the behef that Messiah would come that year or next year, being afraid that they would turn infidels if Messiah did not'come.* When they spoke of their present misery, Mr. Caiman said that they should inquire whether the cause of it was not their rejection of Christ ? They said, they still ex- pected Messiah ; and that he is to come when their na- tion is either rery corrupt, or very pure, even as the leper was counted clean either when his whole body was white, or when there was no sign of leprosy at all.f Therefore, said they, there is no need of our repenting before he comes. We gave them some tracts and left them. On leaving Birlat next morning, we prevailed on the keeper of the khan, though with "great difficulty, to sell us a picture of Christ on the Cross, surrounded by devils, which hung on the wall as a charm. On the wall of an inn upon the road, we saw a small picture of the Virgin, having the frame set round with lamps that bore the marks of often being kindled in her honour. Passing some country wagons, we examined minutely the large clumsy yoke which is fastened on the necks of oxen, "it is a large wooden ha, ,10, .-,.> lieavy and stiff that the animal cannot put down its head to feed, unless the side pins be taken out, and its neck released from the yoke. This opened up to us the meaning of the prophet, " I was to them as they that take off the ijoke on their jmns, and I laid meat unto them.''''\ Windmills and acacia-trees were the common objects that varied the scene on the road. A small lake occurs not far distant from the town, and near it a pillar on which is represented St. Peter with the keys. There are several neat wells, with seats round them for the accommodation of travellers, in the * Mr. Caiman knew well a pretended forerunner of Messiah at his own place of birth, Baiiske in Courland. In youth he was himself led away by him. " False Christs and false prophets" continue to rise in Israel. t Lev. xiii. 6, 13. t IIos. .xi. 4. 404 TATA-MARESTI KHAN — JEWS WASLUI. Eastern fashion, introduced into this region by the Turks. Further on, we passed an encampment of Zingans, near a stream, on the opposite side of which people were dressing flax. At midday, we rested two hours in a pleasant khan, called Tata-maresti. While there, a sick Jew coming up in a cart, we spoke to him and gave him a little medicine which relieved him. The poor man was so grateful that he sent back a messenger with the offer of money as a recompense. Meanwhile another interesting Jew spoke with us. He could not believe that we were Christians, because we knew Hebrew. We told him about the Christians in England, and the duty of searching the Scriptures. He said that many Polish rabbis forbid the reading of the Bible; that he had a fine boy whom the rabbis wanted to begin the Talmud, but he was resolved not to permit him ; and spoke of a Jew in Jass}'-, who was called an Epicurus by the Jews, because he studied the Bible so much. He said that there were fifty families of Jews at the village of Nacoush near Jassy, and more at Waslui. As we proceeded, the character of the country became more varied. Our way lay through a fine open valley with meadow land enclosed by wooded hills. A smooth river flowed through the vale. Late at night we arrived at Waslui, and found one Jewish khan already fully oc- cupied with Jews, on their way to Jassy to keep the day of atonement there. In another we found a wretched lodging, though the poor people gave us their best apart- ment, and slept in the verandah themselves. We spread our mats on the clay floor and attempted to sleep, but in vain. We cared less for this, however, because it was the night preceding the day of atonement, and we had thus an opportunity of seeing the curious ceremony which then takes place. On the eve of that solemn day, it is the custom of the Jews to kill a cock for every man, and a hen for every woman. During the repetition of a certain form of prayer, the Jew or Jewess moves the living fowl round their head three times. Then they lay their hands on it, as the hands used to be laid on the sacrifices, and immediately after give it to be slaughtered. We rose before one a. m., and saw the Jewish Shochet, or " slayer," going round the Jewish houses, waking each family, and giving them a light from his lantern, in order that they might rise and bring out their " Cip- porah" or " atonement," namely, the appointed cock and JEWISH CEREMONIES — THE CIPPORAH — SACRIFICES. 405 hen. We walked about the streets ; every where the sound of the imprisoned fowls was to be heard, and a hght seen in all the dwellings of Israel. In two houses the fowls were already dead and plucked. In another, we came to a window, and saw distinctly what was go- ing on within. A little boy was reading prayers, and his widowed mother standing over him, with a white hen in her hands. When he came to a certain place in the prayer, the mother lifted up the struggling fowl and waved it round her head, repeating these words, " This be my substifufc, this be my exchange, this be my atone- ment; this foivl shall go to death, and I to a blessed life" — or in Hebrew, ^Pfl'Sn nt (zeh chaliphathi) 'minn nr (zeh temorathi) 'mii33 nf (zeh cipporathi) : □"'3VJ oiin'? ^SN 1JN1 nn''D'7 ^'?"' (mSuj-inn or) Suj-inn nt This was done three times over, and then the door of the house was opened, and out ran the boy carrying the fowl to the Shochet, to be killed by him in the proper manner. How foolish and yet how affecting is this ceremony ! This is the only blood that is shed in Israel now. No more does the blood of bulls and goats fiow beside the brazen altar, the continual burnt-offering is no more, even the paschal lamb is no more slain ; a cock and hen killed by the knife of the Shochet is all the sacrifice that Israel knows. It is for this wretched self-devised sacri- fice that they reject the blood of the Son of God. How remarkably does this ceremony show a lingering know- ledge in Israel of the imputation of sin, of the true nature of sacrifice, and of the need of the shedding of blood be- fore sin can be forgiven ! And yet so utterly blind are they to the real meaning of the ceremony, that the rab- bis maintain that it is not a sacrifice, but only obtains forgiveness as being obedience to the traditions of the elders. So that the words of the prophet are strictly true, " The children of Israel shall abide many daj'S without a king, and without a prince, and without a sa- crijice." * * IIos. iii. 4. 406 LEAVE WASLUI — ARRIVAL IN JASSY. We left Waslui about two o'clock in the morning, while it was yet dark, and at seven rested for some hours at a wi-etched khan, large and nearly empty, under a shed. There were several extensive marshes near, from which dense exhalations were rising, drawn out by the morning sun. These must render this part of the coun- try very unwholesome. Proceeding northward up a long valley, the summits of the hills being generally co- vered with trees, the appearance of the country gradu- ally improved, and in the afternoon we came to a really pleasant view. The valley was closed up with hills finely wooded with elms, wild apple-trees, and plums, richly laden with fruit. The woodbine and hop-plant were twining round the trees, and many wild flowers gave a charm to this wilderness. Our road was directly over the ridge of hills, and our postillions continued to urge on their horses with their barbarian cries till we reached the summit. A deep wooded ravine now lay beneath, and beyond it the vast undulating plain of Jassy. Several miles off the city appeared of great extent, the houses white, spires glittering, and much verdure around. We entered it before sunset, and passed through long streets of artisans, the houses all of one story, and poorer than those of Bucharest. The Jews were busily em- ployed in shutting up their shops and dressing. Many families were already on their way to the synagogue; for no one would be absent on so solemn an occasion as the beginning of the Day of Atonement. Many of them were fine-looking men, and the Jewesses were beauti- fully attired, some wearing jewels. Putting up our car- riage, we hastened to the synagogue, which we found crowded to excess ; even the women's gallery was quite full, and there were many children. The Absolution Chant, known by the name of " Col Nidre,^'' had been sung before we entered. This we wished much to have heard, the tune being plaintive and beautiful, and one which the Jews believe was brought from Sinai. Three rabbis stand up dressed in white, and in their own name, and in the name of God, absolve all in the synagogue from the sins committed in the year past. The number of large candles lighted, and the multitude of worship- pers, made the atmosphere quite oppressive in all the synagogues we visited ; and the perspiration was run- ning down in streams from the zealous devotees, whose cries and frantic earnestness might be heard afar off. They clapped their hands, clasped them, wrung them, BUITISII CO-N'SUL — SYNAGOGUE. 407 struck the prayer-book, beat upon their breast, and writhed their bodies, again reminding us of the Jews of Saphet and Tiberias. On this occasion, the Jews keep up prayer all night and all the next day,. till the time of evening when "the stars appear." We left them for the present, and found our way to the house of the British Consul-general, Mr. Gardiner, who received us with great kindness. We afterwards found a lodging in the Hotel St. Petersburg, a large establish- ment kept by a baptized Jew of the Greek Church. Early next day (Sept. 18) we sought out the synagogue again. The Jews came up to the solemnity of the atone- ment from the country, as they did to Jerusalem in former days. We visited twelve of their synagogues, and found all crowded with men, women, and children, in the same manner as the previous night. At one of them we saw many mothers with their children at tiie breast or in cra- dles, sitting on the outside dressed in their finest clothes. It reminded us of the fast described by Joel, " Assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts.'^* As there was not sufficient room within, many men were sitting under the sliade of the walls, looking with their faces towards Jerusalem, and praying along with those inside. The floor of the synagogue was for the most part strewed with straw or hay, to add to the comfort of the worshippers in their long service; for most of them put off their shoes, the day being so holy. All day the synagogue is full of immense lighted candles. Each family provides one, and each member has a thread in the wick of the candle. These represent the soul of each person according to their interpretation of the Proverb, " Tlie spirit of man is the candle of the Lord." t On so solemn a day as this, no Jew will touch one of these candles, even were it to fall and endanger the safety of the synagogue. To do so would be ac- counted servile work, and therefore they employ a Gen- tile servant, who is called in when any lights require to be trimmed. In the prayers, they go over the greater part of Lev. xvi., in which the sacrifices of the day of atonement are described. The rest of the service consists in reading a Hebrew popm, of which we were assured that most of the worshippers scarcely understood one word, because it is most difficult Hebrew. Yet all were engaged in reading it aloud. Sometimes they came to a chantj when * Joel ii. IG. t Piov. x.\. 27. 408 DAY OF ATONEMENT — SYNAGOGUES. the deep bass voice of the chanter was contrasted with the tenor voices of a few young men ; the effect was often very plaintive, and sometimes ludicrous. Again and again the whole congregation broke in with"^??2e?!," OLD RABBI READING PRAYERS. pronounced " Omam." Many of the men seemed already quite wearied with their worship, or rather with their bodily exercise, and many had their eyes red and swollen with weeping ; a good number of the married men wore the n3iSn (halukah), or white shirt of the rabbis. Among the women, some were weeping, and others sobbing aloud. A few boys were as seriously engaged as their elders. There are 200 synagogues in the town, and about thirty of these are large. In one quarter there are twenty, all within the space of a street. Some of the buildings had their roofs fancifully painted with figures, represent- ing Paradise and the Creation — wild beasts, trees, and fishes, the golden candlestick also, and table of show- bread. In several parts near the entrance of the town, M'e noticed the Eruv, or string stretched from house to house across the street, to make it a ivalkd toxvn, the same as we had observed at Saphet.* * See p. 283. JEWISH STATISTICS — JEWS. 409 We found it impossible to ascertain with accuracy the numbers of the Jews in Jassy. The Consul reckoned the whole population of the city at 50,000, and the Jews at somewiiat less than the half, perhaps 20,000. This would coincide with the reckoning of many of the Jews themselves, who gave their numbers at 5500 families. The highest estimate we heard from a very intelligent Jew was 10,000 families, while the lowest was 3500, or about 15,000 souls. They are regarded by tlie Govern- ment as a separate community, and the capitation-tax is not levied from them individually, but from their chief men, who are lelt to gather the sum from their brethren in the way they think most equal and fair. Each family, at an average, pay a ducat, equal to ten shillings. The way in which the rulers of the Jews levy thelax is as follows : — They lay it not on the provisions of the poor, but on articles of luxury. For example, a goose is sold for about a zwanzig,* but they put a tax on it of half a zivanzig and eight j^aras. Thus the rich, who wish lux- uries, pay a high price for them ; while the poor, who are content with the necessaries of life, escape. They do not consider themselves oppressed by the Government, but the common people use them ill. As an instance of this, we were told that a Moldavian would often reply, when asked by a Jew to do something for him, " I would as soon do it for a Zing-cni." The name " Zingan," and the epithet "cursed," is often applied to themr All the Jews here speak a corrupt dialect of German. They follow all trades, except that of a smith ; the most are tailors, shoemakers, carpenters, and watchmakers; a k\v are idle, and sleep in the streets. There have been about twenty converts to the Greek Church. Three of these are persons of respectability, one the keeper of the hotel, another a carpenter, and the third a student at college — but all were very ignorant. The Jews believe that their true reason for seeking baptisui was, that they might get more freedom. It did not make any difference in regard to their employment. If any of the chief Jews were to profess Christianity, many would follow their example. Some of them expressed their belief that Mes- siah would come in the year 1810, others think it is to be in the seven-thousandth year of the world, and then a time of Sabbaths is to follow. There is a belief, too, among many of them, that the Russians (whom they sup- * For the value of the difierent coins see Appendi.x, No. II. 410 JASSY — SCHOOL — SYNAGOGUES, pose to be the Javan of Zech. ix. 13) are to have the dominion of the world. There are many Jewish Schools in Jassy, but none of them good. Six of the principal families have refused to send their children to any of these schools to be taught the Talmud, because they think that such studies make them mean and degraded ; they either send them else- where, or employ a private tutor. The severe discipline used in Smyrna is not altogether unknown here; for a Jew who acted as our guide told us that his son often came home with his ears bleeding, his hair torn out, and nose twisted, all by the barbarous treatment of his teacher ; so that the father has frequently intended com- plaining to the police, or sending his boy to be taught in Russia. About six in the evening, we went to two of the largest synagogues, to see the ceremonies of the day of atone- ment concluded. When the sun is setting tliey pray for the last time, and their crying out is intense, far beyond all their previous supplications; for if they do not obtain pardon of their sins before the stars appear, they have no hope remaining of obtaining forgiveness for that year. When about to utter their last prayer, a trumpet is sounded like that of the New Year, but only one blast. Then all is over ! and forth they come to the light of the risen moon, pouring like a stream from the synagogue. They stood in groups, all turning their faces toward the moon, — for the Jews believe that the spots in the moon are the Shecinah. Each group had a lighted candle to enable one of their number to read the prayer addressed to the Shecinah in the moon. Some held up their hands, others roared aloud, and all showed by their gestures the intense feeling of their heart. It was a grotesque scene, as well as peculiarly novel, to stand amid such a company, each in his high fur-cap, the iallith round his shoulders, and generally his beard flowing wide over the book he was reading. As we looked upon the crowds of worshippers that filled the spacious court of the syna- gogue, and saw their white eyes ever and anon turned up toward the bright moon, we were irresistibly remind- ed of the days when the fathers of that singular people forsook the worship of Jehovah, and "served Baal and Ashtaroth," and " made cakes to the queen of heaven."* This service being done, they appeared as if relieved from the pressure" of an overwhelming load, for they * Judg. ii. 13; x. 6. Jer. vii. 18. JEWISH CEREMONIES — CONSUL. 411 had fasted and prayed for twenty-four hours, and now dispersed themselves in all directions. Many went home- wards singing with great glee in the open streets, and shouting aloud to each other, " Peace to thee, and peace to thee !" This is said to be done because their sins are now forgiven. How little they know of pardon! the pardon obtained by God's method of justification, which would sanctify and draw the sinner's heart to Him, in- stead of making it return to folly. " There is foi'give- ness with thee that thou mayst be feared^ It is not un- usual for Jews to meet the same night in their synagogue and be merry together, and we soon after saw several public-houses open, at whose door we could look in; and there were Jews sitting together drinking rakee, and singing merrily. In one, a Jew was singing over his cups to the full pitch of his voice. False peace leads to false holiness. Thus ended the day of atonement. Alas ! how changed from the solemn day, when the hiffh priest entered into the holiest of all ! During the whole cere- mony, we observed that the people of the town never interrupted them in any manner. We got much general information from the Consul, The expenses of living in Jassy are much the same as at Bucharest. There is difficulty in getting a house at all, and the rent is very high. A carriage of some kind is indispensable ; for even tailors and shoemakers require these on account of the badness of the roads. It is ne- cessary, also, to keep many servants. But the necessa- ries of life are very cheap. Jassy is much improved as a city ; the streets were formerly paved with wood, but this is no longer the case. It has no fewer than seventy churches; the climate is much more healthy than that of Bucharest, though there is a Moldavian fever prevalent at a certain season. Di- vorce is not so common as it used to be; the stream of public feeling is now turning against it. Yet it is too evident that the fear of God is not in this place. Of this the Consul related an affecting proof — One evening in Januarj' 1838, a great ball was given, at which most' of the Boyards were to be present. He and a Moldavian gentleman were preparing to set out, — their carriage was at the door, when a dreadful shock of an earthquake startled the whole town. At his house, the tall mast that bears aloft the British flag rocked to and fro. After some minutes' silence, his friend proposed that they should still set out for the ball. The Consul replied that it would be useless, for no one would be there at such an awful 412 JASSY PRINCE OF MOLDAVIA — JEWS. time. However, the other pressed,- and he reluctantly- consented to go. They drove up to the place, and en- tered the room. It was brilliantly lighted, and the gay company were met ; but all sat silent, pale as death. A large rent had been made in the wall, and the plaster had fallen on the floor. The Consul kept his eye on the door, expecting another shock every moment. In a few mi- nutes, however, one of the company made an effort to strike up an air, the floor was swept, the dance began, and all was mirth and levity. " The harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts; but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands.'' * The Prince of Moldavia resides in Jassy ; he is very affable to strangers, and was fivourable to the circula- tion of the Scriptures in his dominions ; but the Bishop is a bigoted man, and would not allow it. When the Consul informed the Prince of our arrival, he asked what our object was in travelling through Moldavia, and ex- pressed a wish to see us. We delayed our departure a day longer in order to accomplish this visit, but the Prince was taken unwell and could not receive us. There is every reason to believe that the Government will not interfere with the labours of a Jewish Missionary in this province. Late in the evening, an intelhgent Jew called on us by appointment, and from him we received some curious facts regarding the Jews here. Three years ago, a Rabbi, the greatest man in Jassy, began to read the Scriptures much, and to preach against the Talmud. The Jews were so angry that they drove him and his family from the city, so that he was obliged to go to Brody. They gave him 1000 ducats as an atonement, for it is considered a great sin to expel a rabbi. A rich Jew here, named Michael Daniel, a man of eighty years of age, has a teacher in his house to instruct him in the Cabala. In Kotsin, twenty miles from Jassy, there is a sect of the Chasidim, called lan, Habad (that is persons who profess nyn njo riDDn, " wisdom, understanding, and knowledge "). On the night after the Day of Atonement, as a party of them were coming home, with singing and other expressions of joy, they found a Jew drunk, and who had fallen asleep. This Jew had a gipsy servant, who spoke German, and he, for the sake of amusement, dressed himself up in the sleeping Jew's clothes, and * Isa. V. 12. JE-\VISH SCHOOL. . 413 headed the Jewish party. They took the drunk man and carried liini through the streets to another house in their fooHsh revehy. The gipsy having a grudge at the Jews, went to the Moldavians and said, " they were imi- tating the ceremony of the Church, when, at Easter, tliey carry about a large figure representing Christ. The peo[)le were excited, and rushed on the Jews ; one was killed on the spot; twelve were imprisoned, and afterwards sentenced to he hanged; but Michael Daniel having lent the Prince GOOO ducats, and another Jew having lent 2000, they offered to make a present of these sums, along with 2000 ducats out of the Jewish treasury, to get their brethren released. This was agreed to; but the guilty persons were sent out of the country. How strikingly these facts show the fulfilment of the threat- ening, " Thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shall not prosper in thy ways ; and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and 710 man shall save t/iee." * We devoted the next day (Sept. 19) entirely to visit- ing the Jews. First we visited a school of thirty children, both boys and girls, with fine Jewish countenances. A poor sick boy lay on a couch in the same room, far gone in consumption. The teacher was busily employed in his work. His method seemed to be to repeat over every syllable, until each scholar could fiilly pronounce it. The boys and girls got the same tuition, and the prayer-book seemed to be the only school-book. The children were amazed at the entrance of strangers, and ran eagerly round us. We learned from the teacher that the children were taught only (o read, not to under- stand. Nay, he himself could not explain the words of the passage which they were reading. When asked why he did not explain the words, he referred to Ps. cxix. 18, " Open thou mine eyes to see wondrous things out of thy law;" and drew from it the inference that it was not to be expected that a teacher should be able to explain all that he taught. Several Jews had by this time gathered round, to whom Mr. Caiman spoke, try- ing to show them how ruinous and deplorable their ignorance of the Word of God is. They seemed con- vinced,— only they said it was universal in Jassy. We went to see the old Jew of whom we had got in- formation, called an Epicurus. He was a fine-looking man, of about sixty years of age, mild and thoughtful, * Deut. xxviii. 29. 37 414 JASSY — JEW OF THE NEW SCHOOL. and his son, an interesting youtli, very like his father, was sitting with him. They were true specimens of the Neologian".Te\vs who have cast off the Talmud, but at the same time reject, or almost reject, the Word of God. The old man said that in youth he had been taught that the Scriptures and the Talmud were both divine ; and that now, having been enlightened to see the fables and folly of the Talmud, he was iiaturally led to doubt the authority of the Bible also. He added, " he was sorry that he could not believe the Bible to be the Word of God." He told us that he believed none but himself in all Jassy could speak the Hebrew ; that scarcely any of the Jews knew their own language grammatically; and that they did not wish their children to be taught. " They want no change. We are doing all we can to throw in firebrands among the stubble of "the Talmud ; but ' Der alie stier will nicht lernen viehr'' — the old ox will not learn. If you do any thing for them you must hide the good." They had employed teachers to teach the young gram- matically, but the parents would not send them ; the children themselves, however, got so fond of them, that they used to follow them on the streets, seeking instruc- tion. When we turned up to Isaiah liii. he said he be- lieved it referred to Jesus ; but that it was written by some Christian after the extent. As a similar case of in- terpolation, he referred to Num. xxi. 27, 28, as written after Jer. xlviii. 45, 46. He got this idea from Jost's History of the Jews ; but could not give any proof, nor could he answer the arguments that show the authen- ticity of the passage. When we pressed him about sin and the need of pardon, he said, " We do not sin against God, because he is infinitely beyond us; but we sin against our neighbours, and the pimishment of sin is solely in our conscience." The young man was much less imbued with Neologian opinions, and said to us, "that he was now more^a Christian than a Jew." He acknowledged that we do sin against God, and that no- thing but a'sense of pardon can give peace. But when we stated that Christians believe themselves forgiven on the ground of the atonement, he said, " I may have as much peace as they, if I believe myself forgiven even on other a-rounds." He admitted the inspiration of the Pen- tateuch, but not of the Prophets. The old man told us that both he and his son belonged to a secret society in Tarnapol, a town of Austrian Poland, and that the chief OLD JEW — CHIEF RAEBI. 415 rabbi of the rabbinical Jews tliere is at the head of it, unknown to his people. They work like Jesuits, con- forming externally to Judaism, but diffusing their prin- ciples in secret as widely as possible. Their young men are teachers of languages, and have thus opportunity to leaven the minds of the Jewish youth with their senti- ments. This young man himself is tutor in six of the wealthy Jewish families in Jassy, whose children are en- tirely under his influence, hating Judaism, and keeping the Christian as well as the Jewish Sabbath. Another son of this old Jew lives at Vienna with a brother-in-law, who is baptized and is enjoined to bring up the youth as a Christian. There are a great many in Vienna who have their children baptized, although the fathers like to die Jews. In Galicia many fathers are bringing up their children to Christianity, and it is said that ^here are more baptisms than births, "so that in a century (said the old man) there will not be a Jew in all Galicia." When he heard that we were ministers and Calvinists, he said he had read a great deal, and knew the Calvinis- tic system; that it was the most philosophical, and ad- ded, " If I were turning Christian I would become a Calvinist." Both these'Jews were very kind to us, the old man saying tliat this was one of the happiest days of his life. What an awful scene does this interview lay open — half the nation of Israel tottering on the brink of infidelity ! Those who have light enough to see the folly of the Talmud have not grace enougli to believe the Word of God. The rusty shackles of Judaism are be- ginning to fall off, but the withered arms of Israel have no life to lay hold on the Saviour promised to their fa- thers. Thousands in Israel are in a transition state, but it is not such a change as that spoken of in the Prophets, "I will go and return to my first hufthand, for then was it better with me than now."* Tlie door is open and the time critical, and it seems plainly the duty of the Christian Church without delay to interpose in their be- half, to allure Israel, and speak comfortably unto her, and to say, " O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God, for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity."! We next called at the house of the chief Rabbi, where they were beginning to erect a booth for the Feast of Tabernacles. The rabbi was a fine-looking man, but not learned. He seemed fitisrupd with the hard services of the preceding day. ^Ye explained our object in gen- * Hos. ii. 7. t IIos. xiv. 1. 416 JASSY — JEWISH MARRIAGE. eral terms, deploring the ignorance which we had seen among the Jews, and urging the need of schools, where they might be taught to read the Word of God gram- matically. He assented, and professed to desire the im- provement of his people, but said that we should apply to influential men, such as the merchants, who must exert themselves if these objects weie ever to be effect- ed. While we were with him, a young woman came in with some friends, seeking a divorce from her husband ; — for this is as common among the .lews as among the Greeks. In the shop of the principal Jewish bookseller, we found prayer-books, commentaries, and portions of the Talmud, but nothing very interesting. We were invited in the evening to a Jewish marriage. We went at the hour, but a long delay occurred, for the brides^room not having brought a string of diamonds for his bride's head-dress — an ornament much valued here — she and her friends refused to let the ceremony proceed till it was purchased. " Can a maid forget her orna- ments, or a bride her attire]"* is a natural question in Israel at this day. As we were walking to and fro be- fore the door, Mr. Caiman spoke with a tall Jew upon the evils of the Talmud. He seemed to be much con- vinced, and said, " Well, I see that we are a people with- out a religion. But what shall we do? shall we become Christians hke the Greeks, who have not the Word of God]" Returning to the house some hours after, we found that the marriage ceremony had been concluded, and that the company were now seated at the marriage-feast. From Mr. Caiman we received an account of the previ- ous part of the ceremony. Early on the marriage day the Bathan i\nrn), or poet, who performs a very promi- nent part, comes to the bride's house, and addresses her most solemnly upon her sins, urging her to cry for for- giveness;— for marriage is looked upon as an ordinance by which sins are forgiven, just as the day of atonement, pilgrimages, and the like; and the Jews believe that it will be destined that day whether her luck is to be good or not. She and her attendant maidens are often bathed in tears during this address, which sometimes lasts two hours. The Bathan next goes to the bridegroom, and exhorts him in the same manner. This done, the bride- groom puts on the same white dress which he wears on the day of atonement, and spends some time in prayer * Jer. ii. 32. MARRIAGE CEREMO>'Y — MU5IC- 4i; and confession of sins, using the same prayers as on that solemn clay. He is then led to the synagogue, accomi)a- nied by a band of music. The band next goes from him to accompany the bride. The parties are placed near each other, and the marriage canopy on four poles is held over them. The contract is read, and the sum named which the husband promises to give the woman in case of divorce. The fathers and motliers, friends of the bridegroom, and the bridesmaids, take tlie bride by the hand, and all go round the bridegroom, in obedience to the words " a woman shall compass a man." * A cup of wine is produced, and seven blessings pronounced over it. The bridegroom puts the marriage-ring upon the bride's finger, saying, " Behold, thou art consecrated to me with this ring, according to the law of Moses and Israel." Other seven blessings are pronounced over the wine : after which they taste it, and the glass is thrown down and broken, to signify that even in their joy they are no better than a bro- ken sherd. They are then led to- gether to the bride's house, where we found them sitting at the head - "" of the table in silence" The bride had her fiice veiled down nearly to -^ ' the mouth with a handkerchief \^h which she wears during the whole [ ceremony. Her dress, and that of most of her companions, was pure white.! The table was filled with guests, the men being seated on one side, and the women on the other. Before eating, all wash their hands out of a dish with two handles,]: so formed that the one hand may not defile the other. It was singular to see this feast of bearded men, the faces of many of whom might have been studies for a painter. The feast at the marriage of Cana of Galilee was vividly presented to our n>inds. During the repast the music struck up; several .Tews played well on the violin, violoncello, cymbals, tambourine, and a harp of a singular shape, wliich they said was Jewish, not Chris- tian. It was played by beating upon the strings with two wooden instruments, and the effect was pleasing. It is remarkable that, beyond the bounds of their own Jcr. xx,\i. 22. t Rev. xix. X Mark viii. 3. 418 JASSY — CONVERSATION -WITH JEWS. land, Israel should have so many instruments of music, while in Palestine, as the prophet foretold, "7V(e joy of the haijy ceaseih." The Bathan, or chanter, frequently interrupted tlie music, and excited the mirth and good humour of the company by his impromptu German verses on the new married pair and tlieir friends. We were not invited to sit at table, — for had we Gen- tiles touched their food it would have been unclean, — but dishes were handed to us where we sat. Several times a plate went round the company for collections; the first time it was " for the cook," and this they called " the golden soup;" the next time was, "for Jerusalem;" and a third time " for the new married couple" — a present for the entertainment given to the company. The bride- groom should have preached a sermon to the company, but he being unlearned, the chanter did it for him. After supper there was a dance, but not after the manner of the Gentiles. Some httle girls first danced together ; the uncle, a tall handsome bearded Jew, then danced alone ; last of all he danced with the bride, leading her round and round by a handkerchief This forms the conclu- ding part of the ceremony enjoined, by the Talmud. Wine flowed plentifully as at Cana ; but, being the simple wine of the country, not the slightest riot or extrava- gance was visible. When shall that marriage-day come of which the prophet speaks, " As the bridegroom re- joiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee r' * On our way home we heard a party of poor Zingans playing and singing for the amusement of some company in an inn. The convent bells were ringing, for the next day was a Greek festival. (Sept. 20.) Our last day in Jassy was mostly spent in conversation with the many Jews who came to visit us. None seemed to be under real soul concern, but all had an open ear for our .statements of the truth. They told us that most of their brethren here have little higher motive for adhering to Judaism than temporal advantage, such as the expectation of money from some relative when he dies. We discussed many passages together, and they appeared interested and anxious, though very ignorant. After breakfast two Jews came in, one, a very intelligent man, named Leb Keri, an avocat in the town, connected with the courts of law. His special object in coming was to request a New Testament in Hebrew. * Isa. Ixii. 5. DEPARTURE FROM JAS3Y — EOTOUCHAXV. 419 When we presented him with a copy, he said that he iiad long- wislied for one, and on getting some Ilebi-ew tracts also, he refused to part with tlieiii to any other, " Be- cause," said he, "I liave need of them all in discussions with friends on these subjects." He had read Voiney's Ruins of Empires. Several other Jews called ; and there were eight m the room at once. Their ignorance of Scripture was such, that the commonest Hebrew words often puzzled them. Mr. J3onar read over Luke xv. in German with one who sat by him, tiie same who used to be our guide tln'ough the town. On the other side of the table sat another, an elderly man, with his broad- brimmed hat resting on the top of his staff, while another stood behind his chair, listening to all the remarks. I\Ir. Caiman was, at the same time, in full discussion with an old Jew, wearing a white-flowing beard ; whilst two others sat at another part of the table, perusing portions of the New Testament, and examining the Hebrew tracts. Two more moved about from one group to another, listening, and sometimes putting questions. One of them, on being asked to say who was meant by " the man that is a hiding place,"* said, "that he must consult his commentators." Another spoke of our believing Christ to be the Son of God, and said, " It is impiSssible." A third fixed on the passage, 1 Cor. vii. 28, as teaching immorality, grounding his argument entirely on the word h-;2, which is used in some editions of the ti-anslation, and which the modern Jews always employ in a bad sense. A boy belonging to the hotel, seemed considerat)ly inter- ested in tlie visits of these Jews, and at last told us that he was himself a baptized Jew. He had lived for some "time in a Greek convent, along with five other converts, to get instruction, but both he and his companions were disgusted with tlie superstition and behaviour of the monks. This was an Interesting day. In the evening, we bade adieu to the Consul, and setting off at nine o'clock, left Jassy far behind. When we woke up in the morning (Sept. 21), we were passing through a fine wooded valley, adorned with plea- sant villages. On the left stood a romantic-looking church; and at a row of houses by the rond-side, we heard the voice of Jews at prayer, proceeding from a small synagogue, consisting of about ten persons. Over * Isa. x.x.xii. 2. Jtt^ 420 BOTOUCHANY — TESHAWITZ. a vast plain we obtained a distant view of Botouchany, witli its many glittering spires. Near the entrance stood a large cross, with a lull-length figure of the Saviour wearing the crown of thorns. We arrived about eleven o'clock A. M., and by the advice of the English Vice- Consul, Signore Scotto, who greatly assisted us, we de- termined to take horses direct from this place to a village three hours distant, called Tesliawitz, on the Moldavian border, opposite the Austrian quarantine station. We called at the house of a Jew, whom we found willing to lend us horses though it was their Sabbath. He could not send a Jewish servant with them ; nor would he either name the hire, or take it, yet he engaged a Gentile to go with us and to be his proxy. He forgot the words, ^'' nor thy cuttle, nor the stranger that is tcithia thy gates." This, however, is the genuine result of the hypo- crisy taught by the Talmud. Over the door of his house we noticed a framed ornament, with the single word n-iTD (mizrach), " The East," in large characters, point- ing out the direction in which Jerusalem lies. Botouchany is a peculiarly clean town, containing 20,000 inhabitants, and having eleven Greek churches. It extends over a great space, and there are gardens and trees interposed, which give it a cheerful aspect. There are from four to five thousand Jews in it. We saw great numbers in their best attire, and they appeared far more cleanly and comfortable than those of Jassy or Bucharest. Their houses also were clean and whitewashed, with a small verandah before the windows. The Consul said that they have sixteen synagogues ; but we neglected to make inquiry at the Jews themselves. We enjoyed a pleasant evening ride, and found that three Jewish horses were equal to eight Gentile ones. Our road lay sometimes through deep shady woods, and sometimes through open meadow land. Many herds of swine were feeding in the fields. It was rather a hilly region ; but beneath us w^as a fine plain, beyond which rose the distant Carpathian Mountains in the west. At one point we drove through a long avenue of densely planted willow-trees, till we came to the margin of a broad stream, which we forded. We then descended through a grove of pleasant trees upon the small village of Teshawitz. The sun was setting upon the peaceful scene, and it was too late to admit of our crossing the river Soutchava, JEWISH INNKEEPER — INNKEEPER'S FAMILY. 421 which here forms the Austrian frontier, and getting into quarantine. We tiierefore took up our lod^yinii fur the night in a small inn not far from the river-side^ lld men and women, all kneeling on the open floor. All, as they entered or retired, first kiss- ed an image of the Saviour that stood in the porch, and then bowed down and kissed the cold floor. The sing- ing and organ were tolerable, but there was no food for the soul. We then visited a country church, in the suburbs, built entirely of wood. It was crowded to the door, and ma- n}' who could not get in had taken their places by the wall, kneeling and crossing themselves as they listened to the service through the seams of the wooden walls. Within the church, tlie women occupied the end nearest the door, and the men, who formed the greater propor- tion, stood nearer the altar. All present were plain rus- tic people, of uncouth appearance and ungainly figures ; the men wearing a surtout of sheep-skin,"with the wool turned inside, the women a cap with a white kerchief tied over it. Lighted candles glared from the altar, and many of the women held tapers in their hands. At one part of the prayer all knelt except ourselves, and then rose. A plate went round for collecting money, and each gave something. Several pictures, miserably exe- cuted, hung upon the walls: among which was one of the Saviour, quite hid by the multitude of flowers that had been thrown upon it by the dev'out worshippers, and another of the Virgin Mary, decorated with strings of beads suspended round it by her grateful votaries. But the most offensive object of all, was an old diminutive figure of the Saviour on the Cross, standing near the door. This was kissed by most of those wiio came in, after they had dipped their hands in a vessel of holy water that stood by. Some kissed it on the feet, some under the feet, some more devout lay down and kissed the floor beneath it. The sight of this simple supersti- tion, over which was spread an air of apparent solem- nity on the part of the rough peasants, was really affect- ing. We contrasted the realms of Popery with our own happy Scotland ; and if any thing could stir up a Scot- tish Presbyterian to a sense of the greatness of his pri- vileges, it is a sight like this, where ignorance and super- 436 JAGLINSKY — PEASANTRY — SYNAGOGTE. stition are leading souls to hell, in peaceful, unresisting quietness ! The priest was a respectable-looking man, much above his parishioners in point of culture. Oh that God would raise up aiaother Martin Boos in this re- gion of gross darkness, to proclaim the glad tidings of righteousness by the obedience of One ! We spent the forenoon together in the study of the Scriptures and social prayer, and about sunset resolved to visit the Jews, wlio met that evening to celebrate " the joy of the Luic,'' (min-nnc:*', simhath torah). It was the commencement of that day which is called in John, '■'■the last dcnj, that great day of the feasts * We prayed that we might have an opportunity of proclaiming to them the words of Jesus, " If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink," and our desire was granted. On our way through the village we noticed "that the peasants took off their hats a long way before they met us, — not, however, with the cheerful air of a free-born Briton, but with a sullen servile look, the result of well-remembered oppression ; for the Polish Barons used to keep the pea- santry in real slavery, and the want of a middle class in Poland who might link rich and poor together, has per- petuated the system. Passing the cottage where the marriage had been in the morning, we saw a large com- pany on the green before the door, dancing to the sound of the violin and tabret. They have no joys but those of earth, and the Sabbath is their chief day of gaiety and mii-th. The Jews have three synagogues here, the best of which is a high and spacious building. On asking a Jewish boy if the building before us was the synagogue of the Chasidim, he replied, " No, it is the synagogue of the j^rosiakis,'' that is, "the common people." He used the word as a term of reproach ; for the spirit of the old Pharisees remains in the heart of Israel, and they say still, " Stand by thyself, come not near to me, for I am holier than thou."t Entering the large synagogue, we got into conversation with several Jews, while the con- gregation was assembling. We spoke to them of the way of a sinners pardon ; and on our saying that their Cipporah\ was the only remnant they had of sacrifice, one of them replied, "That they did not offer the cock' and hen as a sacrifice, for prayer now stood in the place of all sacrifices." How truly are Israel abiding * John vii. 37. t Isa. l.w. 5. t See p. 404. CONVERSATION WITH JEWS. 437 " without a sacrifice," * when the only appearance of a sacrifice that anywiiere meets the eye, in the thousand ceremonies ol" Judaism, is totally disclaimed as such by themselves ! We spoke on Isaiah liii. and the office of Messiah " to give repentance to Israel and remission of sins." Several were attracted to us when they heard us speak of having seen Jerusalem, and of our love to the house of Israel. When we told them that in Scotland, true Christians keep tlie Christian Sabbath as strictly as the Jews do theirs, never travelling nor doing any work, but reading the Bible, and worshipping God in public and private, they were astonished, and at first did not seem to believe it. At length one of them made his way round to the spot where Mr. Caiman was speaking in the midst of another group, and put the question to him if it were really so] The man came back and told his brethren that it was true, and all seemed greatly pleased. Some boys read to us a portion of the Law, beginning, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God," which started another con- versation ; and when we hesitated not to use the words, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord," telling them of our belief in the oxe God. His wondrous nature, and His becoming incarnate, they stood listening with great attention, and one asked, " Were you born Chris- tians !" On leaving them, we went to the synagogue of the Chasidim. There we were kindly brought forward to a convenient place for seeing the procession in honour of the law, which was about to take place. Several Jews were very friendly, and anxious to hear about Jeru- salem. One began to speak of the oppression of their na- tion, which is felt here in the taxes laid on meat and lights, for they pay nearly half a zicanzig- for a candle, — a heavy burden on them who use so many every week.f We told them how different was the feeling toward Israel in our country: for true Christians in Scotland and Eng- land loved the Jews, and Messiah enjoined us to bear a special love to them. We then read together some of their prayers, which they asked us to translate into Ger- man. After this, we had an opportunity of telling how Jesus, at the very feast which they were celebrating, stood in the Temple and invited sinners to come to him. At length, the service began. The room by this time * ITos. ill. 4. t Those taxes imposed peculiarly on Israel reminded us of Lam. v. 4, 5. " We have drunken our water for money ; our wood is sold unto us. Our necks are under persecution; we labour, and iiave no rest" 39 438 JAGLINSKY — "PROCESSION OF THE LAW," was crowded to excess; and the glare and heat of the large candles became very unpleasant. After a short prayer, the persons were called up who were to engage in the procession, to each of whom was entrusted a roll of the Law, which he carried in his ai'ms. They are called up according to the alphabetical order of their names, he who presides using these words as he names each, minS noo jn (ten kavod letorah), "Give honour to the Law." The first company being thus called up and arranged, and all the copies of the Tor ah in the ark being placed in their hands, the old rabbi began the dance. The signal for commencing was given (somewhat pro- fanely)"in the words of Exodus, " Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward." * Immediately they began to move slowly round the synagogue, all present chanting a prayer. Soon the singing became louder, and the movements of the worshippers more rapid. They clapped their hands, shouted, and finally danced with all their might, dandling the roll of the Laio in their arms. The old grey-haired rabbi danced with the most vehe- ment gestures, while all sung, leaped, and clapped their hands, till the whole synagogue was one scene of in- describable confusion. When one company had danced till they were weary, others were called up to form a * Exod. xiv. 15. .-1^ >■ INTERVIEW AVITH THE RABBI, 439 second, until all the members of the synagogue had shai'ed in it. Such is a specimen of '■'■the procession of the Laiv " nim raip-i, (tekupliath Torah), intended to give honour to the Word of tlie Living God. But tiie chief joy is reserved for the morrow. What a caricature is this on David's " dancing before the Lord with all his might !" and vviiat a contrast to David's calm delight in the word of God, " O how love I thy law, it is my medi- tation all the day." A religious service more silly or childish could scarcely be imagined. W^e were again reminded of the sure word of prophecy, " I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them." * When all was over, the rabbi sent to say that he wished to speak with us. We accordingly went to his house, " which joined hard to the synagogue,"! and which was immediately filled to overflow with Jews, all intensely anxious to see the Christians who had been at Jerusalem, and were interested in their welfare. When we had answered several questions as to the condition of their brethren in Palestine, Mr. Caiman seized the valuable opportunity, and beginning with a reference to the prin- ciples of the Chasidim, who profess to do every thing out of pure, disinterested love to God, shewed them with much affection, what Jehovah had done to awaken our love toward himself in the great gift of his beloved Son. We then parted from them in a most friendly manner, and returned to our inn. How affecting is such a visit to Israel ! " The priests said not. Where is the Lord ? and they that handle the laio kneto me not."l Soon may a better day dawn on Zion, when the promise shall be realized, " I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you toith knowledge and under- standing .'"5 (Sept. 30.) T^eaving our pleasant hartsmi, we swept through the vale and village of Jaglinsky. The morning was clear and fine, but much colder than we had yet ex- perienced. We travelled due north through a vast plain country, where all tlie crops had been gathered in except the retskij. The highway was straight as a railroad, so that we could see before us for several miles — a di-eary prospect to a traveller on foot. We came down upon the large but dull village of Zad- cow, where our attention was atti'acted by a church- * Isa. iii. 4. t Acts xviii. 7. X Jer. ii. 8. § Jer. iii. 15. 440 JAGLINSKY TO TARNAPOL — SCENERY. yard planted with black crosses as thickly as a grove, and by a large cross at the entrance ornamented with human skulls and bones. Indeed, it is not uncommon in Poland to see the crosses decorated with human skulls and bones, in order that they may more deeply affect the poor blinded worshippers. Here it was dis- covered that one of our horses needed a shoe, and as the Polish smith proved to be .slow at the use of the hammer, we had opportunity to wander about the place. The Eruv and the boot /is at many cottage- doors, informed us that some of the seed of Abraham had found a refuge here ; and we spoke to two or three on the road, who' told us that there are 300 Jewish fami- lies in this place. All the peasants, and even the women, wore sheepskin, to keep out the keen north wind. We travelled on through some fine woods of elm, oak, ash, and most of all birch. The villages on the wayside are at wide intervals from each other, yet all of the same character, tame and uninteresting. The churches are often picturesque, especially the old wooden ones : the belfry, too, is peculiar, being generally a building dis- tinct from the church, or sometimes an archway over the entrance to the church-yard. Yet these bring no sweet associations of a preached gospel and holy com- munion seasons. The next large village was Copochinsky, clean and thriving, with its church, crosses, and images. One image especially attracted our attention, standing in a shed in the market-place, — the uncouth figure of a friar carrying the child Jesus in his arms. After this we passed "two very poor villages, the first of which ap- peared to be altogether Jewish. The country now became bare indeed, though all under cultivation, till we came down upon Trembowla, a pleasant town on the banks of the Seret, having the ruins of an old castle overhanging it, and a square fortress at some distance. It has two very handsome churches and one of the large high Polish synagogues, built of wood, but going rapidly to decay. We met several Jews, who told us that there are 1500 of their brethren here, and that their synagosrue is 120 years old. They hstened to us when we testified of Messiah's atonement for sin. North of Trembowla the country began to improve. We entered a fine valley, watered by the same stream which runs through the town. The fields on either side were fruitful, and almost entirely covered with hemp. akrival at tarn'apol. 441 At the upper end of the vale was a placid lake, out of which the stream issued. The hills were well wooded, and some pleasant cottages overhung ti)e lake. Ascending higlier ground, we drove through woods of beech and elm, and then through an avenue of pop- lars, and came to Gulonitsky, a village having a splendid church with three pointed spires, and an elegant man- sion, which we understood to be that of the Popish Bish- op. Every thing around wore an aspect of neatness and culture, and even the crosses and images were of better workmansiiip. A peculiar looking burying-ground on a slight eminence caught our eye as we entered. It had no black crosses, but white upright stones over the graves. We soon discovered that this was the place where the Jews bury their dead. How many souls of Israel have passed away even from this one country vil- lage to the judgment-seat of Ciirist, hardened in the re- jection of his gospel, by the surrounding idolatries of the Church of Rome ! Shall they not take up the words of their fathers .' " The violence dOne to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon, shall the inhabitant of Zion say; and, My blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say." * About sunset we arrived at Tarnapol, one of the finest towns of Austrian Poland, a hundred milesf north from Czernowitz. It is of some extent, and finely situated, overlooking an extensive lake on the north-west, out of which flows the Seret, encircling part of the town. The churches and public buildings are large and handsome, and there are thriving academies. The Jewish burying- ground is on the right hand of the road at the entrance to the town. Many Jews were upon the streets in their best clothes, and many Jewesses, sometimes six or eight in a company, enjoying themselves upon this night of special festivity. Putting up our carriage, we set out to visit the syna- gogue of the New School. Tiie service was not begun, but vast numbers of well dressed Jews were already as- sembled, walking up and down in the porch. Tlie fe- males, too, in their richest attire, were occupying their quarter of the synagogue. As for devotion, there was not even the shadow of it to be seen ; the synagogue seemed to be regarded as a place of public amusement * Jcr. li. 35. t Travilliii^ was so cheap here, that tlie whole expense of this jour- ney was only 21. 23* 442 TARNAPOL — JEWISH SYNAGOGUES. and display ; and the words of the prophet might that night have been rung in the ears of the daughters of Zion, " Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be trou- bled, ye careless ones."* Three Jewish soldiers, in Aus- trian uniform, were among the crowd that waited for the opening of the doors; and several Jewish boys showed their courtesy to strangers by offering to take us to a seat. They could talk Latin, having attended the Aca- demy, and seemed not a little proud of being able to make use of a learned tongue. The synagogue was at length opened. It was a commodious and elegant apart- ment with galleries for the women, handsomely painted and illuminated with wax-candles, resembling the tine sy- nagogue at Leghorn, though not equal to it in size. The Jews were very polite, but the service was uninterest- ing; the company and their dresses seemed to be the principal entertainment. We left them, and proceeded to a synagogue of the Chasidim. Here were assembled a much poorer class of Jews, who read prayers with all the fervour of devo- tion. In a little after we had entered, they began the procession in honour of the law. A standard-bearer went first, then the rabbi, then six others, each carrying a roll of the law. Upon the standard was embroidered the Austrian eagle with the words, " I bare you on eagles' wings."t From this synagogue we sought our way to the great synagogue of the^Rabbinical Jews. We wished to see the joyful procession from the rabbi's house to the synagogue, — a scene of uproar and folly. Several Jews were discharging pistols and fire-works in the open street. The doors of the synagogue were not yet open- ed, and the crowd in the porch were running to and fro in boisterous mirth. Alas ! there were none of Jacob's feelings, " How dreadful is this place ! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." At length, the old rabbi and his friends arrived, with lighted candles and torches carried before them, and a banner, amidst the shouts of the multitude. The doors were thrown open, and the crowd rushed in. The bra- zen lustres poured forth a flood of dazzling light, reveal- ing a very large old synagogue, with a high vaulted roof It is about COO years old, and in style bears a resem- blance to some of our least ornamented Gothic churches. The gallery of the females occupied one side of the build- ing, entirely closed from view by a lattice work. After * Isa. xxxii. 11. + Exod. xix. 4. LAST DAY OF THE FEAST. 443 prayer, thirty-six Jews were called up to give honour to the law, and each was intrusted with one oftlie rolls out of the ark. The liglited standard, and a tiag with a lighted candle at the top of'tiie stall", were carried foremost, then the rabbi, a staid respectable-looking man, with thirty- six bearers of the law, followed after. There was no dance nor extravagant shouting, but a company of young Jews sang many lively airs, often imitating the sound of trumpets and other musical instruments of a military band ; the spectators clapping hands while the procession moved seven tim.es round the synagogue. And this is all the joy of tlie Feast of Tabernacles, which Israel knows now ! Where now are the days of Ezra and I\e- hemiah, when " tlie joy of the Lord was their strength" — when they made booths and sat under the booths, " and there was very great gladness ? Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God ; and they kept the feast seven days, and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly according unto the manner." * Surely " the Lord has caused the solemn feasts to be forgotten in Sion !"t It is not thus that Israel shall worship on that approaching day, when " they shall draw water with joy out of the wells of salvation, be- cause the Lord Jehovah is their strength and song."]: Nor shall it be with our feelings that the believing na- tions shall in that day look on Israel's holy service, when " they go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles."^ (Oct. I.) Tarnapol has 1.5,000 inhabitants, and of these there are 1800 families of Jews, probably more than half the population. The Academy is said to be a very good one; we met some of the students walking in the mea- dows near the lake, carrying their books upon their heads. The Jews spent this day in prayer, on account of the anniversary of the death of Moses. We visited a synagogue of the Chasidim, in a part of the town where we had not been before. Our entrance caused considerable commotion among the worshippers; their faces assumed an aspect of terror, their chanting was all but silenced, and they whispered anxiously to one another. The reason for their alarm was, that they thought we were officers of the Austrian Government, * Neh. yiii. 17, 18. t Lam. ii. 6. X Isa. xii. 3. $ Zech. xiv. 16. 444 TARNAPOL — JEWS OF THE NEW SCHOOL. come to spy out their doings, and find a pretext for op- pressing them. How truly these words have come to pass, "1 will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies, and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them ; and they shall flee as fleeing from a sword, and they shall fall when none pursueth."* Mr. Caiman soon relieved their fears, and in a little time, we saw the dance in honour of the law renewed with greater vehemence than ever. At first they danced two and two, then three or 'four all joined hand in hand; they leaped also as well as danced, singing at the same time, and occasionally clapping hands, in a manner that re- minded us of the Arab dance and song in the East. A few seemed quite in earnest, with a wild fanatical expres- sion in their countenances, while others were light and merry. One mild, elderly Jew spoke to us, and after listening to what we said regarding Messiah's once offer- ing himself for sin, kept by us all the time, followed us when we left, and shook hands, heartily wishing us God- speed in our journey. We paid a second visit to the Jews of the New School. They were finishing "the procession of the Law" as we entered ; for they go through all the ceremonies of the other Jews, although in their heart they despise them. There is great mutual contempt between the Jews of the Old and those of the New School. They told us that the rabbi who founded the New School in Tarnapol had died there that very day, and all tlie Chasidim were re- joicing at the news. This man had been the means of introducing the new system of education for the Jewish youth of this place, by instituting an Academy where the German, Polish, Latin, and Hebrew languages, as well as many branches of science, are regularly taught. He and his party had such influence with the gov-ernment that at first they were empowered to compel all Jewish children to attend the Academy ; but this order was after- wards withdrawn, only they were allowed to put a tax of three krutzers on the oke of meat, for every boy who is not sent. In spite of this, the Rabbinical Jews cling as firmly as ever to their old system, and only 200 children have been sent to the Academy, though there are 3000 Jewish children in Tarnapol. It is not, however, alto- gether from real attachment to theu' old system that the majority thus oppose any change; it proceeds in many * Lev. xxvii. 36. OPINIONS OF THE NEW SCHOOL JEWS. 445 cases rather from a regard to self-interest, and in some from personal dislike to the present rabbi. It is much to be lamented, that even those who are taught in the schools of the New Synagogue do not acquire a gram- matical knowledge of Hebrew, which would be of the greatest importance, as it would enable them to read the Word of God with ease and intelligence. The reason of this is, that they are not allowed to attend the Aca- demy until they have attained a certain age ; so that most of those who go to the teacher there have already been taught in some degree by a private instructor, but have not had a solid fovuidation laid. We found much difficulty in ascertaining the real opinions of the New Synagogue here. To some extent they might be called infidels, for they do not make the Bible the foundation of tlieir faith. But they differ widely from the infidel Jews of Germany and France in this, that they have great respect for the Bible, and seem to have cast it off rather from a belief that they can arrive at truth without it, than from any positive dislike. They are still interested in whatever regards the Holy Land, though they do not expect to return to it. Many of them, however, believe, like other infidel Jews, that po- litical emancipation is the only Messiah they are to look for. It was the rejection of the Talmud that led them to reject the Bible also; and yet they retain the rabbinical ceremonies, though they do this chiefly because the Cha- sidim have accused them of forming a new sect, which the Austrian Government rigorously forbids. It is plain from this fact, that there is little of conscientious belief among them. Self-interest and the fivour of tlie world appear to form their principal rule of life. Several Jews of this class called on us at our lodiring, and were ex- ceedingly polite. One said, " The Bible had served its day ; there was need of something else now." Another, on being asked why they retained the ceremonies and forms of Judaism since they rejected the Talmud, gave this Jesuitical reason, "that by maintainingf their pro- fession, they obtained access to the fimilies of other Jews, and thus had opportunity of quiotly diffusing their doctrines, and undermining the prejudices of their breth- ren." At Odessa, some of their .sev'^t have gained the approbation of the Russian Emperor for their schools. Only two have been baptized in Tnrnapol, and these were females, who were induced by the prospect of being 446 TARNAPOL — RABBI RAPAPORT — YOUNG JEW. married into good Roman Catholic families. We spent many hours in discussion with these men. At one time we had five in the room. Mr. Caiman spoke plainly to them of true Christianity; and Mr. M'Cheyne explained and applied Zech. xii. 10, to one interesting Jew who spoke Latin. He said that he was one of about twenty who were able to converse in tliat language. In the evening we paid a visit to the chfef man of the rabbinical Jews, Rabbi Rapaport, the same of whom we had heard in Jassy as being at the head of tlie secret Society for undermining Judaism, — considered one of the most learned Jews in the world, both in regard to languages and general knowledge. He received us po- litely, but at the same time with somewhat of the stiff- ness of assumed dignity. He put many questions re- garding Palestine, and seemed to be familiar with the events of the day in that country. He inquired as to the progress and success of Ibraim Pasha, and also con- cerning the visit of Sir Moses Montefiore. We asked his opinions regarding Messiah ; to which he replied very cautiously, " that there was no fixed time for his coming, and that the doctrine of a Messiah was not one of the original articles of the Jewish creed. These (he said) related only to God, the resurrection, and the final judgment of men." One of his attendants spoke out his opinion more fully, saying, " It would have been better if Messiah had never been foretold!" Later in the evening, a well-educated young Jew called on us. Hearing that we had been inquiring about the practicability of instituting schools among the Jews, he came to offer himself as a teacher. He thought him- self qualified, having taught in the Academy of the Je- suits in the town. He conversed with us in Latin, always addressing us by the title of ^^Dominatio restra." When telling us that he had given up all expectation of the restoration of his people to their own land, and of the coming of Messiah, he used this remarkable expression, ^'■Despero, despero,'^ that is, " I have no hope of it," the very term used by the prophet Ezekiel, when he foretold what would be the state of Israel before the breath should enter into them, " Behold, they say. Our bones are dried and 0U7' hope is lost.'"* This young man professed still to believe the Bible ; and we urged upon him the duty of believing things because God had revealed them, and * Ezek. xxxvii. 11. JEWISH BURYIXG-PLACE. 447 not because reason suggested them. Nearly one-half of the Jewish population of Tarnapol have joined the new sect ; yet tiie opposition on the part of the Rabbinical Jews, and especially the Chasidim, is very strong. One example of tiiis is curious. — The new sect made a pro- posal to form a colony under tiie sanction of the Govern- ment. The Chasidim, in order to counteract this, dis- tributed among the people charms, consisting of small pieces of paper, on which some mystical Hebrew sent- ences were written, one of which, as a curiosity, we procured. We visited the Jewish burying-place, a large plot of ground ornamented with trees near the entrance of the town. It is covered with upright gravestones, some of them 200 years old, having inscriptions generally in good preservation, and some elegant monuments over the Rabbis. The device upon the stone where a coheri or priest lies buried, is two hands in the position of one pronouncing the blessing, and below are the words, "On this wise shidi ye bless Israel.''''* A cluster of grapes, lighted candles, an eagle, and a gazelle, were some of the other devices. Several of the other inscriptions were poetical, but none were interesting. A little boy was buried while we were there. They brought him to the grave bound up in a white shroud, and lying on a bier. A Gentile dug the grave, — it being unlawful for an Israel- ite to do servile labour on a solemn feast day. A small pillow was filled with earth, and laid in the grave to be a resting-place for his head. The fice was "left uncov- ered, and a loose board laid over the body, to prevent the earth from injuring it wlien thrown in. The covered board is loose, that tl)e dead may have no trouble in getting out at the resurrection, and sometimes, we were told, they put a staff beside the body to help the person to rise at that day ! Before the body^ was laid in the grave, the attendants went through a m'iserable supersti- tion ; the friends present bending over him and asking the dead to forgiv-e them if tiiey had injured him in any way during his life, and to forgive his father and grand- father, or any other friend who had done so. We were shown the grave of a Jewess, who died 200 years ago, named Galla, the daughter of a ral)bi, who is said to have lately wrought miracles on diseased persons who prayed at her grave. Some time ago, she appeared in a dream to several people in town, and told them that she had * iNurnb. vi. 23. i 448 DEPARTURE FROM TARNAPOL. got this power. Many went to the place, and, accord- ing to the story of our guide, were cured. A heap of twigs lay piled up several feet near her gravestone, each one put there by the hand of some grateful Jew or Jew- ess who had reaped the benefit of a visit to her grave. Our guide assured us that his grandmother had been completely cured of a desperate disease, by coming to pray beside tins grave. The prophets of Israel foresaw this feature of Jewish apostasy, " Should not a people seek unto their God ! for the hving (shall they go) to the dead I To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to this word, there is no light in them."* In the cool of evening, we enjoyed a pleasant walk on the banks of the neighbouring lake, and met a company of about tliirty Jews, singing togetlier in a joyful mood. There is a better day coming, when after tliey have sown in tears, "they shall return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads."t (Oct. 2.) Early this morning we observed the young men who attend the gymnasium, on their way to the principal church to be present at morning prayers for half an hour. There were perhaps 300, all marching in regular order, with their ushers wearing the dress of the Popish priests. Thus the chains of Popery are riveted on the rising generation. Before the door of the church stood an immense cross, with a small picture of Christ near the foot. As the young men retired, many of them approached the cross and kissed the picture, making obeisance before it. What must Israel think when they see the best educated of the Polish youth worshipping an image in the open street, as well as the blinded peasan- try bowing down to huge crosses and uncouth images of saints, Ihat disfigure the wayside and are crowded round every village, — what can they think in such a land as this, but that J^sus taught his followers to bow down to wood and stone, like the worst of the heathen] Sure- ly, in the skirts of Babylon shall be found, not only the blood of prophets and of saints, but tlie blood of many a Jew. "As Babylon has caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth." \ Several Jews called and took leave of us in a very kind manner. Before setting out about nine o'clock, a great crowd began to assemble round a house opposite to our lodging. It was the house of rabbi Perl, the great reformer and'founder of the New School, who was that * Isa. viii. 19, 20. t Isa. xxxv. 10. t Jer. li. 49. ZAL03C — SARETSKY. 449 day to be burled, and about 500 Jews had met at that early hour to do honour to his remains. We left the town in a Jewish brisca, a light wagon without springs, not very comfortable, driven by a bearded Jew, who was not very steady, for he stopped at the first house of entertainment on the road, and when we asked the rea- son, said very honestly that he wanted sncqjs, — tlie com- mon name in that country for strong drink. The day was warm and fine, but the country bare and uninter- esting. The crops were all off tiie ground, except the potatoes, which the peasants were gathering. Some- times the road was sandy and heavy, sometimes a plea- sant wood of oak or birch relieved the weary eye. At one part, a beggar boy seeing us approach, bowed to the ground, kissed the dust before us, and then, with clasped hands and imploring look, asked an alms. About one o'clock we came to Zalosc, situated, like very many of the small towns of Poland, on the margin of a lake. Here we stopped at a Jewish khan, and par- took of "M(Y-^rt§-," or "midday meal," as it is there call- ed. Pike taken out of the lake was set upon the table, along with some of the remnants of the previous day's repast, at the close of the Feast of Tabernacles. A pic- ture of the famous rabbi. Landau, hung upon the wall, a favourite ornament in all the Jewish houses. We were told that there are 100 families of Jews residing here. Not far from this is another village called Saretsky, on the margin of a considerable lake. A few Jews were in the streets as we passed through. Im:iges abounded on the roadside, and especially round the village. How long shall it be ere the Lord a second time bring to pass theWords written, "Therefore, behold, tlie days come that I will do judgment upon the graven images of Ba- bylon." * At sunset, we came in sight of a prominent eminence, crowned with a beautiful church, and near it a large building in a grove, which we conjectured to be a con- vent. The name of tlie place is Potkamin, one of the most sightly villages of this part of the country. Many Jews were walking in the larce square or market-place, and the shomesh or " beadle" was in tlie act of going round the village, knocking loudly at the door of every Jewish house, to give warning that the hour for worship in the synagogue had arrived. We spoke a few minutes with some of them, who said that there are 300 families * Jer. 11. 47. 40 450 POTKAJIIX — JEWS — ARRIVAL AT ERODY. of Jews. We told an old man, and a friend who was with him, that we had come from the Holy Land ; on hearing which, he asked us, " If we had prayed over the graves of the saints at Jerusalem?"* Mr. Caiman re- plied, that the word of God forbade us to do so. But the old man quoted Eccles. iv. 2, " I praised the dead that are already dead more than the hving tliat are yet alive," and confirmed his interpretation of the passage by re- ferring to the Gemara, which says that Solomon prayed to the dead. Mr. Caiman showed, that in following the Gemara the Jews were trusting to the ivord of man, which would ruin their souls. Upon which one that stood by replied, " How could we know when a spoon or a pot should be used, if we had not the Gemara?" Mr. C. answered, that that kind of knowledge w'as of no consequence, but the knowledge of our true state before God, as taught in his word, was infinitely important for us all. With another intelligent Jew, under a shed be- fore his shop-door, we had time to converse a little. We told him we came from Scotland, had been in Palestine, and loved the Jews. He spoke freely, and on our saying that he had no atonement for sin to offer, replied, " All that is required is prayer, not sacrifice." We spoke of Messiah coming for the very end of making atonement, and that we looked also for his coming again the second time. He said that all the Jews of that village were Cha- sidim, and that they were all hoping for Messiah's com- ing. At this place, instead of the common Eruv or string at the entrance of the town, there was a gateway of wood across the street. Soon after leaving Potkamin, the road became rough and irregular, and in many places was made of soft sand. Darkness came on, and we saw little more till we found ourselves approaching Brody, through an avenue of tall pines. It was late when we arrived at the gate of Brody, but it was opened to us on the ground of our being English travellers, and we were soon comfortably lodged in a respectable inn, kept by a German Jew. The distance from Tarnapol is eight German, or forty Eng- lish, miles. (Oct. 3.) At an early hour we were disturbed in a most unceremonious way, by a series of officious Jewish hawkers coming to our chamber, eager to dispose of their goods. First of all the door was pushed open, then a fur-cap and long beard thrust in, while a voice demand- ed, in German, if\ve needed knives or combs. No sooner * See again Isa. viii. 19. JEWISH POPULATION. 451 was this visitor gone, than another similar head was thrust in, and a voice aslved, if we wished to buy soap. This sin- gular Icind of annoyance was repeated by eight similar visitors before we were fully dressed, and we were obli- ged at last in self-defence to lock the chamber-door. Brody is situated in the midst of a sandy plain, and is five miles distant from the Russian frontier. So com- pletely level is the country all round, that the distant village of Potkamin is the only object beyond the town which arrests the eye. When a traveller approaches Brody there is no city visible, there being only three spires, and all the houses being hid by the trees of the environs. Its nearness to Russia gives it importance, and increases its trade. There are no more than three Christian churches in the town, two of which are Greek, and one Roman Catholic, while there are 150 synagogues. The streets in general are tolerably clean, and there is a side-pavement entirely of wood. The appearance of the population was certainly the most singular we had wit- nessed. It seemed wholly a Jewish city; and the few Gentiles who appeared here and there were quite lost in the crowd of Jews. Jewish boys and girls were playing in the streets ; and Jewish maid-servants carrying messages ; Jewish women were the only females to be seen at the doors and windows; and Jewish merchants filled the market-place. The high fur-caps of the men, the rich head-dress of the women, and the small round velvet caps of the boys, met the eye on every side as we JEWISH BOY WEARING THE VELVET CAP. 452 BRODY — HEAD-DRESS OF THE JEWISH WOMEN'. wandered from street to street. Jewish ladies were lean- ing over balconies, and poor old Jewesses were sitting at stalls selling fruit. In passing through the streets, if we happened to turn the head for a moment toward a shop, some Jew would rush out immediately and assail us with importunate invitations to come and buy.* In the bazaar, Jews were selling skins, making shoes, and offering earthenware for sale ; and the sign-boards of plumbers, masons, painters, and butchers, all bore Jewish names. In the fish-market, the same kind of wrangling and squabbling heard in our own markets was carried on by Jewesses, buying and selling. Jewesses also presided at the flesh and poultry market, and in a plentifully stored green-market. Near these were shambles for torn meat, to be sold only to Gentiles, Jews being forbidden in the law to eat " any flesh that is torn of beasts."! The fond- ness of the daughters of Zion for a fine head-dress, which called foith the indignant warnings of Isaiah, still lingers in the hearts of the Jewesses at Brody. They wear a black velvet coronet, adorned with strings of precious stones or imitation pearls ; and though this piece of finery costs several pounds, yet so devotedly attached are they to their " round tires like the moon,"| that scarcely can an old woman be found seated at her stall who does not wear one, as if they were queens even in their cap- tivity. There is indeed a« complete air of Judaism over the whole town ; and at the Post-office, the notices as to the delivery of letters are printed not only in the German and Polish, but also in the Hebrew language. The number of Jewish famiUes enrolled at the last cen- sus was 5000. An intelligent Austrian, whom we after- wards met at Zloozow, — the superintendent of the dis- trict,— reckoned that there were 25, 000 Jews and 10, 000 Christians in Brody. His estimate of the Jewish popula- tion is probably very near the truth, though the propor- tion he assigned to the Christian or Gentile population was perhaps too high. There are a few professed Pro- testants resident here, whom the German minister of Lemberg visits only once a-year, when he preaches in the hall of the inn where we stayed. How precious would the truth appear to some of our congregations in Scotland, were they subjected to such a famine of hear- ing the word of the Lord ! * See Isa. Iv. i. t Exod. xxii. 31. i Isa. iii. 13. JEWS — SYXAGOGUE. 453 The Jews of Brody carry on a considerable trade with Leipsic and Odessa. Tliey have great influence in the town, and often act as spies to the Austrian police. About six years ago, Mr. Reiciiardt, now Jewish missionary in London, wFtli another Christian friend, passed this way and distributed tracts; information was immediately given to the police, by whom they were detained two weeks till the authorities at Lemberg had been consulted, and then were ordered to be removed forthwith beyond the border. There are perhaps forty rich Jews in the city, who may be worth about 10,000/. or 20,000/., but the greater part are poor. There are many adherents of the Kew School, although they have only one synagogue. Most of the rising generation are giving up the study of the Talmud; and several have been baptized. There is some learning among them ; for in one synagogue we met with several lads who understood and spoke Hebrew. Many of the young men are beginning to attend the Government schools, in which they are taught Latin, and acquire general knowledge. The rabbi of the New School speaks Latin and French. We visited one of their finest synagogues. It is like an ancient Gothic church : the roof very elevated, and supported by four immense pillars in the massy Gothic style. Brass lustres in great profusion were suspended from the roof, especially in front of the ark, all handsome and brightly polished. The place might easily contain two or three thousand worshippers. The voice of prayer, and the loud Amen of the congregation, must sound very solemnly through the vaulted aisles. In the porch stand vessels of water for wasliing the hands;* and the whole prayer-book is pasted up on boards upon the walls, for the sake of the poor. In a Bctk-nudrash adjoining the synagogue, we found a company of Jews engaged in study, and each of us gathered a group around him. Several were al)Ie to speak Hebrew fluently; but there was a reserve about them all, that distinguished them from the Jews of Moldavia and Wallachia. They had secret suspicions that our object in visiting them was con- nected with the Austrian Government; and our inquiries after some of their books, excited their suspicion still more, for some of their books, which speak against the idolatry of the Church of Rome, are prohibited. * See John ii. 6. 40* 454 ERODY — JEV.'ISH HOSPITAL. We visited the hospital belonging exclusively to the Jewish community, called by them o'Shh no (beth-haho- lim), " the house of the sick," situated in one of the suburbs. Over the door is a Latin inscription, " jEgro- rum saluii." A\\ the wards were remarkably clean and well arranged, fully equal to those of our own hospitals. There is a commodious kitchen, where the food is pre- pared after the English fashion, and there are baths and a flower-garden for the use of the patients. The phy- sician, two surgeons, and the nurses belonging to the establishment, are all Jewish. There were fifty-three cases under treatment at the time, each patient having a board over his bed, with his name and disease written on it. It was a sad sight to look upon the pale faces of dying men of Israel. O that "the great trumpet were blown for those that are ready to perish .'" * The expense of this establishment was stated to us at 25/. weekly, which is defrayed by the interest of legacies, and by con- tributions from the town. We then went to the new burying-ground, opened in 1831, when the cholera made its ravages in this country, at which time, for a space of three months, there were in Brody 150 deaths every day. The extensive bury- ing-ground is already half-filled up, although the tombs are thickly planted together. The monuments are of a soft chalky stone, and most of them adorned with curious emblems. The stone is generally paint- ed, and the epitaph is of a bright colour, or sometimes in letters of gold. One had "a crown painted on it, with the words 3VJ a:r ipd (kether shem tov), "the crown of a good name." Another had a cup and platter ; * Isa. xxvii. 13. JEWISH eurying-grou>;d. 455 marking the grave of a Levite, who poured water on the hands of the priests. The outspread hands were fre- quent, marlcing the tomb of a Cohen or priest, with the words a'jn3 -iri3 (kether l;(l)en. Soon after we passed through iVeusaltz, a Moravian village, 44* 502 BERLIN — JEWS. where Kohlmeister lives, a venerable missionary, who laboured for thirty years at Labrador. At midday, ver- dant vineyards were on each side of the road, on tlie sloping hills around the pleasant town of Gruenberg. Towards evening; we reached Lessen, where the Oder is joined by another stream. The broad river, the oppo- sing hill, mantled with vines, and the handsome church, gave it a beautiful aspect. The dark blue kerchief which the women wear on the head in addition to their white caps, gives them a singular appearance. By nine o'clock we arrived at Frankfort-on-the-Oder. and next morning by daylight entered the capital of Prussia. Berlin is now so well known in this country, that any lengthened description would be here out of place. It is really a handsome city, situated upon a plain, with the Spree, a tributary of the Elbe, flowing through it, spanned by many bridges. The public buildings have much of the air of royalty about them. The castle, the museum, the dome church, the theatre with a church on each side (a painful combination, and an emblem, it is to be feared, of the state of religion in Prussia), are all handsome buildings, worthy of such a capital. The long walk under the linden-trees, with the king's palace and many fine houses on either side, all the way up to the splendid Brandenburg gate, forms one of the finest promenades in Europe. The streets are wide and lively, without being overcrowded like those of London and Paris. (Oct. 25.) Our main object being to acquire informa- tion regarding the Jews, we eagerly sought out Mr.' Becker, missionary of the London Society." We found him engaged with the captain of police, in a consultation about some Jews who had come from Poland without a pass, professing to wish baptism, and one of whom at least seemed really in earnest. Up to 1830, Mr. Becker was maintained by the Edinburgh Jewish Society ; and laboured in Magdeburg, until he was compelled by the late Duke to leave tliat station. He was then engaged at Frankfort-on-the-Maine, and latterly at Berlin. Du- ring the year then past, fifty-four inquiring Jews had come to him, of whom he had baptized five, but many had drawn back. There were about 5000 Jews in Ber- lin, thougli others make the number 8000 ; and between 900 and 1000 proselytes. Of the latter, the great propor- tion are veiy poor, a few only rich, but these have no JEWS. 503 concern about the salvation of their brethren. Two Jews came in while we were witli Mr. Becker, one an inquirer, the otiier a baptized convert, a rabbi from Ga- licia, named Abraham, whom he had met in London, and who had been lately sent over to study under Mr. Becker's care. He is a very learned man, but proud, and unwillin£r to submit to the labour of acquiring ele- mentary knowledge at his time of life. There is a society in Berlin for aiding in the support of poor proselytes and inquirers, wliich is thought to be absolutely needful. The plan is not to give help directly, but in return for labour, getting pious men to employ inquirers or proselytes at their different trades. In the evening, we met with the Committee of this Soci- ety, and were introduced to the Rev. Mr. Kunze, and Mr. Focke, the Secretary. We heard a statement of thirty cases of those who receive support. " Most of our experiences are sad (said Focke), but some are joy- ful." One of tiieir first steps was to advertise for Chris- tian masters, who from love would be wilhng to take Jewish inquirers and converts as apprentices. Thirty- three masters agreed to this, but it was not all of them that had patience and long-sulTering with the young Jews sufficient to lead them to persevere. They thought an Institution for proselytes would be advisable, where they might be fed and watciied over, and from whicii they might be sent out as apprentices, for at presonf they sleep each in the house of his master. They had been instrumental in reMeving the wants of about seventy proselytes during tiiat year, the support granted differing in different cases, — some requiring clothes and every thing necessary; only they never giv^e help directly, but always in return for labour. The " Basle Freiind des Israel" published at Basle, is conducted on the same principles. Mr. Becker mentioned that he had preached at the gaol on the previous Sablinth to 400 prisoners, among whom were forty Jews. The Director is a good man, and has been useful to several of the prisoners, and among others to a younsr Jew. This youtli was con- fined two years for thefr, durinEr which time he learned the catechism and much of th^ Bible, and now that he is set at liberty, he comes retrularly to the missionary ask- ing in good earnest what he must do to be saved. Mr. Focke also toUl us of a man who ha^l murdered his mo- ther, and who, during his confinement, appeared to be 504 BERLIN — STATE OF UELIGIOJS. truly converted. The minister who attended him said that his confession of sin was the deepest he had ever heard. It was likewise mentioned that three persons of note had lately laid before the 'king of Prussia a proposal that the European powers should at this time bring Jerusa- lem again under Christian sway, or give it into the hands of the Jewish nation by a bloodless crusade. The king answered that he highly approved of their object, but that he had no influence, and advised them to lay the proposal before the other powers of Europe. They were said not to be religious men, but men moved by general views of philanthropy. Dr. Neander, though himself an Israelite by birth, takes no special interest in his brethren. He cannot be made to see that means ought to be used for their con- version, and his opinion is that the efforts of societies are not to succeed. On the other hand. Dr. Hengsten- berg has done much for the Jewish cause, and has fre- quently recommended it to his students. Walkijig home with the faithful Kunze, we received from him an account of the religious state of the capital. Berlin has a population of 250,000 souls, and seventy churches of different denominations. Three ministers and two churches have been added lately upon the prin- ciple of our Church Extension Scheme, for the Govern- ment discovered that the population had greatly in- creased, while scarcely one additional church had been built for a hundred years. Some rich people subscribed to the new churches, but the Government were the chief promoters of the scheme. Rationalism is not in fashion at Berlin ; only three of the ministers are Rationalists, and these are not attended by more than fifty hearers. The late king was a supporter of all good things, though he did not firmly press on his ministers all that he him- self saw to be right. The present king (at that time Crown Prince), was thought to be much more decided, and supported the truth in direct opposition to all his father's Neologian counsellors. Three of the king's min- isters, of whom Kunze is one, pi-each the Gospel un- flinchingly. There is also some success accompanying the preached word in Berlin, and many come inquiring what they must do to be saved. Gossner, who was brought to the knowledge of the truth through Martin Boos and wrote his life, is pastor of the Bohemian church here, and has been remarkably blessed in awakening souls. The real Christians of Berlin do take an interest NEW SCHOOL SYNAGOGUE. 505 in the cause of the Jews, but not equal to its vast impor- tance, for missions to the heathen are far better supported. Kun.ze himself is engaged every weelv in the instruction of inquirers, both Jewish and Gentile, and has baptized 112 Jews from the connnencement of his labours, Ibrty of whom were from the Grand Uutchy of Posen, and almost none from Berlin. " It is a cause (he said) which needs much patience and long-suffering; but the more they are sunk and degraded, so much tlie more we should compassionate them. And how cheering is that promise, ' As ye were a curse among the heatlien, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so will 1 save you, and ye sliall be a blessing.' " * In passing the palace, Kunze pointed to the King's sleeping ai)artment, the light in the window of which is the common intimation to the people that the King has retired to rest. We could not but contrast his peaceful reign with that of the Sultan of Constantinople, whose palace is far removed from his capital, in order to ensure his safety. (Oct. 26.) Rabbi Abraham called and conducted us to one of the New School synagogues, connected with their seminary for youth. A choir of fine Jewish boys sat on either side; the older Jews, wearing no distinctive dress except the TuUitk over the shoulders, sat in tlie middle; the women were placed by themselves, but not concealed by any lattice-work. After a short prayer, a fine Hebrew psalm was sung by the boys responsively, and then the rabbi, Ur. Auerbach, gave an extempore prayer in Ger- man, and preached a sermon on Abraham offering up Isaac, enforcing from it the duty of serving and obeying God. His quotations from Scripture were given in Hebrew, but always followed up by a German translation. We spoke with several of the Jews present. One who had travelled with us from Breslau seemed a fine young man, and seriously inclined. Another spoke with us in Latin. While leading us to the synagogue, he said that he still studies the Talmud, though he does not receive it as the word of God, and that he believes the Old Tes- tament to be divine. The old synagogue is a fine large building in the Gothic style, like that of Brody, but not so handsome. We visited the splendid Museum, which is freely open to the public ; and afterwards called on Eisner, agent for • Zech. viii. 13. 506 BERLIN — MR. BECKER — KLOSTER-KIRCHE. the Bible and Tract Society, a warm-hearted, godly old German, a truly zealous and useful man, aJid one of those who are raised up by God to be the helps of the ministry in spreading the glad tidings over the world. He gave us the Reformation Tract, newly printed. The Saturday following was to be held as a sacred festival, in comme- moration of the Reformation, it being exactly 300 years that day since first their King publicly owned the Re- formed religion, by partaking of the Lord's Supper in both kinds m the Old Church of Nicolai (2d Nov. 1539). The present Royal Family had resolved to partake of the Lord's Supper in the same church on that day. On our way home, we did not fail to visit this venerable structure, with its shai'p-pointed spire, the Nicolai Kirche, where Bucholzer used to preach. (Oct. 27. Sabbath.) At nine, we went to hear Mr. Becker preach in the Roman Catholic " Kloster-Kii'che," a dismal old church, built of brick, with galleries covered over with ancient paintings, and an immense image of Christ on the Cross with the women standing by, sus- pended from the roof. These do not suit our Pres- byterian, nor even our Protestant taste, and must be an object of abhorrence to a Jew. There was a small con- gregation of serious old people, and a kw Jews. We first heard the Lutheran liturgy, then a psalm, and a dis- course on Exod. xxiii. 21, "My name is in him." Mr. Becker is in the habit of advertising in the newspapers the day before, the subject on which he is to preach, thus : — " AvERTISSEMENT. DJ'navii'D nans 0^2:211:' a'J3 ^2vz> ' Kehret wieder, ihr abtruenningen Kinder, so will ich euch heilen von eurem Ungehorsam.' Die Alt Testa- mentliche Predigt ueber Jerem. iii. 22, 23, wird am Buss- tage, den 24ster April, frueh 9 Uhr, der Prediger Becker in der Kloster-Kirche halten." " Advertisement. 'Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslid ings.' The Old Testament discourse on Jerem. iii. 22, 23, will be given on the Fast-day. 24th April, at nine o'clock a. m., by Mr. Becker, in the Kloster-Church." We next went to the Dom-Kirche, where the King and Royal Family generally attend. It is a modern building, with a lofty fretted roof, supported by a range of pillars MR. KfXZE — SABBATH DESECRATION. 507 on either side. Tlie altar is adorned with a beautiful paintintr, two lighted candles, and a crucifix. Five ser- vices dve conducted here every Sabbath by different ministers, at different hours. As we entered, we saw the conclusion of a marriage ceremony, which was per- formed in front of the altar. A short liturgy was then read by an aged minister, and a fine choir of boys sang a hymn, aided by a noble organ. A younger minister preached on "the two debtors," with a good deal of ani- mation in his manner. Reading sermons, or even the use of notes, seems unknown among Prussian pastors. At two, we heard Mr. Kunze preach in the " Waisen- Kirche" (Orphan-Church,) to a large and evidently im- pressed audience. The singing was delightful, and the discourse delivered with great fervour and warmth, from the words " Ye were once dartcness, but now are ye light in the Lord." He referred in the course of his ser- nion to the Reformation, and the tliird jubilee of it to be celebrated that week. At every mention of the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, whether in prayer or in the ser- mon, the greater part of the congregation bowed tlieir head. Most of them sat during prayer, though some kneeled, and some stood. After the blessing was pro- nounced, all sat still for a minute in deep silence, and then rose to depart home. The Sablxnth desecration of Berlin is most lamentable. It is not like the gay pleasure-day of Paris, nor like the day of show and parade in London, but it is like a com- mon business-day. Most of the shops are open and busily fr'-Tiuented, and most of tlie people wear their week-day clothes. In the evening, it was saddening to see the large theatres open and lighted up. Guilty city! Paris sins" in comparative ignorance, but Berlin sins against the light of a f\ithfully preaclied gospel, and the testimony of many Imly believers. (Oct. 2S.) We visited the Jewish school belonging to the New Synagogue, where 150 boys are educated. There are four^classes, of which the highest is taught Hebrew thoroughly ; one of the boys translated a portion of Isaiah while we were there. They have a small library, apparatus for experiments in natural philosophy, and a piece of ground cultivated for the study of botany. The director, Auerbach, paid us every attention, gave us their printed reports, and conducted us through the orphan-liouse adjoining, wiiere sixteen orphan cliildren are maintained. "When educated, these orphans are 503 BERLIN — GOSSNER — BOHEMIAN CHURCH. sent out to work under Christian masters, and two of them have been baptized. At four o'clock, we went to hear Gossner preach in the Bohemian Church. It was crowded with an audi- ence of peculiarly solemn and devout worshippers. The king's brother and his lady are among his most regular hearers. He preaches with much fervour and great plainness, not sparing the sins of high or low. His re^ marks were often very pointed. " Some of you cheat, lie, swear, and come to the Bohemian Church, and are among my most attentive hearers, — and why"! That you may balance your sins with your devotions." He preach- ed first from the New Testament, and then from the Old, both discourses being very brief At the close, the con- gregation sang a missionary hymn, with special refer- ence to their brethren who had gone to Australia ; Goss- ner reading the line, and all singing in the sweetest manner. We spent the evening with Mr. Focke, and learned something more of the brotherly love of German Chris- tians. Mr. F. is the translator of Rutherford's Letters, and the works of some other Scottish writers, into German. (Oct. 29.) We had an opportunity of hearing Dr. Ne- ander lecture for an hour to about 400 students. He stood without any gown, carelessly dressed in a brown surtout, leaning over a rude desk. His large shaggy eyebrows and prominent Jewish nose, gave an expres- sion of depth and power to his face, but his wiiole man- ner and appearance are most ungainly. His utterance is very distinct, but with a good deal of effort, and with so many pauses that the students were able to write down every word ; and when he came to any unusual proper name, he spelt it to them. The lecture was on the authorship of the Epistle to the Hebrews. In the midst of his dissertation the bell rang, whereupon he immedi- ately closed his papers, scarcely finishing the sentence, bowed to the students, and was the first to leave the class-room. There is no prayer either at the commence- ment or close, for this would be considered Pietism. The Doctor is a singular man. When visitors go to call upon him, they have often to seek about his room in order to find him, for he is hidden behind shelves and folios. In conversation they must draw him out, ques- tion after question, for no one gets from him more than he asks. Yet he is very kind to his students, and enter- tains them twice a-week at tea. UNIVERSITY — GOSSNEU. 509 Berlin University is now distinguished in all its branches. The great aim of the late king was to make it the first University in Germany, and he has succeeded, by gathering the ablest men to be professors there. Its theology is on the whole the soundest of any in Ger- many. Hengstenberg is professor of Biblical Criticism, and confines himself to the interpretation of the Old Testament. He seems to be the firmest and boldest opponent of Rationalism and German philosophy in all Germany, but there are not many professors who adhere to him. Neander is standing still while others are be- coming more orthodox, and his views of inspiration would be condemned by every body of Christians in England. We called upon Gossner, and found him a lively warm- hearted old minister. He does not take a particular in- terest in the Jews. " This is the time (said he) for ang- ling them out one by one, but not for the general haul"" He spoke much of Martin Boos, saying, "He was a man like Luther, but very mild, and I myself am a monument of his success." He believed that the chief reason why Boos never joined any Protestant church was, that he could not bear the coldness and infidelity so widely pre- valent among them. Thirty-seven Bavarian priests were the fruit of his labour, who continue in the Roman Catho- lic Church, yet preach the truth as it is in Jesus. Many of his people became Protestants, but others could not stand the trials to which tiiey were subjected. He shewed us a picture which represents him with a cap on his head. We had afterwards an interesting account of Gossner'.s own labours in St. Petersburg. It is eighteen years since he was forced to part from his people there. Many in the Russian capital were becoming concerned about their souls under his ministry, and for this reason he was sud- denly commanded to leave. Chained to a soldier, he was conducted out of Russia, when multitudes of his people followed him, weeping as they went for ten miles ; till he entreated them to return, and implored a parting bless- ing upon them. Although so many years have elapsed, still some of his people meet together upon his birthday every year, to pray tliat his useful life may be preserved. How lasting is the tie that unites a Christian people to their spiritual father ! We spent the evening with Mr. Kunze and- two inter- esting Jewish converts, one a medical man, who desires 45 510 BERLIN — KUNZE — SABBATH SCHOOLS. earnestly to be employed as a medical missionary among his brethren, the other a useful member of the Berlin Society for Visiting tlie Sick, and both esteemed as truly Christian men. From them we learned something more of the real condition of Christ's kingdom in Berlin. Faitli- ful ministers are on the increase, and they maintain three meetings for ministerial conference and prayer. One of these contains seven pastors, who meet every Monday evening for the study of the Scriptures ; the Hebrew and Greek Bible, and Hengstenberg's Cln'istology being be- fore them. After supper they, go over each of the ser- mons of the past Sabbath, and communicate freely ministerial experiences and difficulties. What a salu- tary influence such meetings must exercise, and how worthy are they of imitation by the faithful pastors of our own beloved Church! Sabbath schools are not allowed in Prussia. Mr. K. instituted them, and carried them on quietly for three years, but they were put down by the Government on the ground that the teachers were not licensed. Even meetings for prayer are not allowed, through fear lest republican sentiments should be promoted ! Yet Mr, K. holds a meeting every Wednesday evening, in a large saloon, in the house of Baron Kotswitz, a faithful old gentleman of eighty-three years of age, and this is filled to overflowing by an audience of above 400 persons. There are -many awakened souls in Berlin asking the way to Zion, with their faces thitherward, and for the most part these are either in the highest ranks or in the poorest, the nriddle class being the most ungodly. Several of the faithful pastors visit from house to house through their parish, as amongst ourselves, but generally with the help of a Candidat, owing to the vast extent of their parishes. The division of parishes is hindered by the minister's salary depending in great part on the mar- riage fees, &c., which would be much lessened by di- minishing the parishes. The schools are entirely under the care of the clergy, so that they can direct the books to be read, and the portions of Scripture to be learned. We parted from this affectionate servant of Christ after solemn prayer. Next day we visited the Normal Seminary, conducted by Mr. Diesterweg, reckoned one of the most skilful normal teachers in all Prussia, and an author on the subject. We found him in the upper room, instructing sixty young teachers in the elements of logic. Oral cate- NORMAL SEMINARY — MISSIONARY INSTITUTION. 511 chetical instruction seems to be one principle of the sys- tem. He proposes a question, and all who are ready to answer hold up the forefinger. He names one who an- swers, then another, with the greatest rapidity, keeping up a continuous stream of lively examination among all. The young men are taught in this way for two years, when they are introduced into the classes below to teach the children, the director privately observing and correct- ing their faults. We went through six classes of the school in which this process was going on. In one, the children were exercised in mentafarithmetic. In others, instruction in French, Anatomy, and Natural History, was given, all in the same lively manner ; and in one class, they read a brief history of the Reformation, and repeated a hymn. We were much gratified by this visit, and longed to see the same system fully realized in Scot- land. We next visited the Berlin Missionary Institution in Sebastian Street, and were kindly received by the Direc- tors, two gentle Christian men. They hav^e a hall for prayer, comfortable apartments for the students, a small library, and a neat chapel adjoining. Several young men were studying there at the time,"who have devoted themselves to the missionary cause; one of whom was Jacobson, a converted Jew, full of love to his Lord, and under training to carry the glad tidings to his brethren. The expense for each student is 30/. a-year. The same evening we had the pleasure of calling on Dr. Robinson, the American Professor, author of Biblical Researches in Palestine, — a most valuable work, to which frequent references have been made in a former part of this narrative. He was then residing in Berlin for the purpose of bringing it to a completion. Our inquiries being now completed in the Prussian capital, we set out for Hamburg (which is thirty-two hours distant) late at night, good old Eisner seeing us away, and supplying us with tracts for distril)ution. Passing through Spandau and many villages during the night, we came next day about noon to Perleberg7 and shortly after to Ludwigslust. This latter place is sur- rounded with gardens and pleasure-grounds, having formerly been the residence of the Duke of Mecklenburg, in whose territory it lies. At evening we reached Boi^- zemburg, then crossed a strip of territory belong- 512 HAMBURG — MR. MORITZ, JEWISH MISSIONARY. ing to Denmark, and early next morning entered Ham- burg. The environs of Hamburg are beautiful; fine avenues of trees afford shady walks, through which the scenery of the river Elbe at different openings meets the e3'e. Many of the houses are old and picturesque. There are 150,000 inhabitants; and it is reckoned one of the most vicious towns in Europe. The city forms a kind of re- public, governed by a senate, who seem to be opponents of the truth. The established religion is Lutheran, but the pastors are far from being faithful or even orthodox. A little before our visit, two "Candklats had been preach- ing against the Divinity of Christ, and nothing was done to check them ; whilst another faithful CandicUit, who printed a tract opposed to Socinian views, was tried, fined, and forbidden to preach for three years. In the whole Hamburg territory, there are twenty-six Lutheran pas- tors, but of these, only six have come boldly forward to de- fend the truth. One member of senate, who is a faithful man, has published a protest against the Socinianism of some of the ministers. There are 4000 English residents in this town, and these have an Episcopal clergyman. Mr. Rheder, a minister of the Congregational persuasion, and a worthy man, labours quietly alnong his flock, and is undisturbed. Mr. Oncken, the agent to the Edinburgh Bible Society, preaches to a small Baptist congregation, but not without interruption. We found our way to the house of Mr. Moritz, mis- sionary of the London Society, by birth a Jew, who for thirty-two years, has maintained a consistent profession of the truth. When he first went to London, before his conversion, he lived at the house of a Jewess. On Satur- day, instead of going to the synagogue, he spent the whole day in going through the city, gazing at every novelty. On Sunday morning, he was astonished at the quietness of the town, and still more when he saw the shops all shut. Inquiring what it meant, his Jewish landlady said, " the people of England are a God-fear- ing people, and if we had kept our Sabbath as they keep theirs, Messiah would have come long ago." This word from the lips of a Jewess was the first arrow of conviction that pierced his heart, for he always thought that Christians were idolaters. The arrow remained, and never left him till he was brought to the feet of Jesus. After his baptism, he read in a newspaper MR 3I0RITZ — JEWS. 513 one day a proposal by Alexander, Emperor of Russia, to establish colonies of Jews near the Sea of Azof, where- upon he wrote to a friend in St Petersburg, that Gospel missionaries should first be sent among the Russian Jews. His letter was laid before the Emperor, by whose desu'e he was immediately engaged in that work. Fron^ 1817 to 1825, he went through many provinces of Russia, Volhynia, C'ourland, and the Crimea, preaching the gos- pel to the Jews with great acceptance, and often with success. His own aunt and her two sons were the first fruits of his labours. He was often invited to preach in the synagogues of the Jews, where the Jews listened with deep interest. Frequently, in order to attract them, he made use of their own style, and conveyed the truth in the form of a mashal or parable, — for the Jews still de- light in this form of speech, as their fathers did.* Once in the synagogue of Kiow, being asked to preach, he spoke the following parable. — ^" A poor Jew wanted very much to be rich ; he therefore put a bandage on his eyes, that he might pray to Mazal, or Fortune, and went every- where through the streets, looking up to heaven, and crying, ' O Mazal, Mazal make me rich.' At length, Mazal threw down a great bag full of precious treasure, which fell right before him. The poor man did not take off the bandage, but ran on, and stumbled over the trea- sure. Neither did he even then turn back to see what it was, but went on, still crying, ' O Mazal, Mazal, make me rich.' Mazal seeing her gift neglected, took it up again into heaven, and the Jew remained a beggar as before." The Jews present requested an explanation of the parable, which he gave them, by referring to Isaiah ix. 6, and the 2d Psalm. A deep silence followed. At last some young men asked, — And will the bandage always be on our eyes'? He told them to pray that the Spirit of God might take it away. Five of these young men seemed to receive saving impressions that even- ing.! *Judg. ix. 7. p. ?-j : z;^ t In one of their own books on Ps. xxx, 22, they tell this mashal by way of illustration. — A poor man was travelling on a hot day, carrying a heavy load upon his back. A rich man passing by in his chariot took pity on him, and invited him to take a seat in his chariot behind. Shortly after, on turning round, the rich man saw the pilgrim still oppressed with the load upon his back, and asked wliy he did not lay it on the chariot. The poor man said tiiat it was enough that he had consented to carry himself in his chariot, and he could not pre- 45* 514 RUSSIA AS A nilSSIONAUY FIELD. In 1819, he was in Dorissow, preaching the gospel to the Jews, when a rabbi from Kletsk (six German miles distant), accompanied by some of his young men, called, and aslced why he did not come to their town to preach the gospel to them. Mr. Moritz said he was willing to come if they would receive him. The rabbi said, "We will treat you kindly, I and my people will hear you, and I will tell them to treat you kindly." Accordingly he went, and was well received ; he declared the gospel freely to them, and gave away all his tracts and New Testaments. He did not hear at the time of any particu- lar result ; but a year ago, letters came from Warsaw from forty Jews of Kletsk, asking if one Moritz was still living, and where he was, offering if he was at Warsaw to come there and be baptized. " Cast thy bread upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after many days." This excellent missionary regards Russia as by far the most important field for a Jewish mission. There are at least two millions of Jews in European Russia, not in- cluding Poland, and all are Talmudists except in Cour- land, where a little more light has broken in. But there seems little hope of obtaining leave for Protestants to la- bour amongst Israel thei'e, for the Government are doing all they can to crush Protestantism. The Basle missioi> aries who went to the Caucasus, obtained permission to baptize their converts, but a year after they were all sent out of the country. In the regions bordering on the Baltic, Protestants marrying Greeks were formerly al- lowed to bring up some of their children as Protestants, but now all must be Greeks. Before, when Protestants were far from a Protestant minister, the Greek priests baptized the children, allowing the children to remain Protestants ; but now all such children must be brought up as Greeks. From Mr. Moritz we obtained the same favourable account of the Karaites in Russia as that given before. There are two colonies of them near Wilna, inhabiting a town and a village, the one having 1500, and the other 300, who support themselves by cultivating the ground. At a place called Kareimisky Neustadt (" new town be- sume to ask more. " 0 foolish man" (was the reply), " if I am willing and able to carry you. am I not able also to carry your burden ?" Thus it is with God, when he once receives a poor sinner, if he accepts his person, he will carry his burden of cares too. JEWS IN RUSSIA — SWEDEN — GERMANY. 515 longing to Karaites") in Lithuania, tliey are employed in agriculture, and the cultivation of hops and cucumbers. In the Crimea, there are above 4000, who are nearly all farmers. Thoy are a very moral and trustworthy peo- ple. Once they did not receive the prophets, but only the law, but now they receive both as divine. They keep the externals of the law very strictly, never kind- ling a fire on Sabbath in the coldest winters; but they are full of self-righteousness. Jews in Russia are now taken into the army, so that no Jew can leave the country without special permission ;* yet still they succeed in obtaining passports by bribery. In Sweden, of which Mr. M. is a native, there are only 250 families of Jews, and these are obliged to live in four cities. At Stockholm there are GOO Jews; at Gottenburg, 450; at Narkoping, 100; and at Carlscrona, 40. Mr. M. had visited them all, and so little hinderance is there in the way of labouring among them, that one of the Bishops offered him a church in which he might preach to the Jew^s. In Denmark it is otherwise; there are 2G00 Jews in its capital, Copenhagen, and the same number in Altona, and about 1000 more throughout the country; but no missionary is allowed to seek their salvation. Mr. Moritz having also visited other parts of Germany, gave us information concerning them. In Baden there are 20,000 Jews ; in Bavaria 30,000; and in Wurtemburg 1200. In Bddcn, the greater part of the Jews have cast away the Talmud, except those in Carlsruhe. In Bava- ria, there is a mixture of Rationalists and Talmudists, and little has been done for the Jews there, two-thirds of the population being Roman Catholics. In Wurtem- burg; the most of the Jews are Rationalists, but very friendly. No missionary has ever been stationed there, though it is a most inviting field of labour, and he would find delightful Christian families, who love Israel, in al- most every town and village ; and were his labours bless- ed, might be permitted to establish around him a con- gregation of converted Jews. The desirableness of form- ing such a congregation was a subject on which Mr. Moritz often dwelt." " You will never make a deep im- pression on the Jewish mind," (he would often say,) "until you form such a congregation. If 5'-our church would lay down her plan, and present it to the King of * See Isa. .Nliii. 6. 516 HAMBURG — JEWS. Prussia, you would, no doubt, receive permission to gather all the converts round the missionary, as in the Moravian settlements, so that they might sui)port them- selves, sympathize with one anotlier, and be nourished by sound teaching-. I know a great many Jewish fami- lies in Wurtemburg who would at once join such a con- gregation ; but, at present, t!iey are kept back in some degree by the feeling, that most of those who profess Christianity around tliem are infidels ; while, at the same time, their convictions are repressed by the difficulties and painful struggles that are in the way of converts." Hamburg itself presents a difficult field for mission- ary labour. There are 9000 resident Jews, and a fluctu- ating class of travelling Jews from Poland, Bavaria, and even occasionally from Constantinople and Asia, who come here in the way of trade. The majority are Tal- mudists, but far from being devout ; the New h^chool Jews have an elegant synagogue, where they use an organ and German tunes to their hymns. When Mr. Moritz first arrived, he sent a circular of intimation to the Jews, and immediately great crowds visited him. Many soon thi'eatened to kill him ; and the rabbis both of the Old and New School used all their in- fluence, so that in a little while all Jews ceased to come to him. He next opened a school, and taught twenty- four poor Jewish children for several months; but the rabbis threatened to withdraw their proportion of alms, and so all were removed from him. At the time of our visit, Mr. M. preached every Tuesday in his own house to about seventy hearers; of whom, however, the most were Christians, with four or five Jews occasionally. He has found some fruit of his labours among them. Many of the foreign Jews who visit Hamburg, come to him for a tract or a Bible, when he opens to them the gospel, and often they come again. That very week ten such inquirers had been with liim. The Jews have great influence over the Government, two-thirds of them being rich, and holding the greater part of the trade in their hands. They have a police of their own, who per- mit no foreign Jew to stay more than two days without their leave ; if he is suspected of inquiring into Christi- anity, he is sent off" immediately. Still Hamburg is a most important station, and we heartily thanked God when we found so warm-hearted a missionary there, "going forth weeping, bearing precious seed." On our way to the old synagogue, we met Mr. Oncken, NEW SCHOOL SYNAGOGUE. 517 newly arrived from a visit to Denmark, a kind, intelli- gent Christian, who went with us. The building was large, and well filled with careless-looking Jews, with nothing distinctive in their dress except the TuUiik worn by some. Tiiey have little real devotion, and seem to cleave to the superstitions of the rabbis in outward form only. We next visited the New School synagogue or temple, "a temple tvithout a Shed nali,''' as Mr. Moritz well ex- pressed it. The rabbi, Mr. Klee, dressed with a small Jew cap and Tallith, black cloak and bands, was in the pulpit, reciting a German hymn with much energy. He then gave a siiort preface, and read the text in the same way as the Lutheran ministers; and delivered with much elocution, a sermon on patience and submission to the will of God. He quoted a Christian author and several hymns, and even spoke of Christian patience. There were about 200 present, the ladies occupying the gallery and a side compartment. When the sermon was finished, and the blessing pronounced in the mode of the Lutherans, the preacher withdrew, and a German hymn was given out, the organ playing one of the fine national psalm tunes. Another rabbi then began the Hebrew prayer, but most withdrew during this service. The peculiarity of their prayer-book is, that they have erased all mention of Messiah. "Have I been a wilder- ness unto Israel! a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords ; we will come no more unto thee !" * It is painfully interesting to remark, that though they borrow so many of the externals of the Lutherans, they have a most bitter hatred at Clu'isti- anity. Like the father of young Hannibal, they admin- ister an oath to their children at confirmation, to the efTect that they ivill never become Christians. Mr. Moritz had frequently conversed with a young Jewess, who had deep convictions of the truth, but who always waved any decided expression of her views by saying, " /r/( habe geschworen, Ich habe geschworen" " 1 have sworn, I have sworn." The same evening we walked out at the Hamburg gate, and along the Hamburg Bar, famous or rather infamous over all the world as a scene of deepest profli- gacy, where many a British sailor has been hurried on to ruin, and where the poor Jews are too often made to * Jer. ii. 31. 518 HAMBURG — NEWS FROM HOME. share in the sin of Christians. At the end of this walk we came to Altona, connected with Hamburg, yet in the province of Holstein, and belonging to Denmark, a fine town, containing 30,000 inhabitants, with a shady walk under linden-trees, and a beautiful view of the winding Elbe, and a tributary entering it. It contains 2600 Jews, and many of tiie shops were open, though it was their Sabbatli. It was this day that we first heard of the wonderful work of God that had lately taken place in Scotland. Mr. Rheder, who showed us much kindness, brought us a newspaper, containing brief references to the Reviv^als at Kilsyth and Dundee, thinking that we would be able to give him fuller details; but all our letters having been sent to Warsaw, we were in utter ignorance of what had occurred, God having reserved the good news till our wanderings were nearly done. The notices were of the briefest and most imperfect kind ; and though Dundee was named, we did not know how nearly we were interested in the shower of blessing. We were, however, filled with joy, by hearing that God had poured out his- Spirit as in the days of old ; and we felt it a spe- cial kindness' to ourselves, that the glad tidings should meet us when we were almost in sight of our native land. It appeared also worthy of special notice and thanksgiving, that God had done this in the very year when the Church of Scotland had stretched out her hand to seek the welfare of Israel, and to speak peace to all their seed. And we felt that the same promises that had so often supported us in our trials, had been made good also to our Church at home — " Blessed is he that blesseth thee :" " Pray for the peace of Jerusalem ; they shall prosper that love thee." Those only who have experienced what it is to have been long separated from a beloved flock, and in distant solitudes to pour out the heart to God in their behalf, can understand the feelings with which we now longed to visit our parishes again, and to know if they had shared in the grace that had dropped on the pastures of the wilderness. (Nov. 3. Sabbath.) Mr. M'Cheyne preached in Mr. Rheder's chapel, on the words "They overcame him by the blood of theLamb,and by the wordof their testimony." It was the first time he had preached since laid aside ARRIVAL IN SCOTLAND. 519 by that Providence which had led to our mission being proposed. We afterwards enjoyed the privilege of sit- ting down at the Lord's tal))e with a small company of serious people, among whom were four converts of the house of Israel. Mr. Bonar addressed the communicants, and then preached in the afternoon on Jer. xxxi. 3 — 7, giving a sketch of what we had seen of God's ancient people. In the evening we had a pleasant meeting in the house of Mr. Moritz, who read the 102d Psalm, and sent us away with affectionate prayer. A little after midnight we left Hamburg, and came to Shulau, where we embarked on board the Lonsdale steamer for London. After a prosperous voyage we entered the Thames on the morning of the third day (Nov. G), and the same afternoon arrived in London. After spending a few days there among the many kind filends who had been inter- ested in our wanderings, we hastened to Scotland, and, "according to the good hand of our God upon us," arrived in peace. We were welcomed home by the Committee of our Church who had commended us to the Lord when we went forth, and solemn thanksgiving was offered for our return, with earnest prayer for our two elder brethren whom we had expected to find arrived before us, but who were detained by dangerous illness abroad. A few days after, the Commission of the General Assembly re- ceived us in the same spirit of love, and requested to hear from our lips "concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jeru- salem ;" and " we rehearsed all that God had done with us, and how he had opened the door of faith to his an- cient people." Not less fervent was the welcome we re- ceived from the people of our respective parishes on the day we returned to them. And now that we can look back on all the way that God led us, we are constrained to say, to the praise of the glory of his irrace, that He has blessed this under- taking from the beginning to the end. Both in the towns and rural parishes of Scotland, a deep, and we trust, Scriptural interest has been excited in behalf of Israel ; an interest which has penetrated to tlie very poorest of our people. While going from parish to parish to tell the things we have seen and heard, there is one grati- fication we have never missed — namely, the presence 520 RESOLUTION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. of the aged, patriarchal-looking men of our Scottish pea- santry, (seated ofttimes on the pulpit-stairs,) that they might hear of " the seed of Abraham, God's friend," — the nation for whose ingathering their godly sires used fervently to pray, as they dropt a tear over the narrative of their miseries. It was a considerable time before Dr. Black and Dr. Keith were able to I'eturn. The former was detained some months at Vienna, and the latter till tlie following spring at Pesth in Hungary, by severe illness. Both, however, returned by the blessing of God with renovated health, bringing with tliem much interesting and useful intelligence regarding the countries they had visited. Immediately on their arrival, a report was drawn up, and submitted to the General Assembly of 1840, when it was unanimously resolved, that the cause of Israel SHOULD FROM THAT TI.ME FORM ONE OF THE GREAT MIS- SIONARY SCHEMES OF OUR Church. In July 1841, a similar resolution was passed by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. So thus one grand re- sult of this undertaking has been, that the venerable Church of Scotland, in days of darkness and perplexity, along with her revived and vigorous offspring in Ireland, has been led to acknowledge herself debtor both to the Jews and to the Greeks, and humbly to imitate the Apos- tolic Church of Jerusalem, by sending forth some of her sons to the heathen, and some to the circumcision.* True, when we turn our eyes on the millions of the blinded heathen, and the scattered bones of Israel that whiten the valley of vision, we feel that absolutely no- thing has been done at all adequate to the awful need of a perishing world, and the weight of our responsibility. Yet a beginning has been made; the cry, "Come over and help us," is now distinctly heard in the remotest corners of our land. And all who take pleasure in tracing the steps of the Son of man, as he walks amidst his golden candlesticks, cannot but thank God that these two Churches have now come forth in their full Evan- gelistic character — preaching Christ and him crucified to their people at home, and stretching out their hands abroad, with the offer of the water of life to the distant Gentiles and the dispersed of Judah. " Not unto us. O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake." * Gal. ii. 9. 521 APPENDIX. No. I. PR0GEAM3IE OF THE COURSE OF INSTRUCTION PURSUED IN THE RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS OF THE ISRAELITISH UNIVERSITY OF LEGHORN, IN THE YEAR 1839. Institution for Males. religious and moral instruction. Elementary Schools. 1st School — Formation of syllables, exercise on the vowel points, and the reading of the Hebrew tongue. The cur- rent reading of the principal prayers. (The system of mutual instruction.) 2d School — Catechetical instruction, moral and religious : a first or elementary class, and a second or superior class. 3d School — Reading arid translating the prayers. The read- ing of the Pentateuch, and some cliapters of the Propiiets (nTJfln,) with the tonic accents (a'nj;a.) Italian rendering of Hebrew vocables. Rules for the vowel points and tonic accents. More Advanced Schools. 1st School — Complete and progressive reading of the Bible, and the oral rendering of it into the vernacular language. 1st Class — The Pentateuch and first historical books. 2d Class— The other books of the Bible. Rudiments of Hebrew Grammar. Religious duties of the Jews. Hebrew text, read and translated, of Maimonides nyj'? lun. Part I., abridged. Hebrew text, read and translated, of Jarchi ^tt^n) on tlie Pentateuch. Hebrew text, read and translated, along with the Chaldee paraplirase of Onkelos. 2d School — A course of Hebrew grammar. 3d School — Oral and written translation of the Bible. Selections and moral illustrations of the same. 46 522 APPENDIX. HIGHER RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION. Preparatory School. 1st Class — The first Book of the Pentateuch, with Jarchi's Commentary translated and illustrated. The four first historical books of the Bible, with grammatical and philological comments, miXD pis miXDi in, i. e. the book called Fortress of David, and Fortress of Zion.) 2d Class — Continuation and conclusion of the Bible, with grammatical and philological comments, (as be- fore.) Introduction to rabbinical and theological studies (q'tij.' no^Sn iii"'p, i. e. an abridgment of the Talmudical work called " Everlasting Ways") The ritual of Caro — rules regarding the prayers (vol. i. p. 1.) Select treatises of the Mishna. (The Mishna of rabbi Bartenora."" Literary School, Higher Hebrew Grammar. Translation of Themes from Italian into Hebrew.* Complete course of Biblical Illustration — including grammati- cal, moral, philological, and archseological comments. Rabbinical School. Talmud — select treatises, with illustrations (such as ni312, " Blessings before meat ;" paiy, " Sabbath ;" toi, " Fes- tivals.") Maimonides — select illustrations (such as nmoN ni'?3XD, " for- bidden meats.") A complete course from the Rituary of Caro, with illustrations. * As a specimen of the way in which they teach the scliolar to write He- brew, we subjoin the following. The master of the class took up a book that was lying by him, and read tlie following sentence in Italian. "I counsel thee to read with the pen in your hand, and to write on the book the useful and new ideas. This is the best means, of imprinting them in your minds; and farther, being in this way able always to lind tliem, they will be help- ful to you in your conduct when they are good." A lad, in the course of a few minutes, thus rendered the passage into Hebrew, using the current Hebrew hand : — APPENDIX. 523 The commentaries of the Mishna (such as nJtrn tt-si, " New Year;" hdid, "Feast of Tabernacles.") Opinions of tlic rabbis on questions regarding ceremonies. CIVIL INSTRUCTION. Elementary Schools, 1st School — Formation of syllables and reading. Penman- ship, Arithmetic, the four first rules and fractions. (The system of mutual instruction.) 2d School — Instructive readings. 3d School — Drawing. Geometrical figures — principles of ornament and architecture. More Advanced ScJiools. 1st School — Penmanship and Orthography completed. Higher arithmetic, applied to Commerce. Italian Grammar. 2d School — " Scrittura Doppia." System of weights, mea- sures, and coins. Mercantile Correspondence. 3d School — The French language. 4tli Scliool — Elements of history, geography and cosmography. 5th School — Lessons and exercises in vocal music, as used in the sacred songs of the synagogue. Institution for Females. I. Religious and Moral Instruction. Formation of syllables, exercises on the vowel points, and reading of Hebrew. Reading of the daily and common prayers, in Hebrew. Oral translation of the same. The Catecliism. Daily reading, in the assembled classes, of moral and reli- gious books, with illustrations and applications. II. Civil Instruction, Formation of syllables, and reading of Italian. (The system of mutual instruction.) Instructive moral readings. Penmanship. Arithmetic. III. Instruction in the Common Domestic Arts. 1. Sewing, knitting, &c. 2. Embroidery, and works of the needle. 524 APPENDIX. No. II. VALUE OF THE COINS MENTIONED IN THE COURSE OF THIS WORK, A Piastre in Syria, = l|d. =3 cents. ... in Asia Minor, = 2d. = 4 cents. ... in Moldavia, = t3d. = 6 cents. Harieh in Egypt and Syria, = 9 piastres, = 27 cents. A Para, = 40th part of a piastre. A Zwanzig, = 8d. =16 cents. A Kreutzer, -^^jj of a Zwanzig, less than a half-penny. A Polish Gulden, = 6d. = 12 cents. A Preuss Gulden, = 2s. = 48 cents. We may subjoin a specimen of the endless variety of Turkish coins which annoy and perplex the traveller. At Smyrna, the fbl- lowing note of the value of coins was given us along with our bag of money. Piastres. Paras. 133 Duckisly, at value of 9|5 piastres, = 1280 5 80 Rubbi Zenzerly, Ofg = 760 lOi- Addly Adzem, 19 = 199 20 5i Addly Shdeed, 17 = 93 20 64 Spanish Dollars, 23 = 1472 6 Austrian Dollars, 22 =132 20 Fannus, 11 = 220 4 Rissilik, 17i = 70 2 five Piastre Pieces, = 10 2 five Para Pieces, 10 4237 15 No. III. HISTORY OF RABBI SIMEON BEN YOCHAI. We give the following as one out of a thousand specimens of Jewish credulity. — Rabbi Simeon is said to have lived in the second or third century. One day when some of them were met together, a rabbi named Pupas, who had visited Rome, related to his friends the wonders he had seen, — dwelling especially upon the works of public utility, such as the bridges, the baths, and the highways. Rabbi Simeon was much displeased at his commenda- APPENDIX. 525 tion of the Romans, sa.ying', that all they had in view was self-cx- altation. Upon tliis, rabbi Piipas, deeply offended at being contra- dicted, went to Rome and informed asjainst rabbi Simeon. He was, accordingly, summoned to Rome ; but for a long time escaped the vigilance of the police. On one of these occasions, when the police were in close pursuit of Simeon (who was in company with his son Eliczer,) God revealed to him a cave, in which was a fig- tree and a spring of water. In this cave, botii of them took shelter, and were nourished twelve years on the fruit of the tree, and refreshed by the spring of water. During this long time tlicy were instructed in the cabbala by the prophet Elijah. On eominor out of the cave at the end of twelve years, so absorbed were tlicy in the study of the cabbala — the only true way of knowing God — that they looked on every secular pursuit as profanity, unworthy of men created in the likeness of God. By their frowns they consumed many towns and villages, with hundreds of people, and the cattle that were ploughing in the fields witiiin their sight. On this, God commanded them to return back to the cave, lest the whole world should be consumed by them ; and tiicre they remained other twelve years. During this period rabbi Simeon composed the Book of Zohar, still enjoying the instruction of the prophet Elijah. On leaving the cave the second time, the frowns of rabbi Eiiezer were as destructive as rabbi Simeon's had been the first time, but the blessing of rabbi Simeon restored all that rabbi Eliezcr laid waste. They hid the Zohar, in the cave, where it was found 400 years after, the roll being as fresh as if written only yesterday. Pilgrimages are performed to the rabbi's grave at JMarona every year by Jews from all parts of the world. They remain at it three days, spending the time in mirth and festivity. Often hundreds of pounds wortii of shawls, dipped in oil, are burned in his honour. Vows are made to him, and prayers presented for deliverance from any misfortune. Even in the time of the late earthquake, hundreds came to pour out their prayers over his grave. No. IV. JEWS OF CORFU. Communicated by a Resident there. (See page 302.) The number of Jews in the island of Corfu is about 2000. Tliey all reside in a particular quarter of the town, but are not separated from the rest of the population by any enclosed wall, as is the case at Rome, Ancona, and other places in Italy. They have two synagogues, and two small oratories There is some trifling di^ ference in the ceremonies performed at the two synagogues, but not such as to prevent a Jew, who is in the habit of attending one of the synagogues, from frequenting and worshipping at the other. The Jews at Corfu I consider a very unfavourable specimen of their race. They are, in general, filthy in the extreme in their 4(3* 526 APPENDIX. houses and in their habits, ignorant and ill-informed beyond all belief^ very few of them knowing even the heads of their own interesting history. Their morality is at a very low ebb, but cer- tainly not lower than the mass of the Christian population around them Tlie better class of Jews are principally merchants and shopkeepers (the greater number drapers,) the middle class are artisans, and of tailors there is an immense number, the clothing both for town and country being principally made by them. I'he lowest class, of which there is a great number, are dealers in old clothes, common porters, seamen, and gatherers of rubbish. They have one good quality, which is industry, and, as a natural consequence, in the midst of a wretched, starving population, they are generally well off, and many of them rich. They are hated beyond measure by the Greeks, who take every opportunity of insulting and ill-treating them ; and were it not for the protection of the British arms, their situation would be insecure and wretched in the extreme. Twenty years ago, a Jew dared not venture to show his face in the street during Passion-week. Detacliments of troops at that season of the year, were stationed at their synagogues to protect them from insult and violence ; but a great change has taken place since then, and they may now walk about the streets even on Good Friday with impunity. The chief rabbi is a native of Gibraltar, and calls himself an Englishman. His name is Bibas. He is a genuine Pharisee of the old school, rigidly observing the Jewish law. Some time since he prohibited his people from carrying an umbrella on the Sab- bath, as a violation of the fourth commandment. The Jews here are generally very strict in their observance of the Sabbath, which they will not violate for any temporal consideration, but they re- volted against the prohibition to carry an umbrella on that day In reply to the inquiry whether there are any Christians at Corfu who care for the souls of tlie Jews, I can ordy say that the Chris- tians here, wlicther Greeks, Roman Catholics, or Protestants, care little, generally speaking, for their own souls, and therefore have little thought for the souls of the Jews. No. V. JEWS OF DAMASCUS. Communicated by Erasmus S. Calman, from personal observations a few years ago The Jews of Damascus are, like their brethren at Bagdad, tlie descendants of the first and second captivity ; their descent may, many suppose, be traced as far back as the reign of King David. APrENDix. 527 The Jews at Damascus at present point out a cave, or grotto about three miles from tlie town, as having- once formed the tern' porary abode of the prophet EHjah, when he was sent to anoint Hazael to be king- over Syria. Tlie identity of this place, they say, has been handed down to them by an unbroken chain of wit- nesses, from the prophet to the present generation ; and liere their ancestors visited him, and brouglit to him tlie necessaries of life. The grotto is now metamorphosed into a kind of underground synagogue, and is resorted to on the last day of every month which tliey spend in prayer and supplication. It is also a refuge in the time of danger. The number of Jews here in the time of the apostles must have been very great, but many of them were cut off during the wars of the Jews with the Romans, from which calamity they never recovered — and their number now does not exceed 5000 individuals. Their secular occupation is much the same as that of their breth- ren at Bagdad — banking and tralfic ; but on a much smalkr scale. They have little influence, and so have escaped much of the envy of their fellow townsmen. They live with more harmony and peace with the rest of the people than in any place in the East. Their prejudice to Christianity is on that account also much less than amongst the Jews elsewhere. They converse freely with the missionary, and interchange visits ; they willingly receive Christian books and tracts, and are very conmiunicative. The fact of the Jewish quarter being at a distance from that of the Christians, cuts off any kind of intercourse except that of business, and this deprives them of every opportunity of giving vent to their ill-humour, which they might otherwise have done, and likewise lessens their dislike to Christianity. The Pasha of Egypt, since he lias taken pos- session of Syria, has wrested all the secular authority from the hands of the rabbis, which is another reason for the liberal opinions of the Jews at Damascus. I would tiuis conclude, that Damascus, as a missionary station, is of the utmost importance, not only as it regards the direct preaching to the Jews, but also as it concerns the distribution of the word of God. Caravans come and go reo-u- larly from Damascus to Bagdad, Mosul, Aleppo, and other large towns, several times in the year, where the Jews purchase every copy of the Scriptures they can obtain from the British and Foreign Bible Society's Agent, and send them to the above-men- tioned places, from which again they are sent to Persia and Cur- distan ; and this is the only channel! am aware of, by which the word of God can reach the Jews in these distant regions. The Society's edition of the Bible is almost the only one which is used in their families and the schools. Schools for Jewish children may likewise be easily established there, where the Hebrew, Arabic, and English should be taught. The latter language grows daily in im[)ortance since the trade with England increased. At Bcyrout, where the number of Jews is comparatively small, not amounting to more than 100 indivi- 523 APPENDIX. duals, several families of Jews send their children to the American school intended for the native Christians there, and parents make no objection to their being instructed in the New Testament. It is interesting to read the above observations, written before the sad persecutions of these Jews had somewhat clianged their feelings and situation. Perhaps, however, even after all they have suffered at tlie hands of persecutors, on the ground of an alleged murder of a Cliristian, British Christians will be found as wel- come to the Jews of Damascus as ever before. For British Chris, tians have come forward to plead their cause as well as British Jevjs. Among others, the General Assembly of our Church in 1840, unanimously agreed to memorialize Government to interpose in behalf of the persecuted Jews at Rhodes and Damascus. No. VI. JEWS OF BAGDAD, Communicated by Erasmus S. Calman, who personally visited them. The Jews of Bagdad believe that they arc descendants of the Jews who were carried thither in the first captivity. They still have over tliem one called " Head of the captivity in Babylon," h222 ni'^J-'^vS'n, an office whicli arose in the first or second century. About the same time arose the office of Noti* N'-.!jj tyj<-i, " Head prince of the Holy Land." It is probable that these titles and offices arose from a desire to counteract tiie prophecy of Jacob, *' The Sceptre shall not depart from Jurlah, nor a lawffiver from between liis feet until Shiloh conic." They still apply the first part of this passage to their "Head prince of the captivity," and the " Lawgiver" to the " Head prince of tlie Holy Land." The Romans abolished the latter office, so that tiie Jews now content themselves witii referring to the first. They further sa}% that none were made princes who could not prove their descent from Judah. It is said that tlie Jews themselves applied to the Romans to put down the Head prince of the Holy Land, because of his oppressions. At present, tiie Prince of the Captivity is not a descendant of Judah, but is raised up by the Porte and the local Government at Bagdad to exact from his brctlircn the money levied on the Jewish nation there. The people hate tlie office, and wish it was abolished. Mr. Caiman, on a visit to him, once asked him "If he really thought himself f/ie scf/;/re that was to remain in Judah?" He gave no answer; he would not say that he believed it, but only smiled. Yet APPENDIX. 529 the existence of this office is an argument used by the Jews in the East against C}iristianity. The number of Jews in Bagdad is estimated at 5000 or 6000. Nine years ago there were five times as many ; but they have been destroyed by tlie plague, the civil war, and the inundation, — all which followed each other in rapid succession. The pojjulation of the whole town was at that time reduced from 120,000 to not more than 20,000. Their moral and religious state is bad to a proverb. Tliey are generally as bad as the rest of the population, which is saying the worst of them. Tills change has taken place since these judgments, as if they thought the arrows of God were all spent, and there re- mained no fear of wrath, or as if they had grown hardened like Pharaoh. This applies only to their moral state ; as to their super- stitious belief, they observe the traditions of the Talmud bigotedly. They spare neither money nor trouble in performing duties enjoin- ed by the Talmud. They count the performing of pilgrimages one of the chief works of merit; and accordingly many families every year accompany the caravans that go to Damascus and Aleppo, in order to visit the graves of their favourite rabbis, such as the author of the Zohar, at Maruna. The poorer classes, who have not the means of making pilgrimages to the Holy Land, go on pilgrimao-es to the innuijierable graves of the writers of the Talmud, in the vicinity of ancient Babylon. Some go to the graves of the pro- phets Jeremiah and Ezekiel, who are supposed to be buried on the frontiers of Persia, making vows and prayers to them. They arc occupied in bartering and tralfic, the commerce of Bagdad and its vicinity being entirely in their hands. They have occasionally stopped trade by withdrawing their capital from the market, when the Pasha attempted to make alterations in the cur- rency injurious to their interests. Few have any manual trade, except writing out the Pentateuch on parchment scrolls, for which they are famous in all the East. They are bitterly opposed to Christianity and to missionaries. The reasons of this are — If any Jew were to embrace Christianity, the Head of the Captivity has power to punish him; and he I)a9 done this occasionally in so severe a way that the criminal has died under the lash. Another reason is, that Christians — Armenians especially — avenge themselves on the poor Jews for wrongs done them by the Mahometans. The peculiar hatred which the Jews bear to the Armenians may arise from a charge often brought against them, namely, that Haman was an Armenian, and that the Armenians are the Ainalekites of the Bible. When I\Ir. Caiman visited Bagdad with Mr. Groves in lt<32, to try to open a school among the Jews, the attempt completely failed, chiefly through the fear they have of the Prince of the Captivity, The Cahbnla is more a matter of study than the Talmud, both here and in the East generally. Poland, instead of Babylon, may be said to have become the seat of the 2'almud. Tiie reason as- 530 APPENDIX. signed for the comparative neglect of tlie Talmud, and preference of the Cabbala, in a country where the writers of Talmudism once flourished, is, that more than half the Koran was taken from the Talmud, so that to them it is associated witli Mahometanism. About two days from Bagdad is a place called Heet or Hith on the banks of the Euphrates, in the desert between Bagdad and Da- mascus. Here about twenty families of Karaite Jews reside. Mr. Caiman visited them : they prosecute the business of silversmiths, making trinkets and ornaments for the people of the town, and for the Arabs of the desert. Finding it difficult, after all, to subsist by their industry in that small town, they tried to settle in Bagdad or its vicinity ; but met with such determined opposition from the rab- binical Jews, that they were compelled to remain in this spot, where tliey have been for centuries. But the days are coming when " the sound of the great trumpet" shall reach tiie ears of those that are "ready to perish in the land of Assyria."* When Mr. Caiman visited their Hacham, he was dressed in a long, coarse shirt, with a rope about his loins. A small square chamber served him both as a study and a synagogue. He had a few manuscripts, which he vsrould not part with for any price in the world. He was delighted v?hen Mr. C. told him that he was as much opposed to the Talmud as himself; and then listened to him when he showed in the Old Testament the declarations of the propliets regarding a suffering Saviour. The Hacham''s main objection to Christianity was Isaiah Ixv. 4, " a people that eat swine's flesh."t Mr. Caiman showed him that this was not a reference to Christians, for the people spoken of " sacrifice in gardens," &c. The Karaites seem to be preserved as living witnesses against the Talmud, in the very seat of its former dominion and its birthplace. No. VII. STRIKING SIMILARITY IN THE MAIN FEATURES OF JUDAISM AND POPERY, PROVING THAT THEY HAVE ONE AUTHOR. The object of both the systems of Judaism and Popery, is to lead men to go about to establish their own righteousness, and thus prevail upon them to live and die vnthout suhniUinn; to the right- eousness of God. In the system of Judaism, the working of Satan ,is seen in excluding Christ, and offering tlio sinner a substitute for him : in Popery, his work is seen in including Christ, yet still pre- senting a substitute for him. On the forehead of both is written — Mystery of Iniquity. - * Isa. xxvii. 13. t Isa. Ixv. 4. APPENDIX. 531 PoPEUY says : The Bible is not ttie only rule of faith. The Church is to deteriuine what is to be believed. The traditions of the Fathers and decrees of General Councils, are to be received asaulhoritative and binding. 3 The Pope, or at least the Pope along with a General Council, is infallible. JuDAissi says : The Talmud and the Cabbala are aa ijood authorities as the Bible. Nay, the Talmud is wine, but the Scriptures, taken by themselves, are only water. 2 All the traditionsofthe rabbis are to be implicitly believed and followed. The rabbis and the authors of the. Talmud cannot err. The laity ought to be guided by the priests, and have no right of private judgment. We will excommunicate them, if they judge dilferenlly from the interpretations of our holy mother, the Church. 5 It is not safe to give the people at large the plain te.xt of Scripture. And the prayers must be read in Latin, not in the vernacular tongue. 6 There is great merit in giving alms, and in prayers, pilgrimages, and otlier good works. There is a purgatory. The best of men must be purged after death, in- stead of at once entering into lieaven. It is the commentators, Jarchi,&c. that are to settlethe meaning of Scrip, ture, and not private judgment. VVe will fulminate our Herein against you if you interpret passages dilferenlly from us. 5 The plain grammatical sense of Scripture is to be taught to few. And we must never use any but Hebrew prayers, however few may understand them. 6 " Alms deliver from death." There is merit to be stored up by prayers, pilgrimages, feasts and fasts. "Touch not, taste not, handle not." 7 The Jew after death, must undergo a trial of lire, and roll under the eartb to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. No man can be sure of salvation till the very hour of death. Therefore he must try to make his vague hope some- what surer by every means whicii the priests and the Church choose to point out. 9 It is right to pay the priests for the Confessional, saying Mass, &.C. 10 Prayer for the dead is useful to free the soul from purgatory. Therefore, after you die, we will pray for you, if you pay us for doing so. 11 Prayers to dead saints and to the Virgin Mary, are of great benefit in time of trouble. No Jew in this life can come to a settled hope of acceptance ; wherefore, he must use every means that the rab- bis choose to appoint to make his hope surer. The rabbis require a present for giving you advice, praying for your dead friends, &c. 10 " May God remember the soul of my honoured father A. B., who is gone to his repose; for that I now solemnly vow charity for his sake. In reward of this may his soul be bound up in the bundle of life." This is a prayer at the Feast of Tabernacles. 11 Every Jew ought to pray over the graves of the saints, asking them to intercede with God for him. It is right also to plead the merit and ser- vices of our rabbis, and our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 532 Popery says: 12 Worship may be paid to images and pictures ; yet not exactly to them, but only to what they represent. 13 Pilgrimages to holy wells, to holy places, and above all to the Holy Sepulchre, are meritorious. 14 Kiss the crucifix, and exalt it every- where, yet pretend that you do not adore it, but him who died on it. 15 Read much of the Gospels, little of the Epistles, and do not encourage private reading of Scripture. If any read much of the Bible in private, he is a heretic; but if he read much of the Fathers, he is a good son of the Church. 16 Keep the Sabbaths after forenoon service is over, by being gay and mer- ry, and going to the theatres, &.C. 17 Christ will receive those who make themselves holy before they come, that is, who recommend themselves to him by their works, and their fidelity to the Church. 18 It is lawful to put a baptized man, woman, or child, to death, if they re- nounce the true Church. 19 There is no salvation out of the Church of Home. Judaism says: 12 On the evening of the Day of Atone ment, Jews must pray to the Shecinah in the moon, yet not as if to the moon. 13 Pilgrimages to the tombs of rabbis, such as Marona, and to the Holy Land, and oflering prayer at the stones of the Temple wall, are acts of high merit. 14 Adore the Torah— Kiss it, and yet not as if it were any thing itself, but .on pretence of adori ng the Giver of it. 15 Read much of the Law, and the His- tories, and the Psalms, little of the Prophets. If any read much of the Scripture, he is an Epicurus, that ig, a heretic or infidel ; but if he study much of the Talmud, this is meri- torious. 16 Keep the Sabbaths, when not occu- pied in synagogue worship, by eating and drinking more than usual that day, taking three meals, and by walk- ing about in gaiety, and calling on each other. 17 It is not with pardon that Messiah has to do. He is to reward his faith- ful people, who are pardoned already by their alms, fasts, and prayers. 18 It is right to persecute, even to death, any Jew who becomes a Christian. 19 " Heretics and Epicureans go down to hell and are judged for ever." Such is a specimen of the coincidence between the doctrines of Judaism and tliose of Popery, and the instances could easily be multiplied, proving to a demonstration that both systems proceed from the Father of lies, the great adversary of Christ, and of the souls of men. Of the great mass of the deluded people under both systems, it may truly be said, " God has sent them strong delusion that they should believe a lie," while their priests and rulers sub- ject themselves to that sentence from the lips of Christ — " Wo unto you. Scribes and Pliarisees, hypocrites ! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men ; for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in." 533 PASSAGES OF SCRIPTURE REFERRED TO OR ILLUSTRATED. Genesis. Exodus. Chap. Verse. Page. Chap. Verse. Page. iii. 18, 119 i. 14, 373 X. 3, 167 ii. 15, 80 xii. 1, 3 iii. 5, 68, 314 6, 213 vii. 18, 53 8, 205 xiv. 15, 438 xiii. 3, 205 XV. 20, 61 8, 44 23, 85 18, 184 27, 77 XV. 5, 44, 179 xvii. 6, 85 18, 90 xix. 4, 442 xvi. 7, 80,84 xxii. 31, 452 12, 7" ',274,303 xxiii. 19, 471 xvii. . 25, 59 XXV. 5,10, 79 xviii. 6, 8, 81 94, 184 xxix. 22, 105 xix. 1, 28, 91 182 Leviticus. XX. 1, 94 i. 10, 14, 270 xxi. 15, 80 iii. 9, 105 xxii. 2,9, 145 xi. 40, 230 xxiv. 11, 80 xiii. 6,13, 403 xxvi. 12, 18, 94 xvi. 407 xxviii. 11,1-', 205 xix. 19, 457 13, 94 xxiii. 40, 421 xxix. 2, 80 xxvi. 26, 476 xxxiii. 4, 80 34, 226 XXXV. 16-20, 175 36, 444 xxxvii. 25, 2d, 94 39, 324 xli. 42, 256 42, 322 xlii. 3, 84 27, 55, 253 Numbers. xlvi. 1, 94 4, 84 vi. 23, 447 29, 72 xi. 5,, 52,79 xlviii. 22, 213 xiii. 22, 72 xlix. 13, 286 23, 107 20, 232, 265 33, 113 22, 213,217 XV. 38, 360, 457 31, 181 39, 457 1. 13, 181 xxi. 27, 28, 414 47 534 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE REFERENCES. Numbers — continued. Joshua — continued. Chap. xxii. xxiii. xxiv. XXV. xxxiii. xxxiv. Verse. 1, 10, 9, 1, 22, 8. Page. Chap. 195 xii. 144 XV. 61 195 81 241 Verse 20, 3, 8, 9, 16, 19, Page. 22, 281 100 150 175 178 101 Deuteronomy. 25, 115 ii. iii. 23, 9, 94 229 xvi. xvii. 43, 8, 9, 116 223 vi. viii. xi. xvii. 25, 5, 8,9, 7, 9, 10, 30, 11,12 83, 241 430 456 116 98 72 213 395 xviii. xix. 11, 12, 228 16, 226 12, 204 16, 153 25, 205 28, 175, 266 1-9, 94 8 "" xxi. xxii. xxiv. XXV. xxvii. xxviii. 10,23 8, 12. 6, 4, 13, 12, 23, 29, 33, 35, 37, 62, 384 361 193 457 98 116 98 211 117 413 330 498 ,470 118 xxi. xxiv. 12, 27, 28, 29, 34, 35, 38, 41, 28, 30, 32, 33, on 304 267,310 266 238, 260 285 295 288 112 304 207 213 206 65, 273 ,317 Judges. 66, 273 i. 8, 395 xxxiii. 13, 14, 217 31, 238 15, 209 ii. 13, 410 23, 285 1' iv. 5, 94, 204 24, 25, 265 1 6, 302 xxxiv. 1, 144 10,11 271 Joshua. 14, 15, 301 226 ii. 1, 270 V. 6, 225, 268 6, 115, 274 10, 53 vii; 2, 204 11, 268 ix. 201 19, 226 17, 200 204 21, 235 X. 2, 201 25, 110 12, 202 26, 62 16, 204 ix. 7, 210,513 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE REFERENCES. 635 Ju DOES — continued. 2 Samuel. Chap. Verse. Page. Chap. Verse. Page. ix. 20, 210 i- 21, 276 21, 203 24, 232 X. 6, 410 ii. 12, 202 xiii. 2, 114 iii. 26, 178 25, 112 ,114 iv. 2, 204 xiv. 5, 114 12, 182 XV. 5, 203 V. 7, 190 17, 103 17-25, 136 xvi. 3, 102 xii. 13, 26 xxi. 19, 208 xvii. 17, 153 21, 208 18, 19, 90 274 Ruth. xviii. 18, 157 i. 22, 177 XX. 8, 202 ii. 14, 110 xxi. 14, 175, 199 iii. 2-7, 301 19, 206 15, 113 xxiii. 4, • 89 iv. 1,11, 91 30, 207 1 Samuel. xxiv. 7, 260 i. 1, 199 V. 3, 114 1 Kings. vi. 12, 115 vii. 1,2 122 i. 9, 153 5, 144 38, 39, 135 11, 114 41, 153 viii. 4, 199 ii. 5, 202 ix. 199 iii. 5, 202 3, 89 iv. 9, 107 9, 462 20, 108 26, 295 33, 182 X. 199 vii. 41, 272 2, 175 199 viii. 143 14, 26, 199 ix. 3, 191 xiii. 5, 204 X. 27, 99 xiv. 2 94 29, 84 4, 204 XV, 27, 224 xvii. 2, 124 xvi. 15, 224 17, 110 xviii. 13, 233 xviii. 6,7, 61 28, 358 xix. 22, 200 42, 234 XXV. 1, 199 43, 230, 234 2, 182 44, 226 xxvii. 9, 96 46, 49 xxviii 300 xix. 4, 175 xxix. 1, 303 18, 307 XXX. 10, 15, 16, 100 xxii. 11. 366 536 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE REFERENCES. Chap. Vll. ix. 111. xi. xiv. xviii. xxvi. xxviii. xxix. xxxiii. XXXV XVI. xxiv. xxix. XXX. xxxi. xxxix. 2 Kings. Verse. 8, 1.1, 29, .24, 17, 20, 1 Chroniclks. 17, 17, 2 Chronicles. 1, 6, 9, 31, 10, 18, 36, 6, 23, Nehemiah. 2,4, 15, 5, 15, 17, 18, 30, Esther. 6, 14, Job. 13, 14, 20, 21, 4, 15, 18, 6, 11, 27, 6,8, Psalms. 3, 4, 12, 76 68, 253 110 222 223 226 185 145 145 177 115 310 236 117 1 133 226 1 130 154 361 421 443 150 104 67 160 350 91 249 279 110 62 70 84 93 309 307 Psalms — continued. Chap. iv. xvii. xix. xxii. xxiii. XXV. XXXV. xxxvii. xlv. xlvi. xlvii. xlviii. xlix. 1. li. lii. Iv. lix. Ixviii. Ixix. Ixxii. Ixxiv Ixxvi. Ixxviii. Ixxx. Ixxxv. Ixxxviii. Ixxxix. xcii. xcviii. cii. civ. cvii. ex. cxix. cxxii. cxxiii. cxxiv. cxxv. /erse. Page. 7, 9 5, 96 2, 89 16, 192 2, 184 3, 96 4, 341 22, 513 10, 278 35, 421 8, 59 4, 341 1, 61 147, 389 1-3, 129 12, 133 7, 423, 463 15, 463 25 8, 106 17, 59 22, 513 6, 48 14, 15, 355 31, 48 12, 91 5, 330 2, 12 1, 94 12, 43, 72 10, 124 1,2, 42 15, 84 12, 276 46, 31 12, 54 8, 61 6, 268,316 10, 12, 120 25, 39 34, 82 25 18, 413 3, 140 2, 68,174 7, 313 1, 133 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE REFERENCES. 537 Psalms — continued. Isaiah — continued. Chap. Verse. Page. Chap. Verse. Page. cxxv. 2, 125, 144 i> 15, 237 cxxvi. 4,10 ,117,218 ii. 4, 297, 299, 344 cxxx. 1, 360 iii. 4, 399, 439 cxxxii. 3, 66 . 12, 55 cxxxiii. 1, 148 18, 1^ 9,183,254 cxI. 4, 311 392, 452 cxliv. 14. ECCLESIASTES 373 ! 21, 24, 274 392 ii. 5,6, 177 iv. 6, 85 iv. 2, 450 v. 1, 11 xii. 4, 110 1 2, 178 5, 141 6, 297 6, 341 12, 412 Song of Solomon. vi. 11, 12 109 i. 5, 104 vii. .3,14 135 7, 109,208 23,24 119 ii. 7, 139 viii. 6, 155 8, 296 8, 252 9, 67 ,296 19,20, 448, 450 13, 178 ix. 1,2, 285 15, 203 3, 106 iii. 10, 350 6, 25, 513 iv. 1, 82 xi. 1-5, 380 4, 190 8, 232 8, 230 xii. 3, 443 12, 177 xiv. 18, 160 15, 154,241 xvii. 5, 136, 150 V. 4, 112 13, 297 15, 241 ,320 xix. 5,6, 52 vii. 5, 236 7, 52,77 11,12, 123 10, 72 viii. Proverbs. 123 11-13, 21, 22, 74 25, 48 vi. G-11, 95 xxii. 9, 134 viii. 2, 96 15,16, 160 ix. 11, 15, 318 22, 112,249 xi. 1, 274! 25, 62 xvi. 11, 98, 274 xxiii. 4, 256 xvii. 19, 186 7-11, 18, 263 XX. 27, 407 xxiv. 4,6, 101, 164 xxi. 1, 93 7,8,11, 118 XXV. 25, 90 23, 173 Isaiah. XXV. 4, 97 i. 3, 264 5, 76, 282 4.5, 197 xxvii. 13, 454, 530 7, 118 264 xxviii. 1, 222 8, 63, 188, 228 ' 21 136, 202 47 * 538 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE REFERENCES, Isaiah — continued. Jeremiah — continued. Chap. Verse. Page. Chap. Verse. Page. xxviii. 27, 64, 134, 308 iii. 15. 439 28, 64 iv. 17, • 104 XXX. 24, 77, 153 vi. 1, 150, 185 xxxii. 2, 5 81, 85 ) 97, 419 vii. 13-15, 12, 387 207 11, 423, 442 18, 410 12, 119,298 viii. 7, 374 13, 117,227 ix. 11, 130 15, 117,119 17, 465 xxxiii. 20, 62 xi. 13, 468 xxxiv. 11, 54 16, 106 XXXV. 2, 235, 241 XV. 5. 366 7, 54 .^vii. 6, 78,82 10, 448 19, 91 xxxvi. 2,13, 3,135 xviii. 14, 241 xl. 16, 252 xix. 6, 133 xli. 19, 79 xxii. 6, 239 xliii. 6, 5 167, 359 I 515 xxiii. ■ 20, 21, 144 462 xliv 5, 92, 198 XXV. 10, 110 22, 48, 182 22, 256 xlv. 4, 530 xxvi. 18, 133 xlix. 16, 92, 198 21, 47 22, 48, 182 XXX. 18, 130 1. 5, 161 xxxi. 5, 222 liii. 414,430,437 21, 47,55 liv. 2, 62 22, 417 7, 21, 360 33, 5 Iv. 1, 452 xxxiii. 11, 56 12, 147 xxxviii. 7, 91 Ivii. 5, 228 XXX ix. 3, 91 Iviii, 3,4, 279 xli. 8, 112 12, 130 xliii. 7, 80 13, 7 xlvi. 14, 80 Ix. 2,3, 345 18, 238, 298 6,7, 79 xlvii. 5, 102, 103 18, 314 6,7, 95 Ixii. 5, 418 xlviii. 45, 46, 414 6,7, 1 1. 7, 470 10, 143 38, 433 Ixv. 4, 530 li. 35, 441 5, 436 47, 449 Ixvi. 12, Jeremiah 49 49, Lamentations 448 ii. 8, 439 i. 6, *194, 481 18, 56 12, 191 31, 517 ii. 1, 197 32, 416 1,5, 129 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE REFERENCES. 539 Lahen TATIOXS — CO ntinued. Daniel. Chap. Verse. Pa?e. Chap. Verse. Paee. ii. 6, 145, 443 xi. 2, 347 9, 130 xii. 3, 179 15, 126 9, 237 19. 499 HOSEA. iv. 2 367 ii. 7, 415 V. 3, 292 9, 107 4,5, 437 11, 128 16, 193 12, 15, 107 iii. 4, 405. 437 EZEKIEL. iv. 1,2, 475 iv. 14,15, 70 V. 1, 298 vii. 21, 145 8,9, 198 ix. 2, 92 X. 4, 117 xi. xiii. 4, 16, 4, 147 462 84 5, 8, 11, 2U4 204,206 153 10, 76 14, 286 11, 89 xi. 4, 403 xvi. 46, 195 8, 195 49, 50, 8 xiil. 2, 307 xxiii. 40, 183 xiv. 1, 415 XXV. 16, 103 2, 430 17, 102 6, 106 xxvi. 4, 21, 262 261, 262 7, Joel. 232 xxvii. 34, 36, 262 i. 12, 100 ,108 xxA'iii. 19, 262 20, 117 22 256 ii. 16, 407 xxix. 12-16i 373 iii. 10, 344 15, 61 12 14, 16, 152 XXX. 14, 18, 75 80 18, Ajios. 117 ,123 23-26, 373 i. 1, 187 xxxii. n, 160 2, 236 xxxiii. 30, 329, 331 7, 103 xxxiv. 2,3, 148 9,10, 261 14, 322 iii. 12, 66 29, 109; V. 5, 206 xxxvi. 8, 123' 15, 91 23, 264' vi. 1, 222 26, 2.38 1 ix. 3, 233, 235 32, 393! 9, 181 xxxvii. 9, 30 ! 13, 108 11, 427, 446 15, 25 xxxviii. 20, 124 Obadiah. xlvi. 16, 395 19, 144 xlvii. 16, 241 20, 167 540 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE REFERENCES. MiCAH. Matthew — continued. Chap. Verse. Page. 1 Chap. Verse. Page. i. 6 5130,219 \ 220 iv. 15, 16, 43, 323 "> 18, 63,294 iii. 12, 5129,130 I 133, 145 vi. 19, ' 76 vii. 13, 96 iv. 3, 299 viii. 24, 294 4, 105 ix. 1, 287 V. 2, 27, 175 20, 457 vii. 2-6, 148 23, 141 14> 5 236, 322 } 341 X. 42, 41, 87, 104 xi. 17, 465 19, 390 20, 287 Habakkuk 22, 23, 24, 256 287 ii. 11, 283 xii. 40, 342 Zephaniah xiii. 1,2, 31, 289 138 ii. 4, 102 44, 387 6, 5 100, 103 } 112 XV. 9, 283 21-28 258 7, 104,111 39, 288 iii. 13, 459 xvi. 18, 91 Zec'hariah xix. xxi. 3, 5, 247 53 i. 14, 15, 1 18,19, 237 ii. 2, 127, 135 33, 178 4,5, 493 xxiii. 5, 457 iii. 10, 108, 479 13, 474 viii. 13, 505 14, 314 ix. 5, 103,111 27, 82 13, 410 29, 340,456 X. 4, 62, 66 37, 136 zii. 10, 322 38, . 277 11, 226 xxiv. 17, 297 ziii. 1,149,264,2911 XXV. 1, 57 xiv. 4, 159, 189 32, 82 14, 396 xxvii. 7,8, 151 16, 443 29, 190 20, 6,106 50, 51, 145 Matthew. Mark. ii. 10, 174 i. 19, 289 14, 84 32, 35, 37, 288 15, 47 ii. 4, 89 18, 200 iii. 7, 289 iii. 4, 76 vi. 45,53, 287 12, 309 vii. 3, 417 iv. 13, 285. '9. 467 INDEX OF SCraPTURE REFERENCES. 541 Chap. Vll. viii. ■ xi. xiii. xiv. Mark — continued. Verse. 24-30, 13, 22, 27, 1,2, 14, 20, 23, 15, 35, 15, 51, IV. vii. Xlll. xiv. XV. xvi. xvii. XXI. xxiv. Pa?e. 258 287 196 197 147 129 137 350 II. iii. iv. Luke. 39, 7, 7-12, 10, 24, 35, 44, 16, 29, 11, 14, 36-38, 10, 52-56, 27, 6, 17, 22, 20, 13, 26, 30, 31, 1-4, 41, 24, 32, 50, 51, John. 44, 48, 6, 29, 11, 35, John — continued. Chap. 115 187 385 175, 187 270 43] 203 168 306 300 320 69 287 209 110 270 139 124 67 256 68 214 7 274 99 157 137 200 159 287 108 453 57 212 216 xu. xiii. xiv. xviii. xix. XX. xxi. X. xvi. ZIX. XX. Verse. Page. 4, 156 8, 62 3-14, 297 15, 16, 277 «- 5145,197 •*^' i 436 154 4, 174 1, 18, 158 1-3, 69 10, 51 32, 203 19, 159 2, 162 11, 161 20, 140 5, 160 293 12, 342 LOTS. 11, 159 19, 151 29, 132 44 36, 324 16, 181 58, 142 8, 223 26, 101 58, 142 35, 122 9, 69, 223 8, 9, 347 11, 346 14, 337 7, 193, 439 24, 47 25, 337 24-29, 337 4, 339 7, 347 13, 14, 346 15, 326 31, 337 1, 325 542 INDEX OF SCRIPTURE REFERENCES. Acts — continued. Titus. Chap. Verse. Page. Chap. Verse. Page. xxii. 5, 7, 238 264 ,312 iii. 13, 45 8, 229 Hebrews. 43 xi. 9, 88 xxvii. 347 37, 153 7, 44 xiii. 12, 140 39, 35 xxviii. 23, 500 1 Peter. 30, 31, 478 iv. 12, 364 Romans. V. 8, 162 2 Peter. i. 18, 301 1 Corinthians. vii. 28, 419 JunE. ix. 10, 116 7, 195 xi. 26, 2 Corinthians. 189 ■ 7 Revelations. iv. 6, 137 ii. 7, 337 V 1-4, 62 10, 328, 343 Galatians. iii. 12, 4,10, 336 12,5 336 >338 ii. 9, 520 16, Ephksians. vi. 10, 31 iii. vi. 18, 19, 12, 337 488 vii. xi. 9, 16, 17, 8, 54 88 7,8, COLOSSIANS. xiii. 1, 326 ■ ii. 1, 338 XV. 3,4, 146 iv 13; 15, 16, 338 xvi. 12, 16, 339 301 2 Thessalonians. 20, .326 ii. 4, 23, 38 xviii. 7, 17 2 Timothy. 22, 110 i. 18, 328 ,337 xix. 7,8, 417 iv. 13, 347 xxii. 2, 341 543 INDEX OP THE CHIEF PLACES AND SUBJECTS. Abarim, hill of - Abbeville Abilene, pass of town and valley of Aboukir, Hay of Abraham's Oak Absalom's Monument - Pillar Abu-Dis, or Bethpage - Abugilbany Abusat, flock of Abydos and Sestos Acacia tree in Galatz • Aceldama Achzib, now Zeeb Acre, Ptolemais bazaar convent - Page 144 6 310 310 55 184 146 157 195 83 117 347 373 151 - 233, 315 233, 311, 315 311 312 314 - 148, 314 Adar or Adair, village of 100 Adramyttium - - 34() Adriatic Sea - - 35, 38 iEgean Sea - - 39 iEgospotamos, river - 348 Ahmoud - - 55 Ai - - - 203 Ain-Dervi'a - - 178 Ain-el-Tin - - 286 Ain-Muhil, village of - 305 Ain-Tcen - - 318 Ain-Yebnid - - 206 Ain-Zeitoun - - 274 Ajaloun, valley of - 201 Alah-Sher, or Philadelphia 337 Albenga - - 16 Alexandria - - 46, 53 Jews in - 50 ■ Jewish synagogues 49 Page Alexandria, Governor's garden 51 Allasio Alpes Altona, Jews of Akhisar, or Thyatira Am-el-Fehm Amsterdam, Jews of Anata or Anathoth Aucona, Jews of — a Jewess of 16 12, 16 515, 516 337 227 495 130, 136 20 329 42 39 339 -synagogue -Jews in Andros - Anti-melos Antioch of Pisidia Aphikumen (Passover cakes) 434 Arab customs - - 104, 313 dance and song - 61 oven - - 90 quern - - 71 school - - 91 Aragesh Sueidan - 114 Arbela, caves of, or Bethabel 286 Archipelago, islands of 39, 42 Arimathea - - 123 Aries ... 14 Ascension, church and hill of 159 Ascnibba - - 116 Ashdod - - - 114 Asher, tribe of - - 265, 310 Ashkelon - - 109 Ashkenazim Jews 246, 278, 290 Asia, Seven Churches of 336—339 coast of - - 325 Asia Minor, state of - 339 Assos ... 346 Assoum ... 65 Athanasius, church of - 51 Athens, Jews in - 19 Athlete, ruins of . 228 Atonement, day of - 404, 408 544 Austria, system of > espionage in ) Austrian Poland Avims, country of Avignon Baal-perazim Baba Cape, or Lectum Baden, Jews in • Bagdad, Jews in Ball Jews in 380, 388, 397 ■ as a mission- ) oqn qoi ary station < JJU, jji • interview with / oon one Rabbi \ 392,395 Bukeah, village - 281 Bukovine - - 427 Buseo, village - - 398 Ccele-Syria - - 241 Cafreen - - 227 Caglionc, Kalione - 125 Cairo, Jews in • • 50 Calvary - - 139, 111 Camel, the mode of loading 75 diOcrcnce betwixt, ) and dromedary J Cana, or Kcfr Kcnna - 307 Capernaum - - 286—289 Caphtorims - - 94 Caravansera, a - - 385 Caria, coast of - - 325 Carlscrona, Jews in - 515 Carmel, Mount 229—237, 311 Chalcedon Ciialons-sur-Saone Chainforeh, village of Chasidim, the - Chaiillon-sur-Seine Cheesemongers, valley of Cheplnra or Kephoneh Ciuldren, mode of car- ) rying, in the East ) Chios, now Scio Chorazin Chrysopolis, now Scutari 353 11 310 443, 445 9 152 200 48 326 287 257 Cipporah, ceremony of the 404, 436 Circumcision, a proccs- ) sion on occasion of J Citium, now Larnica Civita Vecchia Popery in Cloud, effect of, on heat ) of the sun S pillar of - shadow of Cnidos - Coins, value of Eastern Colosse, now Konas Constantinople Stamboul Golden Horn (ialata - dervishes Jews in 93 Carmel. in Judah Carpathian Sea and Hills Casius, Mount - Catieh, ancient Casium Cedars - Centum CelLx, now Ci- ) vita Vecchia, J Cevigo, ancient Cythera 182 44 80 80.82 241 31 89 59 324 19, 33 33, 34 76 88 282 325 524 339 348 348 349 319 350, 357 351 as a missionary station 351 Beyukdere - 353 Ortakoy - 354 Armemans - 355 pillar - - 357 bazaar - - 357 Scutari - - 357 school in - 3(50 synagogue 360, 361 missionary's quali- ) ore fications J 365 Coos, now Stanchio - 325 Copenhagen, Jews in - 515 Copockinsky - - 440 Jews in - 4 10 Corax, Mount - ■ 239 Corfu, Jews in - 18, 525 Counsel, Hill of Evil - 150 Cracow • - - 471, 480 I Jews in - 476 j importance of, as a missionary station Crete Crimea, Karaite ) Jews in J 43 480 44 330, 363, 515 546 Cucumber garden, lodge in 63 Cyprus - - - 3-34 Czernovvitz - - 134 Jews in - - 431 Dabourieh, village of Dacia, country of language of Dactyle - Dair Dalee Damascus, Jews of importance of, as a ' missionary station ' Damietta Damour Damoun, village of Dan, tribe of Danube, the River Dardanelles or the > Hellespont S Dead Sea Deeb Wady Deer Emat Deir-esnait Deir-Eyub Deir-maheysen - Delos Denmark, Jews in Derbe Dervishes, the Dancing the Howling 299, 303 370 382 340 100 227 526 527 65,70 253 310 106, 114 368 347,343] 195 208, 266 j 108 108 119 118 42 515 339 350 357 Desert, the - 76, 78, 86 preparation for jour- ) kq ney through the ) Dhura - - - 110 Dia - - - 111 Dijon - - - 9, 10 Jews in - - 9 interview with two Jews '10 Dimreh - ... 108 Dinner, customs at Eastern 69 Dipsis - - - 39 Dogs, Eastern - - 48, 355 Dor - ■ - 228 Dover ... 2 Doves, Valley of Doulis - - - Drawing water, mode of Dromedary, the Druses ... Duadahr Eastern marriage Ebal, Mount Egypt ... fulfilment of prophe cy as to Elah, valley of - El-Arish Elaphonesia Elba El-betune El-Capri Eleutheropolis - El-Geib or Gibeon El-halil or Hebron El-Hamsin Elijah, convent of El-Kustul El-mohrazin El-Tos, The Cup, a valley Emmaus Emineh Bourun, Cape Endor En-Rogel Ephesus, Church of Ephraim, Hills of Ephrath Erd-Safeen ' - Eruv, the 283, 408, F.shcol, valley of Esdraelon, plain of Eshtaol - Eski-hissar, or Laodicea Etham - EubcEa - 111, 113 111 93 240, 248 Falconero Fan, the Fair Havens, the Fatria, village of Ferrara, Jews in Fig-trees Fisherman's Net Five Mountains, the Florence, Jews in profli. 39 308 44 310 19 108, 197 63, 294 368 19 gacy of 22 Folds for flocks - 109, 112 Foxshany, town of - 398 Jews in - 399 day of repentance 399 France - - - 3—16 31 56,57 209 47,54 I 51,61 124, 198 86,93 29 32 114 315 114 201 179 315 175 124 115 184 200 367 303 152 336 206 175 114 434, 440 107 225, 297 114 338 177 42 Eastern customs 50, 51, 52, 59, 60, 61 '64,66,67,69,104,111 115, 147, 308, 341 Gaash efforts necessary for ) Jews in J Frank Mountain • 150 Frankfort on the Oder 502 Fraustadt - - 494 207 INDEX. 547 Gaba or Gibbethon Gabatieh, village of Gadarenes, country of Galatz - ■ gipsies - • Jews in - 223 Greek Church, su- > 225 perstition in ) 292 Grudak, village of - 369—374 Grunber^ 373 Gulonitsky, village of - 371,374 344, 393, 394 467 502 441 Galilee, Lake of 274, 275, 293, 29 1 ' Habad, a sect of Chasidim 412 mission to - iSi Hadad-riminon - 226 villages of - 1 18 Harlumi, Polish - 434, 459 Galley-slaves - 16, 24, 464 Hamburg, appearance of 513 Gallipoli - - 318 population of 512 Gateway, seat of judgment 91 its character 512 Gaza, road to environs of country Gazelles Gecb Gennesareth, plain of Genoa, bay and town of Jews in Popery Gerar, valley of Gerizim Gertsman, village of Gethseniane Gibeah - - Gibeon or El-Geeb Gibbethon Gibraltar, Jews in 270, 280 96, lUO 101 a good missionary ZOO 201, 202 224 19, 213 station Gihon, valley and ) pools > Gilboa - Gimzo - Gincea - Gipsies in Moldavia and Wallachia ' Gischala or Gish plain of Gleiwitz Glogau - Jews in remarkable - 270, 280 as a missionary field 516 Jews in - 516 synagogue - 517 103, 104 , Haemus, range of - 367 296{IIamah - - 241 206 Hamath in Galilee - 295 276, 286 Handnulls - - 71, 104 16, 20 Jiasur - - - 115 18 Ilatia - - - 114 20 Hebrew language, advan- ') 94 1 tage of grammatical > 445 210 ' knowledge of ) 433 Hebron, road to - 174, 175 142, 161, 194 valley of - - 178 to\vn of - - 178, 184 mosque of - 180 Joseph's tomb - 181 Wady Nazarah - 181 pool of - - 182 tomb of Otliniel - 182 Jews in 148, 184, 246, 247 synagogue - 183 Abraham's Oak - Hellespont or Dardanelles 225 Hermon, Mount, or Jebel ) ■3-n Q-?.-) Q-Q Sheikh S 3-0, 3/2, 3-3 „^,.^^,^ Little - 271 Hermon beyond Jordan 289, 296 272 Hermopolis - - 40 482 Hierapolis - - 388 498, 500 Hieres, Isle of - - 16 4^8 Hinnoin, valley of - 133, 151 82 Hith, Jews of - . 530 20ii Holland, Jews in - 495 78 Holy Land. See Palestine. \ ''-'\~ 133, 131, 150 276' 117 181 347 229 276 Goals Gob Gomatter Gorgona Gottenburg, Jews in Gozo Grasshoppers Greece, coast of prospects of mission- aries in Greek Priests of Moldavia Greek Priests of Wallachia Holy Sepulchre 515 ( o, Houses, Eastern < 113 Hukkok, Wady 38. 39 Hulda - } n.j tomb of ) Huttin, plain of 372 Hydra - 387 , Hymna • 139 89, 147, 192, 274 297 285 117 159 - 276,296 39 - 156,316 548 Ibraila • - ■ 376, town ornamental cross river Seret Jews in - - 378 — : Icarian Sea Iconium-Konieh Ida wells Igzim, village of Inibros - Inkhorn, writer's Isbirta Ionia, shores of Iscanderoon Ismerieh Ismid, Jews in - Issachar, tribe of Ister-river Italy, coast of - priesthood of Jews in - efforts necessa- ry for Jacob's well Jaffa, Jews in Jaglinsky, village church Jews 18 380 377 377 376 380 326 339 326 228 346 92 339 326 316 315 353 227 370 16 22 , 19 31 212 Jerusalem, Sabbath in climate - sepulchre Calvary, mourners Mount of Olives Gethsemane Absalom's monument paupers in valley of Gihon — Aceldama — Castle of David Temple wall 137, 188 138 129 141 141 142 146 148 150 151 190 191 267 Janesherry, or Sigeum - Jaroslaw Jassy Day of Atonement Jews in schools synagogues Jebel Gaba Hill Jehoshaphat, valley \ 141 of S Jenin, Ginoea Jenysus, now Khanounes Jephthah-el, valley of - Jeremiah's cave Jerusalem, approach to • feelings on seeing town of - Olives Mount Jews in 148, 130, synagogues in - Hebrew church - Tomb of David - barley held valley of Hinnom valley of Gihon - Mount Zion extent of 434, 439 435 436 347 468 406, 419 406 407, 409 410 408, 410 223 , 150, 151 152, 197 225 96,98 267 136 126 126—129 127, 198 129, 141 132, 163 192 129 132 133 134 134 133 136 Jettar, village of Jews. See under various towns. Jewish Buryin^-ground — * at Alexandria - 52 at Brody - - 455 at Gulonitsky - 441 at Jerusalem - 156 at Khanounes - 98 at Leghorn - 28 at Tarnapol - 441, 447 Jewish Ceremonies - 379 Day of Atonement 405 Circumcision - 59 Funeral - - 465 Last day of the feast, 436, 443 INIarriage - - 416 New Year's Day - 388 Procession of the Law 438, 442 Day of Repentance 399 Jewish Infirmary - 454 Jewish Reading-Rooms — at Hebron - at Jerusalem at Saphet Jewish Sabbath Jewish Synagogues. See under various towns. Jewish Schools — none at Jerusalem at I/Cghorn at Smyrna at Berlin at Constantinople - at Cracow - at Jassy missionary school at Posen at Schiichtingsheim 496 at Storchnest - 493 Jezreel, plain of - 225, 2P8 village, now Zerin 303 Jibbah, village of - 268 town of - 303 Jimso - - - 117 183 193 278 278 131 26 332 507 360 477 413 488 I^DEX. 549 Jordan - - - 195,289 Job, well of - - 1(;3 valley of - - 3(1 1 Joseph's tomb - - 181, 213 Joiapata • - 28i) Jucjah, plains of - - Hj hills of - - 118 Judaism, similarity ) -„, -o^ ro, Jiirnmh, village of - 280, 281 Jews in • 281 Kadikoy. See Chalcedon. 358 Kadyta - - - 271,271 Kaipha, Jews in - 118 Kalaciia, Capo - - 367 Kalione, Casilione - 125 Kana el JlIJ - - 307 Kaiiah, brook - - 223 town - • 2')G Kangf id, the, or porcupine 54, 138 Karaite Jews 217, 330, 360, 361 works of - 363 in Jiussia - 51 1 361 114 122 Lachish Laiiipsacus l,aiidshut Laodicea Larnica Laskovola, village of Latroon, village and pass of Lazarus's tomb Lebaii-hemat Lebanon cedars of wine of villages of Lebonah LectLini, Cape Baba Leghorn, sail to town of - Jews in synagogue Karatieh Karieli - Kareiinisky Neustadt, Jews in 5ll Kasteen, village of Kasimieh, or Leontes Kavarna, bay Kedion, brook - vale of - Kcfr-birliom Kefr or Cana, Kenna Kehelaiah Kelundieh Kephoneh Kerak, or Tarichaja Keys, in the East Khaifa - synagogue Khan, a Khan el-luban Khanouncs, or Jenysus Kings, tombs of Kirjaih-jearim - Kirjath-Sepher Kobylin, Jews in Konas - Konieh. or Iconium Krotoshcim, Jews in Kuryet-el-Knab Kulat Jedin Kydcssa 11 258 363 142, )(;2 150 269 307 81 200 200 276 112 237 237 385, 46'.) 203 96—98 160 122 177 491 339 339 491 122 315 271 F.nglish cemetery Pojjeryof synagogue Jewish library - school 115 348 468 338 324 467 119 158 110 240, 241 241 232 241 208 316 15, 16 20 18, 24 21 22 24 26 26 - interview with rabbis 26, 27 ~ instruction in Israel- ) - ,, > o21 463—467 466 346 258 214 344 316 115 200 378 486, 494 335 63 208 297 19 511 11, 12 12 339 itish University Leinberg Jews in - Lemnos Leontes Lepers - Lesbos, now Mytilin Lesson - Libnah - Lifia, village of Lipuwanni Lissa Liturgy - Lodge, the Luban Lub;ah, village of Lucca, Jews in Ludwigslust Lyons Jews in Lystra - Macon - Machpelah, cave of M«s!a - Magdnla Magnesia Malea - Malta, appearance of state of morals in 48* 11 180 367 288 310 39 35.37 36 550 Malta, Popery in - 36 Jews in - - 36 Mamre, plain of - 179 Manasseli, half tribe of 224 Mareotic Lake - - 54 Mareshah - - 115 Mannora, Sea of, or Propontis 348 Marona - - 280,281 118, 418 Marriage, an Eastern - Jewish, at Jassy at JagUnsky - Marseilles, town of Jews in MarshukHill - Maruba, Wady - Matalish Matapan, Cape Taenarus Maturieh Mediterranean shore Hymn on Meles, river Melos Menaghee, village of Menzaleh, Lake, or Mendes Merj-lbrama Mesmieh, village of Mestrael wind - Mezra Mezra in Syria - Mezuzah, description of Michtnash Migdol - Mijdel, village of Milan, Jews in - Millstone Mirage, the Misrach - Mizpeh - Moab, hills of - Modena, Jews in Modin - Moes Moldavia, religion of ■ its importance as a 56 416 434 15 15 317 116 223 38 71 316 316 340 39 76 70 224 115 14 315 206 456 200 80 - 287—288 19 110 54 469 144 - 182, 195 19 scene of a Jewish mission number of Jews in Montefiore. Sir Moses Montlimart Montveuil Moriah, Mount - Moschiska, village of ■ Jews in Mourners, wailing of, in Jerusalem Muezzin, the 122 71 371 243 424 424 142 13 6 144, 145 467 467 Music, no instrument of, in Palestine Mustard-tree - - 138 Mycone - - 42 Mytilin. See Lesbos - 346 Nabka, the plant - 109 Nablous, Jews in - 148 valley of - 218 Naby-Samuel, or Ramah 143, 199 Naby-Younes - - 253 Nabbok-tree - - 94 Nacoush, Jews in - 404 Nain, village of - 300, 303 Nakoura - - 219, 315 Naphtali, tribe of - 268 mountains of 271, 280 prophecy regarding 285 Narkoping, Jews in Naxos - - . Nazarah, wady of Nazareth, vale of town of bazaar convent Nebo, Mount Nehemiah's well Nephtoah, fountain of - Nets Neusaltz Nezib ... Nice, Jews in - Nile, fultilment of prophecy reeds of - Canopic branch waters of - banks of - Bolbotine branch - Mendesian do. Pelusiac do. Phatnitic or Bucohc do. Sebennetic do. Tanitic or Saitic do. 515 42 181 305 305, 306 305 306 144 152 175 63 501 116 19 52 52 55 56,58 58 57 71 77 65 62 71 Obeleshti, village of Odyssus, now Varna Oflence, Mount of Ohlau - Olearos - Olives, grove of Mount of -8, 141 59,86 Olive-press Omar, Mosque of Omeglia Opliel - 384 367 152 482 42 - 106, 225 141, 157, 160 269 145 16 152 INDEX. 551 Oppeln - - - 482 Ortakoy, schools in - 352 Jews in - 353 village of - 35j Ostracine - - ^5 Oudsir - - " 11-i Oven, an Arab - - 90 Padua, Jews in - - 19 Palestine — Dirticulties in the conver- ) j^q sion of Jews in J State of Jews in - 321 Importance of, as a > 221 322 missionary field > Means for sending gospel to 246 Population, ditierent ac- > counts of S Number and condi- ) 148, 164 lion of Jews in S ^"^ Missionaries to 193, 248, 321 (lualifications ot 193 Means of support in, for ) giG Jews S Palm-tree few in Palestine 148 Pahnosa or Patmos Palus C'endovia Pamphylia, coast of Paris, road to - appearance of Jews in Sabbath in Parma, Jews in Paros Paths, places of - Patmos, now Pahnosa Pavia, Jews in - Pergamos, now Bergamo Jews in Perleberg Petra Philadelphia Phihstia Philistines, coast of Piedmont, Jews in Pilsno Pisa, Jews in Pisgah - Pilesti, Jews in - Pleschen, Jews in Plough, Eastern Podgorze Poland, Austrian Prussian, as field of missionary labour 53 99 32G 311 3-25 5 5—8 8 7 19 42 55,96 42, 326 19 336 336 511 133 337 103 103 19 469 19 144 380 494 60, 298 471 427 ) 499 S 500 Polish superstition Polycarp's grave Popery in Boulogne in Breslau in Brody in Civita Vecchia in Cracow in Cenoa in Jaglinsky in Letiliorn in Malta in Paris in Poland in Posen in Rosetta in Syra in Smyrna in Tarnapol sunilarity with ) Judaism J Porcupine or kangfiid Post-cart, Wallachuin - Posen as a missionary ) station ) Jews in • schools Potkamin, village of Jews in - Potchoritz Prausnitz Jews in - Precipitation, Mount of Premyslau Jews in - Propontis Protestants in Boulogne in Chalons in Cracow hi Dijon in Leghorn in Lyons in .Marseilles in Paris in Posen Provence Prussia, Sabbath schools > not allowed in J nor prayer meetings 510 Prussian Schnell-post - 481 School - 484 Teachers, mode of ) ,q.-, 435 313 3 481 457 34 476 17, 20 435 22,23 36 7 435, 448 486 56 42 328 448 424, 530 532 54, 138 376 242, 486 486. 437 487, 489 449 450 459 485 485 306 462 463 348 3 11 297 9 21 12 15 7 486 13 510 licensin£ - villages, charac- ter of Pniih, the Ptolemais. See Acre. 485 432 652 Quarantine at Carmel • at Galatz at Bossanze Quern or handmill Rachel's Sepulchre Ram Ramah - - . Ramah of the south Ramallah Ramath-lehi Ramea Ramla ... Ramouni, perhaps Hadad } Rimmon - ^ Rapha Raphat, ancient Raphia Ras-el-ain Raujeeb Rawitz ... Reineh, village of Rhaeteum Reading places, or ) Yishvioth ^ Reeds, disappearance of in Egypt Repentance, day of Rephaim, plain of Rhinocolura Rhone, scenery on Island at mouth of 230 369 4-24 71 175 200 143, 199 99 200 103 218, 269 124 226 96 203 317 209 486 307 347 168, 193 52 399 135, 150, 174 Rhodes Jews in Rice Mill Rissa, El Arish Rimnik, village River of Egypt Rome, Jews in Ropsitza, village of Jews in Rosetta - journey to convent rice-mill bazaar Jews in Ruesh, village of Russia, Jews in Sabbath— in Bucharest - 385 at Carmel - 230, 233 in Constantinople - 364 in Cracow . . 472 in the Desert . 78 French - - 6, 7 in Calatz - - 371 in Hamburg - 516 in Jaglinsky - 434 in Jerusalem - 137, 188 sacrament 188 in Leghorn - 23 in Palestine - 94 in Paris . - 7 in Posen . - 488 in Saphet . - 283 at Sea - 34, 44, 346 in Smyrna - - 328 near Soutchava - 424 in Zopka - - 461 Saccas, village of - 272, 274 Satfeen - - 115 Salmone, now Sidro Saloniki. See Thessalonica Samaria road from Sychar to hill of - ruins of natural scenery mountains of . 325 Samaritan villages 325 1 synagogue 58 Samos 81| Samothrace 398 1 Samson's hill 90 San, or Zoan 19 Sandovawiznia, Jews in 469 Sannin, hill of - 469 Sanour Casde - 55 — 60 Saone 54 Saphet 56! 44 332 223 218 218 219 222 223 209 215 326 346 102 72 467 241 224 11 272—285 58 58' 57} 310 i 143, 148, 164 I 246, 247, 322 station 513, 514'SardisorSart Jews in synagogue worship 278 284, 323 a missionary as a missionary field 514 Sarepta or Sarfend Rzezow - - - 468 Saretsky, village of Sabbath — | Sarfend, ancient Zarepta at Balteen . - 63 Sassow, village of in Berlin . . 506, 507 j Jews of in Bpyiout - - 250, 319 Sa wee - in Biilat - - 401 Scamander in Boiija - - 328 Satagora, town of 338 257, 318 449 318 459 459 208 347 431 553 Schlichtingsheim - 496 Schools — at Breslau - - 48-1 at Constantinople - SljO at Cracow - • 477 at Damietta - 70 Arab, at El Arish - 91 at Jassy - - 410, 413 none in Jerusalem - 131 in Leghorn - 19, -(> in Lyons - - 12 in Marseilles - 15 in I'aris in Posen at Schlichtingsheim Jewish, at Smyrna at 8torchnest at Syra Sabbath, not allowed ) 488, 489, 490 327 327 493 40 510 j 326 136' 353, 357 200 2(;(; Sidro, or Salmone - 44 8i»eum, now Jenesherry 347 Sihor - - ■ 58 Sihor-Libnah - • 311 Silesia, province of • 481 Jews in - - 485 Siloain, fountain of - 153, 156 hymn on 156 village and pool 197 Simeon, tribe of - 93 Singeel, village of - 207 Siplieer, village of - 177 Sipylus, JMount - - 339 Siiah, well of - - 173 Sirbonian Lake - - 83 Sirocco - • 97 Slobodzi, village of - 383 .Smyrna - • 327,345 310 65 in Prussia Scio, ancient Chios Scopus, hill Scutari, Jews in Sechu Sedeekin, village of Seir, IliUsof - Sedekoy Senana, village of Sephardim 246, 278, 282, 291 Sephela, plain of - 111 Sephourieh or Sepphoris 307, 309 Seret, river - - 400 town of - - 429 Jews in ■• - 429 conversation with 430 Seriphos Servants, Eastern Sestos Sharon - Shdood - Sheep, Eastern Sheikh Daud Juide a missionary station 334 Jews • school - cypresses Solam, ancient Shunem Solomon's Pools Sorek, valley of Soutchava, town of Jews in 39 68 317 201 104 2, 104, 174 315 122 Shiloh - Shiinron-meron Shitta-tree and Shittim-wood Shittim, valley of Shulau - ' - Shunem, or Solam Shur, desert of - Sicily, distant view of Sid Sidon, approach to town of 94 207 281 79 synagogue Jews lu 175, 195 519 303 80 34 71 253, 318 254, 256 251 148, 255 Spandau Spezzia - Siauchio, ancient Coos St. Denys St. Julian Storchnest Stockholm, Jews in Subuste, village of Sweden, Jews in Sycamore-trees Sychar, valley of town of synagogues Jacob's Well Joseph's Tomb 213 lepers - - 214 bazaar - - 214 Jews and Samaritans 215 Jews in - - 216 a Jew boy - 217 Sympicgades - - 367 Synagogues. See under va- rious towns. Synagogue, ancient remains of 270 Syra (Scyros) - - 39—43 schools in - - 41 Syrophenicia • • 253 330, 336 334 340 303 176, 317 107 427 423 511 39 325 6 37 493 515 219 515 99 209 211 211,215 212 Taberiah 290 554 Tabor 276, 297, 298, 300—303 Tallith, description of - 456 Tamarisk - - 80 Tamyras, river - - 253 Tantour or Horn • 248 Tahpanhes - - 80 Tamapol - - 441—448 synagogues - 441 Jews in - 443 Popery - 448 Taricheea - - 276,296 Tarnow - - 470 Tarsus - - - 339 Taoutchy, village of - 400 Tata-Maresti - - 404 Tekoah - - 187 Tel-Faramah, ruins of - 82 Temple-wall of Jerusalem, old 191 Tenedos, island of - 346 Tents - - - 62 , of Kedar - - 112 Tephillin, description of 456 Terebinth-tree - - 100 Tersecha - - 315 Terraces - 119, 121, 123 Teshawitz, village of - 420 conversation with Jews 422 Thrashing-floor - 64, 116 Thessalonica, Jews in - 308, 332 114 Troas, Eski-Stamboul Troy, plain of - Troyes - Tsitzith - Tultslxa - Turm, Jews in - Turkey, depopulation of 347 347 9 456 369 19 339 influence of priesthood 342 Thitcrin Thorns and briers in Palestine Thyatira Tiberias - 276, 290, Jews in 143, 148,246, 291, Hot baths - Tiristria Tobacco a common plant in } Palestine - ) Tombs of the Kings of the Judges in the mosque at ? Hebron J Tomi Tortura, ancient Dor Toulon - Tournou Tracts for Jews, their } importance J Traeiiberg, Jews in Transfiguration, Mount of Trernbowla Jews in Trevoux Trees, few in Palestine Troas, coast of • 117, 119 337 296 322 295 368 97 IfO 198 I 181 368 228 15 11 243, 378 485 301 440 440 11 100 346 Turkish coins Turmus Aya Tuscany, Jews in opposition to the truth in Tyre, now Sour town of Jews in harbour Synagogue Old Tyropoeon Upper room 524 207 18,24 23,31 - 238,259 260 148, 164, 263 260 263 317 152 Valence Valetta, harbour and town Varna ... Verona, Jews in Venice, Jews in Veniky, village of Vieiiczka Vienne - - - 137, 189 13 35,37 367 19 19 463 471 13 Vines 107, 123, 279 Wallachia, country • 385 religion of - 371 prevalence of crime 387 importance of, as ) .^i a missionary station 5 dress ■ - 377 Jews in 380, 388, 424 Synagogue in 388 Fete - - 393 Waslui, Jews in - 404, 406 the Cipporah - 405 51,72,111—115 Water, mode of drawing bitter Rivers of" Watering fields, mode of Wells - Wheels, Egyptian Persian Wilna, Karaite-Jews in Windows, Eastern Women, Eastern dress of 85 93 96 51,85 51 98 514 67 48,89 43,59 INDEX. 555 Women, Dnme Moldavia VVurtemburg, Jews Xiphos - Yishvioth - / i Yoke for oxen - Zaanaim, plain of Zadcow, village of Jews in Zalesky, town of Jews in Zalose, town of Jews in Zarnow, Jews in Zebulun or Abilene, town of 2J8 371 n - 515 42 •,lfc273,291 403 271 439 440 433 434 449 449 481 vaUeyof 310 310 Zebulun, prophecy regarding 285 Z<>eb. See Achzib - 238, 315 Zeitoun - - 315 Zelzah - - , - 175, 199 Zuii/.ow, village of - 468 Zephatha - - 115 Zfworsk, village of - 408 Zcrin, ancient Jezrecl - 303 Zidon - - - _ 238 Zingans - - 370, 372 Zion, Mount - - 132, 133 importance of a church on 131 Zloozow, village of - 4()0 Jews in - 4G0 Zoan, or San, ruins, inha- bitants ^ - Zorah - ■ ' -^ - Zopka, village of I ,v 114 461 THE END. ,i^ r^ '^*} V4 -d. 4» • Date Due f%^ ^ $) A m