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stones of memorial written by Joshua are yet in existence, and that their discovery may one day afford additional proof of the authenticity of the ancient books of the Scriptures. "And he wrote there, (in mount Ebal, or as the Samaritans read, in mount Gerizim,) upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel." Joshua viii. 32.

ragged children. The erection is in a very elaborate style of architecture. Beneath it are several vaults, which probably opened into the sides of the hill. The eastern end is nearly perfect, which confirms the remark made by Maundrell, that if any portion of a church is left standing in these parts, it is certain to be the eastern end. It has a pentagonal projection, the windows of which There are still a few Samaritans resident in have arches above them, and are separated from Nabloos, who "worship God upon this mountain," each other by small pillars with Corinthian capiand retain the faith of their fathers. They are tals. In the interior, the projection is spanned by strict in their attention to such parts of the law a pointed arch, the ribs of which have been workas they acknowledge, and expect a Messiah.-ed into a variety of figures, with more labor than They read in their version of the Pentateuch that the altar was erected by Joshua upon mount Gerizim, and not upon Ebal, which reading is defended by Kennicott, and they repair at stated times to the supposed site of the temple to perform acts of worship. The synagogue is plain and clean, and among other ancient books they have a copy of the Pentateuch, which they regard with peculiar veneration, and affirm that it was written by the grandson of Aaron. They suppose that there are many Samaritans in England and other parts of Europe. There are a few families of Jews who reside in a small court near the bazar. Justyn Martyr was born here.

good taste. The southern wall is supported by buttresses, and towards the eastern end is built upon a mole. The walls are not all of the same date. In the area inside is the dome of a small mosque, with marble slabs before the entrance. It is built over a small cave or dungeon, in which it is said that John the Baptist was beheaded. The tomb of John was shown in the time of Julian the apostate, when the inhabitants of the city are said to have opened it, and burnt a portion of his bones, preserving the rest as relics. Higher up the hill, stone columns are seen in every direction, but without capitals. We counted eighty in an upright position, besides many that are prostrate. The summit of the hill appears to have been scarped, as there is a steep ascent nearly all round, and in this place may have been the citadel.

We have here another of those places near which we can stand as upon vantage ground, and look back upon the men and deeds of other times with an absolute certainty of the truth. It commands an extensive view, and the Mediterranean may probably be seen from it on a clearer day than that with which we were favored. Under pre

We halted in an olive grove, about a mile from the town, near Bier Sheba, a spring that sends forth a stream of water of sufficient volume to turn a mill. We were now in the tribe of Ephraim. This tribe may be considered as one of the most celebrated of the twelve. Joshua was an Ephraimite, and was buried "in the border of his inheritance which is in mount Ephraim." It was within the borders of this tribe that the words of the law were solemnly read before the people, and that Shiloh was situated, where the ark of God rested from the days of Joshua to the death of Eli. Je-sent appearances, it would seem to be preferable roboam, the first monarch of Israel, was of this tribe, and it contained the royal cities of Tirzah, where the first kings resided, and Samaria, where they resided from the time of Omri to the destruction of the state.

SAMARIA.

to Jerusalem as the site for a capital city, and capable of being more strongly fortified, but we must remember the many changes that the position of Jerusalem has undergone: the beauty of Zion is departed, the crown has fallen from her head, and woe is unto her, because she has sinned. It is seldom that we have an account so certain of the origin of an ancient city as we have of this place. Omri, king of Israel," bought the hill Samaria, of Shemer, for two talents of silver, and WE passed several mills, April 25, upon the stream built on the hill, and called the name of the city of water produced by the springs near Nabloos, which he built after the name of Shemer, owner and not far from a ruined aqueduct of twelve of the hill, Samaria." 1 Kings xvi. 24. From arches, we turned off to the right, and began to this time it was the capital of the revolted tribes. ascend the hills. An hour's ride brought us with- It had the winter house, and the summer house, in sight of Sebastie, the ancient Samaria. It and the houses of ivory. The wicked Ahab erectstands upon a rounded hill of moderate and gentle ed upon this hill an altar to Baal; in this plain ascent, in the centre of a valley, surrounded at a Benhadad, king of Assyria, was routed; in the few miles' distance by mountains of considerable gate of this city sat the king of Israel and the elevation. The whole of the valley is at present king of Judah, each in his robes and upon a throne, cultivated. In a south-east direction are the walls when the false prophets delivered their ambiguous of a castle built upon a steep hill, formed of layers prediction, and Micaiah, declared the word of the of rock with scarcely a particle of earth upon Lord: in that pool the dogs licked the blood of them. Between this castle and the town we Ahab as they had formerly licked the blood of passed under an aqueduct. Sebastie is situated Naboth his enemy: up that ascent have often on the eastern slope of the hill, and has an inte- toiled the prophets Elijah and Elisha, bearing resting appearance from the remains of an old messages of wrath from the most High: within convent that rise up among the meaner buildings these walls there has been a great famine, so that by which they are surrounded, like a prim old" an ass's head sold for fourscore pieces of silver, schoolmistress sitting in the midst of her rude and and a woman boiled her own son, and did eat him."

it was from hence that the host of the Syrians fled, because the Lord made them to hear a noise of chariots and a noise of horses, leaving the camp as it was, a prey to the famished Samaritans: it was here that Jehu slew the worshippers of Baal, and brake down their images: it was after enduring a siege of three years in this capital that Hoshea, the last of its kings, was carried away captive by the king of Assyria: it contained the royal sepulchres of Israel; the gospel was here preached by Philip, and confirmed by Peter and John, to whom Simon, the sorcerer, offered money that he might receive the Holy Ghost and it suffered in common with its more guilty rival, when Palestine was subdued by the Roman power.

the help of the Lord against the mighty, was situated in this direction. In this plain, Sisera and his host were overthrown by the prowess of a woman; here "Saul died, and his three sons, and his armour-bearer, and all his men, that same day together;" here Josiah was slain by Necho, king of Egypt; here Holofernes was slain by Judith, the valiant widow; and here the three unclean spirits, coming out of "the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet," shall gather together "the kings of the earth and of the whole world," to the battle of the great day of God Almighty. The name of the plain appears to have been proverbial as a place of mourning and destruction, and perhaps few places in the world have been so often saturated with human gore: there have been but few nations of consequence, the names of which do not appear in the pages of its history, and Napoleon Buonaparte is associated with Deborah, the prophetess who judged Israel.

The soil is in some places more than six feet thick, and exceedingly rich, and were the plain well cultivated, it would be one of the most productive in the world. There are a few small villages scattered over its surface, but not perhaps a hundreth part of the number it is well able to sustain. One of my companions crossed the plain in the depth of last winter, when it was covered with snow. The sumpter mule of the party being delayed by the difficulties of the road, was attacked by robbers, and a rich booty carried away. A complaint was made to the pacha, who imme

The present inhabitants of Sebastie appear to be miserably poor, but they showed us every attention in their power, and retired without asking for a present. After a slight breakfast, at which we had no coffee as usual, because sufficient fuel could not be procured in this once populous metropolis to boil our kettle, we descended into the plain, and then mounted the northern range of hills. From one point we had a view of the sea, and on our left was a sheet of water of considerable extent. We passed over many hills, through passes at different elevations, and along plains gradually increasing in extent as we proceeded, in one of which we counted forty ploughs at work at the same time. The villages are numerous, and are situated on the brows of the hills. When we arrived at the plain of Esdraelon, as it was too late to attempt to cross it, we turned off towards Jen-diately issued an order for full restitution to the nin, and spread our clothes for the night under the leaves of one of the largest mulberry trees I ever saw. This place contains many ruins, but none of them apparently of a very ancient date. It is supposed, with some plausibility, to be the JEZREEL of Scripture, where the kings of Israel had a palace, where Naboth was murdered, and Jezebel was precipitated from a window. The residence of the witch of ENDOR was in this neighborhood. We had now crossed the possessions of the halftribe of Manasseh, which extended westward as far as the sea, and entered upon those of Issachar.

THE PLAIN OF ESDRAELON.

THE rising sun, April 26, found us already upon
the plain of Esdraelon, the most extensive in Pa-
lestine. It is about fifty miles long, and twenty
broad, and is also called the Great Plain and the
valley of Jezreel. Before us were the mountains
of Galilee; on our right, mount Tabor, upon which,
as is generally supposed, our Lord was transfigur-
ed, and mount Gilboa, where the beauty of Israel
was slain upon the high places, and the daughters
of the uncircumcised triumphed; and on our left,
mount Carmel, visible through the whole extent of
its chain as far as the extremity that overlooks
the sea.
Tabor differs in its appearance from
the general character of the mountains, being in-
sulated, and conical in its form. It is about 1200
feet high. We again crossed the bed of the Ki-
shon. The city of Meroz, the inhabitants of
which were cursed because they came not up to

chief of the nearest village, on which nearly the whole of the stolen articles were returned, and the rest of the amount was made up by a general levy upon the people. We passed at some distance the village of NAIN, where our Lord raised the young man to life, "the only son of his mother, and she was a widow." It was lately destroyed by the pacha, on account of the disaffection of its inhabitants.

In four hours from leaving Jennin we began to ascend the hills of Galilee. This district, in the time of Josephus, was celebrated for its fruitfulness, and abounded with all descriptions of trees, a strange contrast to its present nakedness and sterility. It contained many towns, the least of which had above 15,000 inhabitants. We had to pass over a steep and difficult road, in the bed of a mountain torrent. This brought us to Ain Emir, whence we again began to descend, and soon entered the valley of Nazareth, where we halted a few hours during the heat of the day.

NAZARETH.

NAZARETH may at present contain about 3,000 inhabitants, a great number of whom are Christians of the Greek church. The shops are well supplied, especially with articles of clothing, though they are scattered in different places, and there does not appear to be any regular bazar. The houses stand upon the declivity of a hill, and overlook a small valley the beauties of which have been much exaggerated. We all agreed in one

opinion, that the females were the best looking, both in figure and face, that we had seen in the country, and we several times expressed to each other our admiration of the grace and dignity with which they moved, as they passed us on their way to the well of water.

done to take off the mind from truths that would amply repay its attention, Nazareth is still a place of great interest to the true Christian pilgrim. We know little of the early life of our Saviour, but that little brings to us sources of profitable reflection; and as we look upon the hills where he walked, The Latin convent, a massy structure, is built and meditated, and prayed, and held communion over the reputed dwelling of Joseph and Mary, with the Father, the wish to examine these things which is of course a cave. The present edifice is more closely than is possible with our present about a century old, but remains of a building means of information may perhaps be pardoned. much more ancient may be observed. The church The district of Galilee was favored above all others is highly ornamented, and contains an organ, and with the presence of the Saviour during his resi the walls are hidden by hangings of silk presented dence among men. It might be that there was by some of the monarchs of Europe. It has the something in the disposition of the people, or in appearance of one vast altar, divided into three the political state of the country at that period, compartments, the middle one even with the more congenial with the interests of his divine ground. The cave of the Annunciation contains mission. In Jerusalem there were fierce contenthe very spot where the foot of the Virgin rested, tions between the parties in the state, and it was when the "Ave Maria" was first pronounced, that there that the pride of the Pharisee, the infidelity has since been so often repeated by other than of the Sadducee, the rapacity of the lawyer, and angel lips. From hence we were led to the kitchen the wickedness of the priest, were manifested with and bed-room of Mary, both caves, and without the most open effrontery: in Gallilee there was any apertures for the admission of light. The comparative tranquillity, and the virtues of the monks, who are generally from Spain, were per- lowly Jesus, seen only by the simple people of a forming service at the time we visited the place; country village, excited not the envy of those who their voices were good, particularly that of the might otherwise have sought to take away his life bass, and the effect would have been delightful to before his ministry was commenced. It was in our minds, could we have hoped that the truth re- Galilee that the angel of the annunciation appearvealed to a woman of Samaria by Jesus Christ ed to Mary, and afterwards to Joseph; the holy was remembered. The house of the Virgin, or family abode here after their return from Egypt, santa casa, is said to have been miraculously trans- and Jesus continued with them until he began to ported through the air, in the 13th century, from be about thirty years of age; here he first preach. Nazareth to Dalmatia, and thence to the forest in ed, and though from this time to his death he itithe neighborhood of the position it now occupies, nerated among the principal cities of the land, his in which it several times changed its place, and more constant residence was in Galilee, and it was at last fixed at Loretto, in Italy. I afterwards was here that he first appeared to the apostles after visited the church at Loretto. The venerated his resurrection. Nearly all the apostles were chamber appeared to me to be much larger than "men of Galilee." In more ancient times, the the place whence it is said to have been taken at same country belonged to the tribes of Issachar, Nazareth, though there are tablets hung up in dif- Zebulon, and Naphtali. Upon the death of Herod ferent languages, which attest that persons were the Great, the tetrarchy of Galilee fell to the possent into Palestine on purpose to make admea- session of Herod Antipas, who was the same Hesurements, and that they found the size of the two rod that beheaded John the Baptist, and ridiculed places to be exactly the same. our blessed Saviour when sent unto him by Pilate.

We

In other parts of Nazareth are shown Jo- On retiring from the city, and looking back seph's work-shop; the synagogue in which Jesus upon the valley from an eminence, it appeared preached; and a large round stone, upon which more beautiful than we had thought it from the our Lord was accustomed to dine with his disci- town. We passed the village of Rane, and afterples, both before and after his resurrection, "ac-wards CANA, where one of the water-pots is still cording to regular tradition, never interrupted, and shown in which Christ is said to have converted known to all the nations of the east." There are the water into wine at the marriage feast. many other places shown to the pilgrims, but my saw some water-pots upon the heads of the women faith was already taxed far beyond its capacity.- near the well, and there are others of a larger The Greeks have built a church over the spring, description that they keep in their houses, but whence the village is supplied, as they say that they are all of too brittle a material for one of the Virgin was drawing water at the time of the them to have survived without injury near 2000 annunciation. It is not improbable that this well years. This was the birth-place of Nathanael, was frequented by Mary, as the distance is conve- afterwards called Bartholomew, the disciple, and nient, and our Saviour and his disciples may have our Lord was at this place when the nobleman refreshed themselves from its stream. The hill from Capernaum besought him in behalf of his shown as that whence the people vainly endea- son, and heard from him the cheering words, "Thy vored to cast Jesus down headlong, is too far from son liveth." We soon afterwards entered upon the city, and there are brows of the hill whereon another plain, and travelled until the sun had set, the houses now stand that would be equally eligi- when we arrived at the village of Lubia, and slept ble for their wicked purpose, one of which was no under a fig-tree, after receiving a plentiful supply doubt the identical spot, but which of them cannot of excellent milk from the inhabitants. In the now be ascertained with exactness. centre of the plain is a cistern of wrought stones, and near it are many remains of wells and exacvations in the rock, that deserve a more parti

After all that the old empress Helena, and the equally credulous but more crafty monks, have

cular examination than they appear to have yet re- We had a long conversation with the priest, and ceived.

TIBERIAS.-THE SEA OF GALILEE.

THE plain continued some distance further, April 27, when we passed upon our left the mount upon which it is said that Jesus Christ delivered his sermon, when he perhaps disappointed the expectations of some of his auditors, who were desiring to hear inculcated a system of obligation the very reverse of peace, and meekness, and poverty of spirit. It has been said that the hill is too high, but we are not told that Christ ascended to the summit, and its gently sloping sides would be admirably adapted to the convenience of an assembly listening to an address. The objection is more plausible, that it is further from the city than we should suppose our Lord would have brought his disciples.

We soon afterwards had a sight of the northern part of the sea of Galilee, and after passing down à deep descent, arrived at the city of Tiberias. It stands close to the lake, in a bad situation for defence, and is walled, with round towers at certain distances, but the walls in some places are falling down. There are two gates, one only of which is at present in use, and the other is partly walled up. The castle is the only building of any considerable appearance, but there is also a mosque, with a minaret and several clean white domes, and a few date-trees flourishing near, which in vite the followers of the false prophet to stillness and devotion. Only a small part of the space within the walls is occupied by houses. The best of the buildings are but wretched, and the greater number are in ruins. The city may contain about 3000 inhabitants, of whom the Jews are by far the more numerous body. It is one of the four sacred places of the Talmud. The last session of the Sanhedrim is said to have been held here: the Mishna, or text of the Talmud, was here reduced to writing; and here the noted Massorites carried forward their minute investigations. There was formerly at this place a rabbinical college, and even some of the present inhabitants are deeply engaged in the study of the law and of Hebrew literature. They are supported principally by contributions from Europe, as there is no commerce connected with the place.

We remained at a Roman Catholic church, apparently very ancient, dedicated to St. Peter, for which various reasons are assigned, some of them contradictory. Its walls are four and a half feet thick, the roof is vaulted, and it has much the appearance of a modern powder-magazine, not having a single ornament in its construction. There are four windows on each side, those on the south closed up. On one of the stones in the front there is an inscription, but I could not approach near enough to it to see in what character. The entrance is modern. There are several pictures at the eastern end, all except one very rude; but what is somewhat remarkable in a Latin church, there is not a single image. The service-books are all in Arabic. I counted fifty people at matins, which speaks well for them, and may give some idea of the number of Christians in the place.

there appeared to be something good about him, though alloyed with much ignorance.

The city was built by Herod Antipas, in honor of Tiberius the Roman emperor. It submitted to Vespasian on his approach, and he altered his intention of putting all the inhabitants to the sword, at the request of Agrippa. On the south of the town the mountains are very abrupt, and approach near to the shore of the lake. In the sides are excavations, some of which we examined, but found nothing of interest. The shore, to some distance from the town, has been occupied by buildings, as we found the usual traces of a Roman city. We passed the ruins of a church, a sheikh's tomb with an inscription in ancient Arabic, and several prostrate columns and detached capitals; and after a walk of about an hour, arrived at the hot wells of Emmaus.

The baths are in ruins, especially the division alloted to the females. Several Jews and Jewesses were bathing, as is their custom every Friday, to prepare themselves for the Sabbath. There is a magnificent bath in the course of erection for Ibrahim Pacha, at a little distance from the former building, surrounded by an open colonade, which is supported by marble pillars taken from ancient ruins. The springs are numerous, and some of them send forth a plentiful stream. The mercury in my thermometer, when dipped into the water, immediately rose to the top of the tube, 135° of Fahrenheit, but this is said to be about the highest temperature. I could not bear to keep my hand in the water above a moment. The taste is that of salt, and the smell that of sulphur. The stones in the streams are dyed yellow and green. Vespasion pitched his tent near this village.

We bathed in the lake, and found the water to be exceedingly cold, from the melting of the mountain snow. In little less than two hours' journey from the baths, we passed the village of Karak, situated upon a plain that in the rainy season is formed into an island, and soon afterwards arrived at the place where the Jordan is sues from the lake, and begins its course towards the Dead Sea. It is a very rapid stream, and at that place is about 14 yards across. There are the remains of a bridge, but the stream is now passed by a crazy ferry-boat. Some horses were taken over as we were looking on, and there were several head of cattle on the other side. We did not venture over, as we were afraid that, if the people got us to the other side, they would be unwilling to bring us back again without extorting something as a present. At a little distance is the village of Semakh. The island, which appears to have been once covered with buildings, commands an extensive view. The valley of the Jordan extends to the horizon, and bears the marks of having been many times overflowed. It is cultivated, and appears to be extremely fertile.

The lake can be seen from this place through its whole extent. It may be about 18 miles long, and in its widest part about 6 miles broad. The shape is irregular, something resembling a boy's kite or a bird flying. It is called in the Old Testament the sea of Chinnereth, and in the New, the sea of Tiberias, the sea of Galilee, and the

lake of Gennesareth. Its appearance is striking, but rather disappoints the traveller, as it differs entirely in its character from the beautiful imaginations with which it is always associated. I could have wished to see more wood upon its shores, less ruggedness in the aspect of its mountains, and a greater softness and warmth in its general features. The mountains in some places come close to the water, and towards the north we could discern a far higher chain, their dark sides, and still darker bases, presenting a fine contrast to the robe of snow in which their lofty summits were enveloped. The waters are clear, and were then perfectly still; but from their situation between hills and ravines, they must be liable to sudden squalls, and to great agitation during violent gales. The expanse that unfolds itself from this place is perhaps little changed since the time of our Lord. The works of man are imposing today, but in a little time they are deserted, and in ruin temples, palaces, and even cities are destroyed, and no investigation can discover the spots where they onced flourished, though the detail of the events that took place within them may be familiar to our minds but mountains and seas have been named "everlasting," and as they looked a thousand years gone by, so look they now. It was upon this sea that our Lord sat in a boat, and thence taught the people standing upon the shore and what a sight it must have presented, to have seen the boat in the water, and the Prince of Life, and the listening multitude lining in rows the slopes of the ascent, as if in an immense amphitheatre, all so still that the little birds would not be frightened from their course in approaching the solemn audience, and the whole reflected upon the clear waters at their feet. On the opposite coast "the herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters." It was upon this sea that Jesus walked, like a spirit, in the fourth watch of the night, when the wind was boisterous and the waves were high; and it was to these waters he spake, when he said in majesty, "Peace, be still," and the rebuked wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Not a single boat is ever seen upon its surface in our day, and the fish that do not approach the land are never molested by any of the devices of man. Josephus tells us that the water of this lake was so cold, that it could not be warmed by setting in the sun, even in the hottest part of the year; but it has now lost this virtue, and in summer becomes warm and offensive. This lake was the scene of an engagement under Vespasian, in which some thousands were slain.

We returned to Tiberias much pleased with our excursion, and remained all night in the church; but as I had only an oil-cloth under me, the cold from the stones would not allow me to enjoy my usual sound sleep. I was disappointed in not being able to procure animals to take me to Damascus, as I had intended to skirt the eastern coast of the sea, and examine some parts of the ancient Bashan.

To the northward of Tiberias, on the shore of the lake, there are remains of buildings, but none of them worthy of description. At a little less than an hour from leaving the town, April 28, we crossed a stream of very clear water, from which

I promised myself a delicious draught, but on tasting it, I found that it was strongly impregnated with salt. Near it are three round buildings, that we supposed from the distance were towers of defence, but on mounting to the top they proved to be baths, with water in them, deep and clear. We had some difficulty in crossing the next plain, on account of the great number of streams by which it is intersected. The towns of Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Chorazin, must have been in this direction, but travellers are not agreed as to their exact site. They were once exalted to heaven, but they heeded not the day of their visitation, and they are now desolate. It is a solemn fact, the voice of which ought to be listened to with attention, that there is no place mentioned in the New Testament, as having rejected the mission of the Saviour, or refused the offers of mercy made to it by himself and his disciples, or as having afterwards become corrupt in life or doctrine, but bears evidence, in a degree beyond all others, either in its history or present condition, of the wrath of God: and as surely as the denunciations of old were fulfilled against the guilty cities that put out from their dwellings the candle of the Lord, so surely, we must remember, will still more awful threatenings be fulfilled against us, if we neglect to profit by the light that shines at present so brightly upon the world.

We had intended to visit some extensive ruins northward of the plain, but our time would not allow of so long a digression as this would have required. Before we began to mount the hills, we passed a stream of water, broad but not deep, on the banks of which were many curious specimens of petrifaction. Branches of trees, reeds, grasses, and other substances, were firmly bound together, and in all, the change from the original character was complete, though the grain and fibres of the wood were perfectly retained.

Soon after our commencement of the ascent, my companions, who were some distance behind me, saw on their left a large cave, and descended from their horses to explore it. I crossed over to meet them, when I heard a rustling in the grass, and they called out to me, but I was too distant to hear what they said. On coming up to them, I found that they had started a lion, when within a few feet of its lair, which sprang down the ravine, and plunged along the waters of the stream at the bottom, until they lost sight of it in the distance by the projection of a rock. They had so near a view of it, and saw it for so great a length of time, that they could not be mistaken, and the eye of Mr. T. is particularly keen. There were several places in the grass where a large animal had evidently rested, and near one of them the remains of some creature, about the size of a cat, which appeared to me to be more like a lion's cub than any other animal with which I am acquainted. We pursued our course towards the cave, but took the precaution to call first for our firearms. We descended to the bottom of the ravine, and had presented to us a scene of surpassing wildness. The principal cave is near a hundred feet high at the entrance, and is carried a considerable distance into the mountain, gradually decreasing in size as it proceeds. Near it, and within it, in all parts of the sides, are many other

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