and again in those seas; from which it may be distant about five miles. Here we observed to the north-west the various turnings of the Cayster, more crooked than those of Meander, watering the plains below. On the north-east of Diana's temple, lies upon the ground a very large font of porphyry, the inmost circle being about six foot in diameter, which is called by the name of St. John's Font, there being four pillars not far from it, upon which they suppose it was raised. A thing very unlikely that in the sad times of persecution under Domitian and Trajan, when the poor Christians were forced to serve God in grottos, and converts were baptized secretly, there should be such care taken to do it in so stately a laver. On the east are the aqueducts. Upon the side of the eastern hill is the cave of the seven sleepers, near it several small arches; and more forward of them a very large arch, within which are several little caverns. On the north is St. John's Church, turned into a mosch; about seventy paces in length, and five and twenty in breadth. In it are four pillars standing in a row, of excellent porphyry, of about five feet in diameter, and much about the bigness of those that are in Sultan Suleiman's mosch in Constantinople, and about forty feet in height, which support two cupolas, the glass windows still remaining; before it a very large and fair entrance. Here are two very spacious theatres, the one under the southern hill, the other to the west, near which is a stately gate, where I found these words engraven in two places: T. ACCENSORENSI ET ASIAE. On the 21st, within a mile of Ephesus, we passed over the Cayster, a very deep river. From hence we clambered over the Alyman, which is an extraordinary bad way; part of the famous mountain Minas (which runs as far as Cape Cornobbero, the Turks call it Karaborun, or the Cape with the black nose, at the entrance into Smyrna bay) which we passed over in two hours. After ten hours we forded a little river, called Halesus, that runs into the sea at Colophon; two hours beyond which is a Turkish town called Giancobashee, situated in a spacious plain, with several handsome moschs in it; where, not meeting with any accom modation, modation, we rode half a mile further to a poor village called Karagick-kuy, where we lodged, and the next morning we arrived safe at Smyrna, being the twentieth day from our departure. SMYRNA. This city, called by the Turks Esmir, lies in the bottom of a bay, which is encompassed with high mountains on all sides except to the west, about ten leagues in length, where is good anchoring ground, and the water deep; so that the ships ride near the merchant's scales, who for their convenience live by the water-side. The breadth at the bottom may be, I guess, about two or three miles. To the north is the river Meles. This is one of the most flourishing cities of the Lesser Asia, both for its great trade, and the number of its inhabitants; in which I include Franks, Jews, and Armenians, as well as Greeks and Turks. Little of its ancient glory is left standing, earthquakes, and fire, and war, having made as great desolations and wastes here, as in the other parts of Anatolia. It is certain, from the numerous foundations continually dug up, that the greatest part of the buildings anciently were situated upon the side of the hill, and more to the south; the houses below toward the sea being built since Smyrna became of late years a place of trade. On the top of the hill, which overlooks the city and bay, is an old castle, without any regular fortifications about it, and in a manner slighted; there being only two or three guns for fashion's sake mounted, with which they salute the new moon of Bairam, and the captain Bassa, when he comes into the port with his armada of galleys. Near the entrance is a marble head, the nose of which is cut off by the Turks out of their great zeal and hatred of all kinds of human figures especially. I found nothing in it observable but a cistern, or perchance a granary under ground, propt by pillars, and the bottom curiously plaistered over; the work of the ancient Greeks: but much inferior to one I saw in the long island just within the bay on the side of the hill, into which there is a descent of about eight or nine feet; the buildings very regular and stately, having twenty pillars in length, and five in breadth, the distance between each about seven of my paces, that is, above one hundred and sixty paces one way, and above thirty-five another. At a little distance from which is another, almost of the same same bigness, but filled with water; the island being altogether uninhabited, but full of wild hogs and hares. On the sides of the other gate of the castle are yet to be seen two eagles, the ensigns of the Romans, delineated at large and handsomely enough. In our descent to the south-east we entered the amphitheatre, where St. Polycarp, first bishop of this city, was martyred, the stony steps being removed for the most part by the Turks, for their buildings and other uses. In the sides are still to be seen the two caves, opposite to each other, where they used to enclose their lions; fighting with beasts being in ancient times the great diversion of the people of this country, and to which they usually condemned their slaves, and the poor Christians especially. On the side of the hill, but somewhat lower, is the sepulchre of this great saint, which the Greeks solemnly visit upon the anniversary festival consecrated to his me mory in compliance with an ancient custom in use almost from the time of his martyrdom, as Eusebius relates in the 4th book of his Ecclesiastical History, chap. 15. It is placed in a little open room, that possibly might be some chapel in the entrance of which I found this inscription upon a marble stone, now placed in a chimney: : ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΟΡΙ ΟΛΥΜΠΙΩΙ ΣΩΤΗΡΙ ΚΑΙ ΚΤΙΣΤΕΙ The poor Greeks are very careful in repairing this monument, if it any way suffers, either by the weather, it being exposed to the air, or by the Turks, or by the Western Christians, who break off pieces of marble and carry them away as reliques; an earthen dish hanging by, to receive the aspers any either out of curiosity or veneration and respect to the memory of the blessed martyr shall bestow for the repair of his tomb. Nigh hereunto are several arches, stones of huge bigness lying upon the ground, and a great building having three large rooms upon a floor, which perchance was a place of judicature: the front having been formerly adorned with four pillars, the bases of which at present only remain. Not many years since, in a lane towards the north-east, digging for a foundation, they met with several rows of square stones placed regularly one above another, and probability it might be part of a fane or temple in the the times of heathenism. In the walls of the city I observed a great cavity almost in every square stone, resembling somewhat a Roman V, which some fancy might be in honour of Vespasian, who was a great benefactor to this city. But the figure not being always the same, but admitting great variety, I am inclined to believe it was rather made by the masons, that the stones might be the better cemented together. About a mile from the town are the ruins of a church, which the Franks call by the name of James's temple: which I believe rather to have been dedicated to St. John, the great saint of the east, and that hence the mistake of the name is to be fetched. The Turks have here fifteen moschs; the Jews several synagogues; and yet though Smyrna still retains the dignity of a metropolitical seat, the Greeks have but two churches, the one dedicated to St. George, the other, if I do not mis-remember, to St. Photinus. The Armenians have only one church. By this short and imperfect survey the curious reader may be sadly convinced, in what a pitiful and deplorable condition these once famous and glorious churches of Asia are at this day; churches, which had the apostles for their founders, and which yielded so many martyrs, and which abounded with so many myriads of Christians, whose patience and valour tired out and wearied, and at last triumphed over, the tyranny, the malice, and the hatred of their Heathen persecutors; and which afterward, when the empire became Christian, and the civil power submitted itself to the law and discipline of Christ, and when the cross, which before was had in such execra tion, was held the highest ornament of the crown, advanced in splendour and glory above what they had enjoyed in the times of heathenis, and which, upon a due consideration of circumstances, one might have truly enough judged should have been eternal, and placed almost out of all possibility of danger and ruin, now turned into heaps of rubbish; scarce one stone left upon another, some of them utterly uninhabited, and the remains of all horribly frightful and amazing. I shall not here lament the sad traverses and vicissitudes of things, and the usual changes and chances of mortal life, nor upbraid the Greeks of luxury and stupidity, which have brought these horrid desolations upon their country: these are very useful, but very mean and ordinary speculations. That which affected me with the deepest anguish and most sorrowful sorrowful resentment when I was upon the place, and does still, was and is a reflection upon the threat against Ephesus, in the second chapter of the Revelations of St. John, who made his abode in that city, and died there. Remember from whence thou art fallen, and do the first works, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent. And upon a farther and more serious consideration, as I sorrowfully walked through the ruins of that city especially, I concluded most agreeably, not only to my function, but to the nature of the thing, (and I am confident no wise or good man, who shall cast his eyes upon these loose and hasty observations, will deny the conclusion to be just and true) that the sad and direful calamities. which have involved these Asian churches, ought to proclaim to the present flourishing churches of Christendom, (as much as if an angel were sent express from heaven to denounce the judgment), what they are to expect, and what may be their case one day, if they follow their evil. example; that their candlestick may be removed too, except they repent and do their first works; and that their security lies not so much in the strength of their frontiers, and the greatness of their armies (for neither of these could defend the castern Christians from the invasion and fury of the Saracens and Turks), as in their mutual agreements, and in the virtues of a Christian life. ANECDOTE OF THEIR MAJESTIES. [From Dr. BEATTIE's Diary, lately published by Sir WILLIAM FORBES, in his Memoirs of the Doctor's Life.] T TUESDAY, 24th August (1773) set out for Dr. Majendie's at Kew Green. The Doctor told me, that he had not seen the King yesterday, but had left a note in writing to intimate that I was to be at his house to-day; and that one of the King's pages had come to him this morning, to say, "that his Majesty would see me alittle after twelve." At twelve the doctor and I went to the King's house at Kew. We had been only a few minutes in the hall |