C H A P . X L VIII.
Intended rout from Athens ^ P rep a re fo r our departure-— A t
the Piraeus — Embark— Land on Munychia— Pafs, a haunted
rock---Jjdnd ón dn ifle t-^ O n Mgina. 1
A L E T T E R from Mr. Fauquier which I received on
the twenty fifth of April, dated London February the eleventh
1766,-'fcontained directions from the committee o f' D i l e t t
a n t i to return, i f it appeared fafe and practicable, • through
the Morea, and by Corfu to Brindifi, and thence through Magna
Grecia to Naples.
T he óranès, which returned to Athens in; the fpring and
made their nefts | bn the 1 houfes, chimnies, and ruins in the
town, had reared their young, and were feen daily ,as it were
exercifing before their flight, high in the air, with continued
gyrations; when we - alfo began to prepare for our departure.
We hired a fmall felucca óf Hydre, with feven menandtwo
boys, which waited for us in the Piraeus. 'T h e marbles, which
I had collected, with our provifions and baggage, were removed
ón horfes tö thf T&U-fioe, and put on board without being
examined at the cuftom-houfe. This exemption’ was proffered
to us as a lóken ó f regard by the Vaiwode, but Lombardi
required of me a number of piaftersj which, he pretended, it
was neceflary to d'iftribute privately atiiong the farmers and
officers o f the revenue. The Difdar had, requefted one of our
ladders, which were much admired, and we fent it to him in
the Acropolis. We reftored to the owners fo'me o f our furniture,
which had been borrowed, and gave the remainder to our
friends and domeftics.
T h e twenty firft of June was the day fixed for our
removal. Among other* civilities at parting, I was prefentéd
with
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with a . very fine pomgranate, accompanied, with a wiffi, that;
I might, reach home as found in body-and as full of knowlege.
We fet out in the evening for the Piraeus,/attended by Ifofime
and a tall Greek named Coletti^whp had been in England, and
was our neighbour y forming, ,^s ufual, a long and motley
cavalcade. A " 'croud, aflelnbled about our gate, .fallowed us
with wiffies of a profperous voyage, and fpeedy return, believing,
as they had been told by Lombardi, that, we intended to- pafs
the winter at Athens. We were joined on the ;rqa<i by Qfman
Tyralee'Aga, a/Turk,; who had frequently^ vifited us- The
harveft vyas then far advanced; the {heaves 'o f corn lying collected
in the open air, by the floors ; or horfes running in a
r?nVthree or four "abreaft "round a pole to tread out the grain-
We'repaired to the chamber of the cuftom-houfe, in which we
had-tarried, on our firft arrival in the port,, and, fupped , fitting
qrofs-legged on a carpet,. The archon had provided, a gq^rd of
cHpice yvine, and one of our crew excelled on the lyrg, i
late at night, when our’ friends rofe, and bidding j g adieu,
gallopped away toward Athens.
’' EArlv in the morning t we embarked,, ;withn^wo liyjp Iambs,
George Vandoro a Greek of Patrae our,cqo|i, h& h a e j^ youth
of'Athens and his brother Conftahtihe, oyf Swif§? a Janizary,
arid Lombardi, who had refolved to accompany us to jhe jjorders
M Turkey ; belides an adventurer ,pfCoffu, whqm we indulged
with his paflage homeward. This wanderer'was. a man of a,
decent and plaufible carriage. He had been efiftretfed for money,
and imprifoned'at Athens^, Jud^qwed g jj enlargement' to quy;
^mpiiffiori^wkicffH repaid with difEoneby and xfeceiu W&.
rowed by a FrencfiVeflel, which' was waiting in the Piraeus to
lade with corns, leaving an Albanian youth named $ideri, who»
had lived with us, crying on the fbore. ,
T he wind being foutherly, wherf we got out of the Piraeus,
we jmt into a'fmall creek 'of'the peninfula on our left, which
was once encircled with, a wall of excellent mfjonry, as appears
from*