baratary, or perfon'under the proteaion o f the Englifh embaf-
fadQr -at Conftantinople. In the morning we were vifited by
the arsons or principal Greeks in a body as at Athens, and
by Mr. Robart a Frenchman, .agent of Mr. Reyrac who had
engrofled the trade of the Morea.
‘ P P H m o f Qonnth Hands ip, the Ifthmus on the fide of/the*
m ^tuatipn^once § peculiarly happy, from, whiph
alfo its- antient profperity was derived. Its; pQrt^;Wjre ' com-
modioufly ddpofed by qature^ to receive the (hips of Europe,
and o f Afia, and to render it the centre of their commerce.
T he circumnavigation of the Felo^>nne.fps, was - tedious and
uncertain to a proverb; while at the Ifthmus npt p^y them
.cargoes but, i f r e p u te ,,th e i fmallpr veffels were eafily tranf-
ported:from fea to Moreover,
peninfula, and taxed both the ingrefs and egrefs. The Ifth-
mian gamps ; fikewife; by the concourfe o f people ^ at their
celebration contributed to its -opulence*, which was immente.
The temple of Venus poffeifed above-a thoufand female flayes
confecratefj aS| courtezans. The prodigality of the merchants
made the place fo expenfive, it, was a faying, not every
man could, go to Corinth Amid this luxury it produced many
able ftatefmen as well as capital maftefs in painting, feulpture,
and the fine arts in general, all which were principally nurtured
there and at Sicyon. The Actocorinthus or citadel was one pf
the horns, on which Philip was advifed to lay hold, in order
to fecure the heifer or the Peloponnefus. It has been alfo
Ryled one o f the fetters of Greece.
T he,port of Corinth on the fide of Afia was named Cenchreae,
and diftant as much as feventy ftadia or eight miles and three
quarters. s It was forty five ftadia or above five miles and a half
by fea from the port of Schoenus. The port toward Italy was
called Lechaeum. It lay beneath the city, the road to it b e tween
long walls reaching twelve ftadia or a mile and a half.
H h 2 When