348-
tbe way in a, plain lying, between mountains, the part belonging
to Ambryffus planted chiefly with vines, and with a fhrub
by fome called Coccus, difpofed in rows, .and producing a fcarlet
dye. The colour was the blood; of a foort infeSt bred in the
henries, which were gathered before they were ripe, becaufe it
then took wing, refembling a gnat. The level is now without
vines or fhruhs, but cultivated. It is high above the fea, and
eneompafledt with mountains inch ing to the fey.
St ir i s derived its name- from- a town* in Attica-, and the*
people*, it was believed, were* originally Athenians expelled by*
ASgeus. It* was fubje€t from its fituation to fearcity o f water in-
futamer j the wells, which were fow, famifei-ng only fueh as
would* ferve* for wafhing, and for cattle. The inhabitants were
feppl'ied; by a fountain- hewn wr* die rock, about four Radia* or*
half a* mile diftant. THey -had:a-temple of 'Ceres, o f unbaked*
brick j the image o f Pentelie* marble. The place is now
defolate, but not without fome veftiges.
T he monafleryof St. Luke was' railed1 with the materials of
Stiris. Several inscriptions were fixed- in* the walls; fome £0
high as- nor to- be- legible. One,■ copied1 by Wheler, records the
perfons, who defrayed* the expehfo o f making the Chanel* for
water and* o f building1 the fountain; from which1 i t was probably'removed;
We found a done of the fepulchral' clajs, fn-
fcrtbed only With the name o f 1 the 'cteceafed, fiy'rPWchs^.'14 SntH!
was one hundred and twenty ftadia o f fifteen mileffrllm 6hled
ronea in Bceotia, the way-moftly rough* and mountainous.
G Hf A P.
C H A P. LXII.
- Summary o f tHe :.L ffi o f S i. Luke o f Stiffs, *” *\
? St . LU K E 'o f Stiris flourifhed in 'the ' tenth (féîftïtiÿ.v He1
is commemorated by the Greek chufch- dff the' fevjènfh of
February, and ftyled in the Menojogy, ’‘the Glory o f Hellas'ór
Greece,iL but Jt|ie, hiftory given o f him ? isTupprficiai and unfa'ths-
faétory. The learned Cpmbefis1; in 1648« publifhed extra&s o f
his- life /nom. a manuforipfc in; the library o f the Fiteâbh king.
T h p ;ha^ father wxà,.%wnder*worker was before fo -fhuch
gqttpQ» unimtfofiçbhpBaiîoniws.,, A tranflatiön-ciFfhe!
whpfojSgéordi may the fpund in the ? Latóm A f t s 'o f S&infe.
T;he author; w^s a-difcipl© pf* St. - LukepiàTdiffùfH^ *and inclinés
ta» t}jp - lïiaf^fllpuSsL i The, following fommary wjlfodifpfey« the'
wretchednefs or Greece after the ydeelifteiof;the Roman iemfrireî-
and? like a mirror, r.pfleét a portrait of the times, to which
itfiffefiaj«
^T ,(jLu}KE Jpnior was ;fps,^arpedjto ^ illi^ id lh him from
anptp%( fwftt wliq lived under the fame em p ero rs.*Hq.:<W88 ;
defcéndçtÇ. of a family,, which ,h&d .Hf d^tepn^^gina, ? ihatiifland
hein? hariaf^ed, by the Saracens,ip, j>q%fiipmp£f^rete,...aftd-fottled.
firft by the, mountain of , St. Jphp,in. PiiQch,t,)but, pirates .infefo-f
ing ^e,fe|s addïÇ,^§». removed to a port called .Batby&j where
Stéphen the father ©M|Luke was born ; and from thence tq 4
village named Caftorium. Luke WasTeized at an early age,with
the frenzy of the times, andfefolwng" tó be a hermit retired
about the year 998, when hp : was eighteen years old, to the
above mountain, - commonly , called Johanitza j his mother
Euphrofyne confenting with reluctance. He was invefted With
the divine and apoflolical habit, as.it was termed, by.two aged
molfksïïpii thpir way fo Fpme. In the feventh year of'his abode
in that folitude, the Bulgarians under Symeon made an irruption
K k into