his dying, in terms the molt expreffive of conjugal endearments
and affe£tion.
T he Greeks now celebrated Eafter. A fmall bier, prettily
decked with orange and citron-buds, jafmine, flowers, and
boughs, was placed in the church, with a Chrift crucified rudely
painted on board, for the body. We faw it in the evening; and
before day-break were fuddenly awakened by the blaze and
crackling of a large bonfire, with finging and fhouting in honour
o f the Refurredtion. They made us prefents of coloured eggs,
and cakes of Eafter-bread.
r T he weather had been unfettled. The Iky was blue,, but a
wet, wintry north-wind fwept the clouds along the top of the
range of Mycale. We were fitting on the floor early one morning
at breakfaft, with the door, which was toward the mountain,
open j when we difcovered a fmall rainbow juft above the
brow. The fun was then peeping only over the oppofite mountain,
and, as it got higher, the arc widened and defcended toward
us; the cattle; feeding on the Hope, being.feen through it, tinged
with its various colours as it paffed down, and feeming in. the
bow. This phenomenon is probably not uncommon in the.
mountainous regions of Ionia and Greece.
L e t us fuppofe a devout heathen one of our company, when
this happened. On perceiving the bow defcend, he would have
fancied Iris was coming with a meffage to the Earth from Jupiter
Pluvius j and, if he had beheld the bow afcend in like manner,
which at fome feafons and in certain fituations he might do, he
would have confidently pronounced, that the goddefs had performed
her errand, and was going back to heaven.
C H A P . X L V I I I .
Phe acropolis o f Priene— Defcent from i t— Remains of the city —
Phe wall and gate-ways— Paken by Bajazet.
T H E morning after we arrived at Kelibelb, we fet out to
furvey the ruins of Priene, with the Greek, at whofe houfe we
lodged, for our guide. He led us firft to the acropolis or citadel,
to which we afcended through the village; the track bad, by
breaks in the mountain and fmall cafcades. We came in an
hour on a fummit o f Mycale, flat, large, diftindt, and rough,
with ftunted trees and deferted cottages, encircled, except toward
the plain, by an antient wall of the mafonry called Pfeudifodo-
mum. This has been repaired, and made tenable in a later age
by additional out-works. A fteep, high, naked rock rifes behind;
and the area terminates before in a moft abrupt and formidable
precipice, from which we looked down with wonder on the diminutive
objedts beneath us. The maffive heap of a temple below
appeared to the naked eye, but as chippings of marble.
A w i n d i N G track leads down the precipice from the acropolis
to the city. The way was familiar to our guide and a lad,
his fon, who was with us. We liftened to their affurances, and
enticed by a fair fetting-out, followed them; but it foon became
difficult and dangerous. The fteps cut in the rock were narrow,
the path frequently not wider than the body, and fo fteep as
fcarcely to allow footing. The fun (hone full upon us, and was
reverberated by the rugged fide of the mountain, to which we
leaned, avoiding as much as poffible the frightful view of the
abyfs beneath us, and fhrinking from the brink. The long
Continued defcent made the whole frame quiver; and, looking up
from the bottom, we were aftonifhed at what we had done, We
could difcern no track, but the rock appeared quite perpendicular;
and a foaring eagle was below the top of the precipice.
X At