poppy between two wheat-ears and two torches. We faw alfo
many fragments of architecture of the Corinthian and Ionic orders.
After viewing the town, we afcended to the cattle, and
were conduced to an eminence about a quarter of an hour beyond
it, where is the ruin, as we fuppofed, of a gymnafium.
It refembles the arcade at Troas, confilting of a piece or two
o f wall ftanding, and three maffive arches; each painted with a
garland in the centre, and two on the tides, encircling an in-
fcription, of which fome letters, with ends of fillets, are vifible.
The fabric has been repaired or re-edified, and fome infcribed
marbles are inferted in it, but too high to be legible. A Turk
had purchafed the materials, but the Arcade is too folid a building
to be eafily and fuddenly demolifhed. We enjoyed from it
a delicious profpedt of the plain and of the Mseander. We dif-
covered no ftadium or theatre. The veftiges, if any remain,
were concealed in the town by the buildings ; or without it, by
Hone-fences, olive-trees, and high corn.
I n the territory of this city was a place called Hylse, with a
cave facred to Apollo. This was of no extraordinary fize, but
the image of the god was one of the moll antient. It was believed,
that he furnilhed ability for every undertaking. His fer-
vants leaped down the lleep rocks and precipices; or, felling
tall trees, walked on them, with burthens, over the narrow pafies
of the mountain. The caVe perhaps remains, but I could get
no intelligence of it or of Hylse. Picenini relates, that in the
way to the houfe and garden of the Balha on the hill, they were
Ihown a cave near the walls of the antient city, which, they
were told, extended underground as far as they could go in two
days.
T he great road to the Eall from Ephefus was through Mag-
nefia, Tralles, Nyfa and Antiochia. Magnefia, according to
Strabo and Pliny, was only fifteen miles from Ephefus, but
Picenini makes it eleven hours from Aiafaluck. He let out with
his companions before five in the morning, going Ibuthward,
and came to the vale, in which is the antient bridge. They
paffed then over hills and through vallies. The next day they
travelled in a pleafant plain, very extenfive on their right hand,
with the high tops of a mountain on their left, and arrived at
Magnefia. The mountain was Meflogis, and the plain that of
the Mseander, but they feem not to have taken the diredt road.
The diftance of Magnefia from Tralles was about eighteen miles.
The way to it was in the plain of the Mseander. This was alfo
on the right hand, and Meflogis on the left; which arrangement
was continued as far as Nyfa and Antiochia.
C H A P . LXII.
O f \Tralles and Nyfa — Characa — 'Tralles reflored by Augujlus
Ccefar — Defroyed by the Turks — Rebuilt — O f Briula, Maf-
taura, and Armata.
TR A LLE S and Nyfa were fituated alike with refpedl to the
plain, being both above it to the north. Tralles was feated on
a flat, the eminence terminating in an abrupt point and inaccef-
fible all around. The greater part of Nyfa reclined on the
mountain, which was Meflogis. The city was divided, as it
were, into two, by a torrent, which had formed a deep bed.
One portion of the courfe had a bridge over it to connedt the
fides; and another was adorned with an amphitheatre, under
which a paflage was left for the waters. Below the theatre were
two precipices ; and on one was a gymnafium ; on the other,
the agora'and fenate-houfe.
In the way between Tralles and Nyfa was a village of Ny-
feans, not far from the city, named Characa ; and a Plutonium
or temple of Pluto and Proferpine ; with a beautiful grove, and
a Charonium or cave, of a wonderful, nature above it. Sick
people reforted to the village, and the deities were their phyfi-
D d cians,