entered a thick grove of olives, where fome armed men ftarted
up from under a tree, and running to the road, flopped bur fer-
vants and baggage-horfes. The Janizary, as foon as we perceived
it, gallopped back, and a fhort parley enfued. We were
informed they belonged to the Mufllem, a Turkilh officer of
great power and extenfive command, refiding at Chili, diftant
an hour and a half toward Smyrna. Cara-Elez-Oglu then pof-
fefled that high dignity. He was famous as an excellent governor,
and remarkable for his civility to the Franks or Europeans»
We continued our journey to Zille, which is by computation
four hours from Goomulderu, where we lay» We arrived
in lix.
W e were apprized o f our approach to Zille or Claros By vef-
tiges of antient fepulchres on the mountain-fide, clofe by the
way, on our left hand. One, which was hewn in the rock,
has a narrow door-way leading into i t ; and within, a long horizontal
niche or cavity, tranfverfe, for the body. Farther on,
and higher up, is a well of fine water; then full to the brim, and
overflowing. This ridge is feparated by a narrow vale from a
fmall rocky promontory, which is encompafled with a ruinous
wall, of rough ftone, the mafonry that termed Pfludifodomum.
We rode in .at a gap or gate-way, and found a theatre of the
fame brown material as the wall, many pieces of marble, wells,
and remnants of churches; and befides thefe, an imperfebt
time-eaten heap of a large temple. We had a diftinbt view of
Aiafaluck, the plain of Ephefus, and the town of Scala Nova.
C l a r o s was very early the flat of a temple and oracle of
Apollo. It is related, that Chalchas, after the deftrubtion of
Troy, had an interview there with the prophet Mopfus, and
died o f grief on finding he was excelled in his profeffion. The
perfon, who fuftained this high office, could be taken only from
particular families, and was generally of Miletus, unlettered,
and ignorant of compofition. He was told the number and
names of the confulters; and then defcended into a cave, in
which
which was a Allure with water. He drank of this fpring, and
then uttered refponfls in verfes made on the fubjebt, on which
each had thought in his own mind; but this practice was prejudicial
to his health, perhaps from the dampnefs of the place,
and he was commonly Ihort-lived. He got by rote, I conceive,
or elfl carried down with him, the anfwers ready prepared; and
the god would foon have loft his reputation, had the confulters
been fo cunning as to have kept each his flcret from the agents
and fpies employed to dive into their bufinefs. The temple,
which was unfinilhed, with the facred grove o f alh-trees, is
mentioned by a writer of the flcond century among the curiofi-
ties peculiar to Ionia. It is not certain, whether the oracle
exifted after Conftantine the Great; or, when Apollo was finally
lilenced and dethroned; but chriftianity fucceeded, and has
flourilhed in its turn at Claros.
I n viewing the well on the ridge, I remarked it had marble
fteps leading down from the top; and four or five were vifible
below the furface. The water, which, as a peafant with me
affirmed, is very deep, obfcured the remainder. There, it may
be conjectured, was the prophetic fountain and cave. The paf-
fage, by which the wafte current was conveyed away, has been
choked from neglebt or by defign; and the water, being confined,
has filled the hollow of the rock, and the entrance to it,
riling until it had liberty to efcape over the margin. The fuper-
ftitious ufe ceafld with the reverence for Apollo; men unhallowed
drinking of it without feeling infpiration or dreading pu-
nifhment: and, perhaps, to promote a popular oblivion of the
place, the enemies of the god, who deftroyed his temple and
grove, devifld the preflnt alteration, by the eafy and obvious
method of converting the cave into a reflrvoir,
C o l o p h o n was fituated inland. Before it, befides Claros,
was Notium, a town and haven bearing the fame relation to it,
as the Piraeus did to Athens, and diftant near tw# miles. It is
O 2 ; termed