TOMB OF LAZARUS.-BETHANY AND BETHPHAGE. 249

reputed house and tomb of Lazarus are shown here, after the usual manner of the monks. There is not the slightest ground for belief in their genuineness. They are placed within the village; but the Jews never deposited their dead among the living; besides, the Scripture clearly indicates that the grave lay outside of the village, towards Jerusalem. When Martha and Mary went forth to meet the Lord as he came from Jerusalem, the Jews said, "She goeth to the grave to weep there." It may have been one of the open-mouthed tombs that we saw cut in the rock by the wayside, out of which, at the words, " Lazarus, come forth !"" he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes."-(John, xi., 44.)

The Divine visitation has fallen as heavily on Bethany as on Jerusalem. The soil is swept from the hills around her, once clad in verdure, but now rock-paved and desolate; and the pleasant villages of Bethany and Bethphage have dwindled into a miserable hamlet of some twenty stone huts and a few black tents, inhabited by as many families of swarthy Arabs, who flock around you and urge you to drink water from their coarse earthen jars, in the hope of a buksheesh, which they demand, indeed, before the refreshing draught blesses your lips. Their ancestors, in the days of Abraham, would have washed your feet and scorned a reward for it. Two things only remained unchanged on this spot, the form of the everlasting hills, and the generous and beneficent olive-tree, which has adorned the hillside from time immemorial.

Our Mustapha had hid himself among the stone hovels of Bethany. As he did not come at our call, we set off without him for the Church of the Ascension, on the highest summit of Olivet. From the ridge at the head of the ravine we had a fine view of the north end of the

250 REMAINS OF THE CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION.

Dead Sea and of the Plains of Jericho. Arriving at the top of the mount, we found the remains of the church very much dilapidated. The first edifice erected here is ascribed to the Empress Helena, but it has long since fallen into decay; there is still a small chapel, built mainly of the fragments of the ancient structure. Within this chapel is shown an impression made in the living stone by the foot of our Saviour, as he ascended to heaven! A very unclerical-looking monk showed us the relic, and seemed surprised that we evinced no signs of devotion, although he had kept a group of coarselooking people waiting until the hiwadjeh, or gentlemen, had satisfied themselves; but, as the legend which he repeated was, to our certain knowledge, a pure fiction, we could not honestly appear to believe it. This summit was fixed upon as the place of the Ascension as early as the fourth century, probably by the monks, who swarmed in Palestine at the time. Perhaps they were misled by Acts, i., 12: "Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet ;" but this passage gives no indication that our Lord ascended from the height selected, while, on the other hand, it is expressly said in the passage already quoted, that before the Ascension CHRIST led his disciples out to Bethany. It was very natural for the disciples, in returning from the solemn scenes of the Ascension, to avoid the public highway, and descend through the olive-groves on the west of the mountain, where their departed Master had been accustomed to walk and converse with them. Without doubt, a desire to fix on some spot in full view of tne city induced the monks to select the highest suminit of Olivet as the spot of the Ascension.

We, too, returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, descending from the church directly towards the

RETURN TO THE CITY.

251

city. About half way down is a natural terrace, which affords, perhaps, the finest view of the city that can be obtained from any one point.

We returned to the city, crossing the little bridge over the Kedron, having passed the Garden of Gethsemane a second time without entering it. Its presence seemed to oppress my feelings on both occasions, and I deferred my visit to another time.

252

LODGINGS IN THE LATIN CONVENT.

CHAPTER XXVI.

JERUSALEM.-WALK IV.

INTERIOR OF THE CITY.

Release from Quarantine.-Lodgings in the Latin Convent.-Call on Mrs. Whiting. Pleasant Impressions.-Mr. Nicolayson.-Visit to a Rich Jew. -A Jewish Family.-An Eventful History.-Conversation with the Jew. -Streets of Jerusalem.-An Old Bazar.-The Turkish Bath.

On our return from Bethany we found that the fear of the plague had vanished, and our tent was surrounded by visiters. Our quarantine bill (255 piastres for five of us and four servants) had been rendered, and pratique sent in, giving us full permission to go wheresoever our humour might lead us. On the next morning we struck our tents and took lodgings in the Latin Convent. A large, comfortable room was afforded to us, with four good mattresses laid on planks resting on benches, and surrounded with curtains. The convent supplied us with bread, salt fish, and vegetables; but as it was Lent, we had to buy our own meat. With these substantials, to which we added tea, coffee, sugar, figs, and dates of our own, our cook managed to set out an excellent table during our stay at the convent. We advise all visiters to Jerusalem to live in the same way.

Our first duty and pleasure, after being installed in our new quarters, was to call on Mrs. Whiting. Their house is a commodious one, just adjoining the Pool of Hezekiah. Mr. W., as I have said, was absent, but we found his estimable lady surrounded by her interesting scholars, a collection of young and sprightly girls from native Christian families. There is a wonderful difference between the appearance of these children and

MRS. WHITING.-MR. NICOLAYSON.

253

those commonly seen in the street, abundantly proving the excellence of their training in the excellent school which Protestant and American liberality has raised up for them, even in Jerusalem. We spent a most agreeable hour with Mrs. Whiting. Everything was pleasant: it was pleasant to see an accomplished American lady in this distant land, and especially to see her engaged in so holy and noble a work; it was pleasant to talk of our far-off home; and even the sight of the rocking-chairs and the workstand, which were obviously of Yankee manufacture, was pleasant to our eyes.

From Mrs. Whiting's I went to return the call of Mr. Nicolayson, the able missionary of the London Society. I cheerfully add my testimony to that of all other Christian travellers who have visited Jerusalem, in regard to the urbanity, the kindness, and the truly Christian character of this excellent man. He is an honour to his Church, and to the society which maintains him as a Christian minister at Jerusalem. As we chanced to be entirely out of money, Mr. N. cashed for me his own draft on Beyrout, taking a simple memorandum for payment to his correspondent there. In order to complete this transaction, I accompanied Mr. N. to the house of a rich old Jew on Mount Zion, near the Tower, to whom, by-the-way, all travellers, I believe, who happen to be at a pinch in Jerusalem, are in the habit of resorting. The old man told us that he was out of business, and had no money at hand, but that he would send for a Jew acquaintance who would give 116 piastres to the pound sterling, the par value being 100. He sent for the broker, and, in the mean time, Mr. N. left us to attend to some business. I improved the time in chatting with the lively old son of Abraham and his family, which consisted of a young and buxom wife, and several liveVOL. I.-Y