room was tolerably furnished in the usual oriental style, with divans and carpets; and there were also a table and a few rude chairs for Frank visitors. Here we took our meals, which were provided by the family and served up by Rashid ; and here too we slept, setting up again our own bedsteads. The accommodations were, at least, much superior to the peasants' houses, in which we had before taken refuge.

Our host, 'Audeh, was a good-looking intelligent person; and one of the leading men among the Protestants of Nâbulus. He seemed also to be an active business man, and was at his place of business in the city when we arrived; so that we did not see him till towards evening. We found in the house a young man, Ya'kôb el-Musa, the teacher of the school recently established by the Church Missionary Society, a pleasant and intelligent young man, speaking a very little English. showed us every attention, and did the honours of the house.

He

The Protestants in Nâbulus had at this time an order from the Pasha of Jerusalem, authorizing them to be publicly acknowledged as a Christian community; but this they had not yet presented to the governor of Nâbulus. Quite a number had united in the original application; but of these only seven or eight were now prepared to give in their names. The leader of the movement, named Dâûd, and his party, were holding back. Only two, 'Audeh and Ya'kôb, had been admitted to the communion in the English church at Jerusalem. Indeed, the whole movement seemed to stand in connection with the efforts of the English missionaries and bishop in the Holy City. The school established under their patronage was still small; but promised well. Dr Smith spent much of the evening in conversation with the two persons above named; and was pleased with their intelligence and spirit. They urged us to remain with them over Sunday, so that my companion might conduct public worship in Arabic; a privilege which they had never yet enjoyed. At their request our evening worship was held in Arabic. There were said to be in Nâbulus about 122 taxable male Christians.

As we rode up to the gate of the house, we had met the younger Samaritan priest coming out; he having been on a visit to Ya'kôb respecting his school. As we afterwards desired to visit the Samaritans, Ya'kôb went to give them notice of our coming. The same priest returned with him, to welcome us; and, after sitting some time, we all went together to their Keniseh; putting off our shoes as we entered. Here the elder priest, Selâmeh, also came to us; he seemed in a measure superannuated; and the son was now the chief man among his people. The room was the same that we visited in 1838, 1 See Vol. II. p. 280 sq. [iii 104.]

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with the recess towards the left hand; the whole as plain and ordinary as possible. The floor on the side of the room opposite the recess is higher by a step than the rest. The whole floor was covered with mats and ancient rugs, not always very clean. The place seemed to be used likewise as a school-room; and several books were lying about on the raised portion of the floor.

The priest was courteous and communicative; and showed us the manuscript treasures of their literature, such as it is. Besides their manuscripts of the Hebrew and Samaritan Pentateuch, they have several copies of an old Arabic version of the same, which they prize highly. One of the best of these the priest consented to loan to Dr Smith, to take with him to Beirût, for the purpose of using it in his own version. It was very neatly written; and originally the heads of the sections were inserted in the Samaritan language and character; but all these had been carefully covered by pasting paper over them. Such an act of courtesy was something before unheard of; and excited the wonder of 'Audeh and others. Dr Smith, however, had already obtained a less correct copy of the same work from Damascus, which probably had been handed down from the former Samaritan colony in that city.'

An ancient commentary on the Pentateuch, in the Samaritan character, was also laid before us; held to have been composed by Marky, who is said to have lived about a century before Christ. It is in Hebrew and Samaritan, in parallel columns, covering about 700 pages in octavo; and the copy exhibited was said to have been made more than four centuries ago. They have also several partial commentaries in Arabic, covering together the whole of the Pentateuch. But the commentary of Marky is the great one, on which they rely. The priest offered to dictate a translation of this latter in Arabic to Ya'kôb, to be written down by him for Dr Smith, at an expense of about 375 piastres. But he would not (or did not) consent to part with a copy of the original at any price; saying it was against their religion, to let any book in the sacred language and character go into the hands of strangers and foreigners. Perhaps the time may come, when the offer of a high price will remove their scruples.

We saw also their book of Joshua, existing only in Arabic; being merely a collection of legends, and of little value. They have likewise, professedly, a history of their nation in Arabic, from the Exodus to Muhammed. Their prayers are in Hebrew, and fill twelve volumes. We did not learn that they have any hymns now in use in connection with their liturgy.

The first copies of the Samaritan Pentateuch, likewise, were purchased by Della

Valle at Damascus; see Vol. II. p. 297 sq. [iii. 129.]

It appears, that individuals of the community, besides the priests, have copies of perhaps all these manuscripts in their possession; and from them books have been purchased, and may doubtless hereafter be obtained.' This fact implies, that many of them are able to read. There was talk also, that Bishop Gobat was desirous of establishing a school among them, in which the younger priest was to be employed as the teacher.The priests seemed still to suppose, that there are Samaritans in other parts of the world; for example in Bombay; and they referred to Dr Wilson as having told them, that the Black Jews employ the written character of the Samaritans. They inquired also, with some degree of earnestness, about Genoa.

The next day, Saturday, was of course the Sabbath of the Samaritans. Their morning Sabbath worship begins at daybreak; and continues an hour after sunrise. It consists in a liturgy, and the reading of the Pentateuch. They keep their

Sabbath very strictly; doing no work at all, and remaining secluded. When 'Audeh heard, that the priest had promised to my companion the loan of his Arabic Pentateuch, he hurried off at once to fetch it before sunset; since after that time he would not be able to find the priest.

For other particulars respecting the Samaritans, as well as for their history, the reader is referred to the account of our former visit, in 1838.*

The region around Nâbulus, within the valley, is full of fountains. They seem to break out in all directions; and water from some of them runs through the streets of the city. We examined again, particularly, the question as to the comparative fertility of the two mountains, Gerizim and Ebal; but with the same result as formerly, viz. that we could perceive no difference, except in the Wady which descends from Gerizim, where there are fountains. The broad terraces rising along the flanks of both mountains, are all alike cultivated.

The antiquities of Nâbulus are few. The ancient city may have extended itself much further east ; but we saw no remaining traces of any such extension, either formerly or now. Several sepulchres are excavated along the base of Mount Ebal. As we approached the city from the west, we came upon some remains of a very ancient wall; which probably mark an extension of the ancient city towards the west. In the same quarter we saw also the lid of an ancient sarcophagus, finely sculptured.

1 Wilson, Lands of the Bible, II. p. 296. In Jerusalem we learned, that a considerable number of volumes had in this way been recently purchased for the British Museum.

2 Vol. II. pp. 273-301. [iii. 97-134.] See also the very full and particular account in Wilson's Lands of the Bible, II. p.. 45 sq. 687 sq.

Towards evening, my companion being otherwise occupied, I rode with Rashid to the mouth of the valley, to visit Jacob's well. The distance was just half an hour. The well is on the end of a low spur or swell, running out from the northeastern base of Gerizim; and is still fifteen or twenty feet above the level of the plain below. The mouth of the well was stopped with several stones, which could easily be removed. Several men gathered around us, who said there was now much water in it. The depth of the well as now ascertained is about seventy-five or eighty feet.' The remains of the ancient church are just above the well, towards the southwest; merely a shapeless mass of ruins, among which are seen fragments of gray granite columns, still retaining their ancient polish. Under the hill, a few rods distant, is a mill; the copious stream of which comes from the fountain of Defneh above in the valley. Above and around the mill are the houses of the village Belâtah, now mostly deserted.—I was glad once more to visit this undoubted scene of our Lord's conversation with the Samaritan woman; and to yield myself for the time to the sacred associations of the spot. I was glad, too, to look out again upon the plain of the Mukhna ; although, after having now seen so many noble plains, this one struck me as less broad and comparatively less fertile, than I had been wont to regard it. The mountains on its eastern side seemed higher, and were more naked and rocky, than I remembered them.

A travelled road runs along the plain in front of the mouth of the valley, at some distance from the well. The men said it led to Jenîn. It passes probably through the upper part of Wady Fâri'a and so on the east of Sânûr. The more usual road, at the present day, goes to the city of Nâbulus; and then crosses the western shoulder of Mount Ebal, to Jeba' and Sânûr. The distance must be about the same on both the roads.

The Wely marking the place of Joseph's tomb is in the valley, midway between the base of Gerizim and that of Ebal. We rode to it; and found it to be merely an enclosure of plastered walls, without roof, and with a door in the northern side. We then proceeded to a site of ruins, situated low down on the southeast shoulder of Ebal, yet high enough to overlook the plain and the valley, and called 'Askar. The ruins are merely those of a village. There is among them a fine limpid fountain, issuing from under a low arch into a broken reservoir. This seemed to be the only trace of antiquity.

1 See Vol. II. p. 284. Wilson, Lands of the Bible, II. p. 57.

This village is mentioned by R. Parchi in the fourteenth century, as Balta. He holds it to be the site of the ancient Sichem, distinct from Nâbulus. See in

Asher's Benj. of Tud. II. p. 426.—It is mentioned likewise by later Jewish travellers; as Gerson de Scarmela in 1561, and Uri de Biel in 1564; see Carmoly pp. 386, 445.

This name, 'Askar, has been compared with the Sychar of the New Testament, and the inference drawn, that a Sychar existed here of old distinct from Sichem or Neapolis.' With this accords the language of Eusebius and the Bourdeaux pilgrim; while Jerome pronounces Sychar to be an erroneous reading for Sichem. I have elsewhere stated the grounds for believing that Sychar and Sichem were identical. It may here be added, that the name 'Askar, in its present form, begins with the letter 'Ain; and this circumstance at once excludes all idea of affinity with the name Sychar. But even granting for a moment, that Sychar was a distinct city, and stood upon this spot; the difficulties of the general question are in no degree lessened. The woman would have had to cross a mill stream in order to reach the well; and it remains just as inexplicable, why the well should ever have been dug. The easiest solution of this latter difficulty, is the hypothesis, that the fountain Defneh, from which the mill stream comes, may be of later date than the well; the effect, perhaps, of earthquakes in this abundantly watered region.

From 'Askar to Nâbulus we returned in 25 minutes.

Saturday, April 24th.-We concluded to take the direct road leading from Nâbulus to Ramleh, by way of Kuriet Jit and 'Azzûn, and left the western gate of the city at 7 o'clock. Before this gate is a large cemetery, tolerably well kept, but without trees. The road keeps along high up on the flank of Gerizim. One of the Protestants of Nâbulus accompanied us as far as to Râfîdieh, in order to procure for us there a guide. He seemed to hold in remembrance, with great respect, the former American missionaries in Jerusalem.

We came to Râfîdieh at 7.55. It lies in a depression which here runs down the side of the mountain; and was partly in ruins. It contains about two hundred Christian men; and only some half a dozen Muslims. We learned afterwards from our guide, that for the last two years a school had been kept in Rafidieh, taught alternately by the two priests, at the expense of the Greek convent in Jerusalem. This was supposed to have been done in order to forestall the English. We here noticed a mode of irrigation of which we had also seen a good deal yesterday. The ground was divided off into beds, six or eight feet long by three or four wide; and these were surrounded by a rim, like pans, to receive and retain the water. This mode is used especially for garden vegetables. We stopped here ten minutes for a guide; and obtained a very good one for 'Azzûn."

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