A. D. 1465. themselves masters of Greece, and laid in ruins several fine monuments which were then entire." The observation is just respecting the monuments, but false in regard to the dates: the Turks were masters of Greece in 1465. A. D. 1550, In 1550, Nicholas Gerbel published at Basil his work, intituled, Pro Declaratione Picturæ sive Descriptionis Græcia Sophiani libri septem. This description, excellent for the time, is clear, concise, and yet substantial. Gerbel says very little concerning ancient Greece; of modern Athens, he observes: Eneas Sylvius Athenas hodiè parvi oppiduli speciem gerere dicit, cujus munitissimam adhuc arcem Florentinus quidam Mahometi tradiderit, ut nimis vere Ovidius dixerit: Quid Pandioniæ restat, nisi nomen Athenæ ? "Orerum humanarum miserabiles vices! O tragicam humanæ potentiæ permutationem! Civitas olim muris, navalibus, ædificiis, armis, opibus, viris, prudentiâ atque omni sapientiâ florentissima, in oppidulum seu potius vicum, redacta est. Olim libera, et suis legibus vivens; nunc immanissimis belluis, servitutis jugo obstricta. Proficiscere Athenas, et pro magnificentissimis operibus videto rudera et lamentabiles ruinas. Noli, noli nimium fidere viribus tuis; sed in eum confidito qui dicit: Ego Dominus Deus vester.*" "Eneas Sylvius says, that Athens, whose very strong citadel was delivered by a certain Florentine to Mahomet, now exhibits the appearance of a very small town, so that Ovid might but too truly exclaim: What, besides the name, is left of Pandionian Athens! This apostrophe of an aged and respectable scholar A. D. 1550. to the ruins of Athens is highly impressive. We cannot cherish too much gratitude towards those who opened the way for us to the beauties of antiquity. Dupinet asserted, that Athens in his time was but A. D. 1554. an insignificant village, exposed to the ravages of foxes and of wolves. Dupinet. A. D. 1557. Laurenberg, in his description of Athens, empha- Laurenberg. tically exclaims: Fuit quondam Græcia, fuerunt Athenæ nunc neque in Græcia Athenæ, neque in ipsa Græcia Græcia est. "There was a time when Greece, when Athens existed: now neither is there an Athens in Greece, nor is Greece itself any longer to be found. "Ortellius. Ortellius, surnamed the Ptolemy of his time, A.D. 1578, furnished some new information respecting Greece, in his Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, and in his Synonima Geographica, reprinted with the title of Thesaurus Geographicus; but he erroneously confounds Sparta and Misitra. He also believed that nothing was left of Athens but a castle and a few cottages: nunc casulæ tantum supersunt quædam. Martin Crusius, professor of Greek and Latin at A. D. 1584 the University of Tübingen, towards the conclusion Kraus, Crusius, or "O the deplorable vicissitudes of human things! O the tragic change of human power! A city once renowned for its walls, harbours, buildings; pre-eminent in arms, wealth, citizens, wisdom, and every species of learning, is now reduced to a petty town, or rather a village. Formerly free and living under its own laws; now oppressed by the most cruel monsters, and bowed down by the yoke of slavery! Go to Athens, and instead of the most magnificent works, behold heaps of rubbish, and lamentable ruins. Beware, beware of confiding too much in thine own strength, but put thy trust in him who says, I am the Lord your God." A. D, 1584, of the sixteenth century, made diligent enquiries concerning the state of the Peloponnese and Attica. His eight books, intituled Turco-Græcia, give an account of Greece from the year 1444, to the time in which he wrote. The first book contains the political, and the second the ecclesiastical history of that interesting country. The six others are composed of letters sent to different persons by modern Greeks. Two of these letters, containing some particulars relative to Athens, deserve to be known. Zygomalas. The first is addressed in 1575, by Theodore Zygomalas, who styles himself Prothonotary of the great church of Constantinople, "to the learned Martin Crusius, professor of Greek and Latin literature at the University of Tübingen, and very dear in Jesus Christ." Being a native of Nauplia, a town of the Peloponnese, not far from Athens, I have often been at that city. I have examined with care the objects which it contains, the Areopagus, the Antique Academy, the Lyceum of Aristotle, lastly, the Pantheon. This edifice is the most lofty, and surpasses all the others in beauty. The exterior all round exhibits in sculpture the history of the Greeks and of the gods. Over the principal entrance in particular, you observe horses which appear absolutely alive, so that you may fancy you hear them neigh. They are said to be the work of Praxiteles; * Φρνασσομένες ανδρομέαν σάρκα-This expression I do not understand. The Latin version has: tanquam frementes in carnem humanam. Spon, who translates part of this passage, has adhered to the Latin version, which is just as obscure to me as the original. He renders it: "which seem to long for a repast of human flesh." the soul and genius of the man have been transferred A. D. 1564, to the stone. There are in this place several other things worthy of notice. I say nothing of the opposite hill on which grow all kinds of herbs useful in medicine ;* a hill which I call the garden of Adonis. Neither do I say any thing concerning the serenity of the air, the excellence of the water, and other advantages enjoyed by Athens; whence it happens that its inhabitants now fallen into barbarism, still retain some remembrance of what they have been. They may be known by the purity of their language: like syrens, they charm all who hear them by the variety of the accents.—But why need I say more of Athens? The animal indeed has perished, but the skin remains." This letter abounds with errors, but it is valuable on account of its ancient date. Zygomalas made known the existence of the temple of Minerva, which was supposed to be destroyed, and which he wrongly denominates the Pantheon. The second letter, written to Crusius, by Simeon Cabasilas. Cabasilas, a native of Acarnania, furnishes some additions to the information given by the Prothonotary. "Athens was formerly composed of three parts, all equally populous. At present, the first part, situated on an eminence, contains the citadel, and a temple dedicated to the unknown God; and is inhabited by Turks. Between this and the third is situated the second part, where the Christians live together. After this second part comes the third, over which is the following inscription: I cannot admit this signification, which to me appears absurd, unless * Probably Mount Hymettus. A. D. 1584. Belon. THIS IS ATHENS, THE ANCIENT CITY OF THESEUS. In this last portion is seen a palace, covered with large marbles, and supported by pillars. Here you still find inhabited houses. The whole city may be six or seven miles in circumference, and contains about twelve thousand inhabitants." Four important things are to be remarked in this description. 1. The Parthenon had been dedicated by the Christians to the unknown God, mentioned by St. Paul. Spon unseasonably cavils with Guillet on the subject of this dedication: Deshayes has mentioned it in his travels. 2. The temple of Jupiter Olympus (the palace covered with marble) or at least great part of it was standing in the time of Cabasilas: no other traveller has seen any thing of it but the ruins. 3. Athens was then divided in the same manner as it is still; but it contained twelve thousand inhabitants, and has now no more than eight thousand. Some inhabited houses were then to be seen near the temple of Jupiter Olympus: that part of the city is now deserted. 4. Lastly, the gate with the inscription: This is Athens, the ancient city of Theseus, has stood till our times. On the other side of this gate, next to Hadrianopolis, or Athena novæ we read: THIS IS THE CITY OF ADRIAN, Previously to the appearance of the work of Martin Crusius, Belon had published, in 1555, his Observations on various singular and remarkable things found in Greece. I have not quoted his |