Page:Travels from Aleppo, to the city of Jerusalem, and through the most remarkable parts of the Holy Land, in 1776.pdf/3

which are two hours from the bishop's house, and there began to till the ground. But the bishop being very ignorant, we forebore to enquire farther. The bishop has great respect shewed him, every one kissing his hands on their knees bare-headed. In this house he hath a ruinated church, with an altar in it; and a little beyond is a small chapel, near the head of a rivulet that feeds his house with water, where were many men with Frank names, which had continued there from the year 1611. Mid-day coming, the bishop made what preparation his house would afford for dinner, killing two kids and a goat, and giving us the best wine the mountain could afford, being a well-relished red and white wine. Night coming, after supper we kissed his hand; and next morning, being now but twelve in company, went to take our leave, and made him a pre ent, besides something to the servants, as is usual for pilgrims to take this voyage; two of our company waiting our return to Tripoli. May 15. about five in the morning, we rose from thence, and advanced with our guides to take a view of Lebanon, which, when taken at large, is about 300 miles in circumference, and consists of two large mountains, Lebanon and Antilibanus, and appears at a distance to resemble the shape of a horse shoe with its opening towards the north. The mountain is exceeding high, and looks like as it were four mountains rising one above another: the first has a fruitful soil, excellent for vines; the second is barren; the third enjoys an almost perpetual spring; the fourth is o ten covered snow. The cedars on the top of it, which were anciently very numerous, are now reduced to a few, but some of them very large. Our guide told us that it was very dangerous to go near the top of the mountain, as there were vast numbers of lions, leopards, and other wild beasts, frequented it; so we could only admire the cedars at a distance Here Jordan has its rise, and several other great rivers. The tower of Lebanon, which looked towards Damascus, is now inhabited by Popish monks, in circumstances very wretched; but wild Arabs swarm almost every where in it. In the western par of it dwell the Druses, who are said to be the remains of the European Croisades, that went to these parts in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries for the recovery of the holy land. They are baptised, and hate, as we were told, the Jews and Mahometans, and have not hitherto submitted to the Turkish yoke; but the bulk of them have little more religion than the wild beasts among whom they dwell, allowing of all manner of lewdness with mothers, sisters and daughters. In the way as we returned, there came to us a captain of a village called Upshara, he invited us to dinner at his village, which we accepted, and after dinner made him a present. This man is a Maronite, and takes caffer or toll of the Turks which pass that way with their sheep and oxen: he hath