1821. 



Travideani's Letters to Cunovafrom Africa. 



into Grand Cairo, and thence down to 

 Alexandria, in order to expedite to you 

 the plan of my researches : for you anfl 

 the Regent of England v.'ere the first 

 to second my efforts. 



During the iibove-meiitioned period, 

 I went to pay homage to the man who 

 governs Egypt, worthy of being in- 

 serted in tlie pages of history by the 

 side of Moeris and Menes, or with Euer- 

 getes and Ptolemy, sou of Lagos. 



Returning to Grand Cairo I repaired 

 to Asia: and, plunging into the deserts 

 of Etam and those of Kedar, to see on 

 one side Pharan, and on the other Casi- 

 «tis, whicli includes in its bosoirf the 

 bones of the great Roman j'et unre- 

 venged. 



As I left Egypt, wliich was deserting 

 me, I was reminded what Amru wrote 

 to the great Omar, desirous of a picture 

 of that country : figure to yourself, 

 Prince of the Faithful, a vast and arid 

 desert, with a river in the middle which 

 is attended in its course by two opposite 

 hills, the borders of the ground rendered 

 fertile by that flood so blessed by Hea- 

 ven. Most just is the ])icture, and in 

 that too which afterwards follows. 



Continuing my route I passed the 

 isthmus of Suez, and the fragments 

 of Rinocerura, Raplia and Agrippiades, 

 and leaving behind me Besor, I com- 

 forted my weary eye with the olives of 

 Gerara, the happy land of the Philis- 

 tines. 



Departing from Gaza I went to Bcer- 

 sheba, to Sorek, upon the holders of 

 which lived Dalilah, to Timnatli and 

 Gabatha, known already by the feats of 

 Samson ; and getting out of the way 

 of the tribe of Simeon, I advanced into 

 the mounts of Jurhih and Benjamin, 

 arriving by tiie })lain of Booz at Jeru- 

 salem, in the very time of the Greeks 

 demanding from Heaven their sacred 

 fire. 



At the view of the hill of Sion and 

 mount of Olives, at the appearance of the 

 city, I felt both as a Christian and as a 

 philosopher, touched by an hitherto uu- 

 felt emotion, which, somewliat retard- 

 ing my steps, covered my heart with 

 pleasing melancholy, and my mind 

 with incessant meditation. Oh! what 

 a dltference between the figurative and 

 the true. 

 . Having reverenced those places wiiich 

 record the beginning of the greatest 

 religion in the world, I contemplated 

 with indescribable transport, tlie Tower 

 of David, the Temple of Solomon, the 

 Pidace of Herod, the Fountain and the 



J 51 



Pool of Siloah, the Sheep-pool, and 

 that of Beer-sheba, the Ke'lron, the 

 Golden Gate, the Well of Nehemiah, 

 wliich concealed the true fiery element, 

 the Mount of Offence, and that of Scan- 

 dal, with the Valley of Tophet, where 

 the priests of Israel sacrificed human 

 victims to Moloch ; the Sepulchre of 

 Manasseh in the Garden of Uzza, the 

 Sepulchres of the Kings, and those of 

 Absalom, of Jehoshapliat, of Zachariah, 

 sou of Barachiah : the only architectu- 

 ral objects I thought worthy of yon 

 amongst the modern antiquities of the 

 Hebrews. 



You are never satiated with delight 

 over the ruins of Jerusalem; and, taking 

 the advantage of a company of pilgrims, 

 I went with them to Bahurim, whence 

 Shimei threw stones at the Psalm- 

 ist, in Adummim, or Place of Blood, 

 to the Fountain of Elijah, to Jericho, 

 whicli no longer gives odour to the 

 cliaste flower, down toGilgal; I purified 

 myself in the Jordan at Bethabara, 

 wliei'e John baptized. 



Before me were Reuben and Gad, 

 with the Plains of Moab, and the Land 

 of the Amoriies. 



Amongst the crowd of pilgrims were 

 distingiiislied the Britons, Bengs, Man- 

 gles, lrl)y and Legli, and the exemplary 

 com])anion of the Italian Belzoni, 



Returning to Jerusalem, I was pre- 

 sent at the tragic quarrel which occur- 

 red between the Greeks and Latins, 

 near the Tomb of Jesus Christ, I wrote 

 to the hero of the pontificate, exhorting 

 him to interfere, in order that, in future, 

 such scandalous occurrences might not 

 happen, 



I I'.ien undertook anotlier journey, 

 and the places I saw were the Valley 

 of the (Jiants, the Lands of Jacob, the 

 Sepulchre of Rachel, near Ramath, the 

 Cistern of David, Beth]eliem,a smiling 

 town of Judea, the A'illa of the closed 

 (Jarden, the sealt'd Fountain, and the 

 vessels of Solomon ; the Hills of En- 

 gaddi, Tema, the country of Almos ; 

 and Giloli, country of Ahitophel ; the 

 Grottos of Adullam, and tlie Wood of 

 Ziph, where the successor of Saul, 

 David, often hid himself; the Valley 

 of Mamie, the Field of Damascus; 

 whence re-proceeding, the Vale of Te- 

 rebinthus, fatal to Goliah, and the sur- 

 rounding places renowned by the nati- 

 vity and abstinence of the Precurser. 

 I, lastly, saw [iethany. 



Having drawn from the library and 

 the archives of the friars what I thought 

 of service to my pui-pose, I bid adieu 



to 



