MOUNT ATHOS. 



221 



Athos ; of the Patriarch at Constantinople, and of St. Saba near Jeru- 

 salem, were carefully examined by Mr. Carlyle or myself : — - 



" The convent of St. John at Patmos has been visited by French 

 and English travellers ; the manuscript of Diodorus Siculus in the li- 

 brary of this place appears to be only an imperfect transcript of the 

 original, une partie de Diodore ecrite d'une main assez recente.* The 

 copy of the dialogues of Plato which has been brought to England 

 was seen by Villoison ; but that learned Hellenist appears to have 

 inspected it hastily, as he makes no mention of the marginal 

 Scholia in it. (See Gaisford's Catalog. MSS., Clarke.) The mo- 

 nasteries of Meteora were visited by Biornstahl and Mr. Hawkins, 

 and other travellers. Fourmont examined the convent of the mira- 

 culous image of the Virgin, called Megaspilason, six miles from Cala- 

 vrita j- in the Morea ; he there saw only a few copies of the Greek 

 fathers, and some other ecclesiastical volumes. (See Not. des MSS. 

 du Roi. T. 8.)"—^. 



^¥hen we were setting out on our excursion to Athos, the drago- 

 men of the English and other embassies at the Porte spoke much of 

 the vices and gross ignorance of the Greek caloyers. This represent- 

 ation was very incorrect ; their contempt arose more from sectarian 

 animosity than any other cause. The dragomen or interpreters at Pera 

 are generally Romanists, or as the Greeks call them, Latin Schisma- 

 tics. Defects there certainly are in this religious republic : but even 

 in its present oppressed and degraded state the establishment is a 

 useful one. It contributes to preserve the language of Greece from 

 being corrupted or superseded by that of its conquerors ; it checks or 

 rather entirely prevents the defection of Christians to Mahometanism, 

 not only in European, but Asiatic Turkey ; almost all the Greek Di- 



* Villoison, see the " Notice des MSS. du Roi," T. 8. Villoison also observed there 

 the Anthology of Lascaris, in Uteris majusculis. 



f Calavrita is supposed by some to be the ancient Nonacris. A learned Danish tra- 

 veller, M. Brondstedt visited the Styx, in the vicinity of this place, and learned that it 

 was called Mavro Nero, " black water." 



