Travels into the Levant. 
Part L 
abundance of Trees, and a great deal* of good Meadow ground ; and indeed, 
both the Cattel and Inhabitants of that Place, from the biggell to the 
leafl are extreamly Fat. There is a very fairCaftle there, with a large open 
place in it. The Turks lodge in the Caftle, where there is a SAi of 
very good Water, and the Moors and Fdis live in the Houfes without. 
This Caftle is commanded by a Mnteferao^^ who has buta fmall number of 
Soldiers with him in it ^ he depends immediately on C^^Vf, from v^hcLice hé 
has his pay, and his Soldiers are payed by the Cachefof Catie -, Caumoms 
is in t^ffjpt, which here ends. 
We parted from Cauniones on Saturday the fixth of Â^ril, before five in the 
Morning, guarded by feven or eight Turks of the Place-, who went with 
us to CaTia^ for fear of the Arabs. About fix a clock we found a Sibil of 
bitter Water, and about feven another better ; a little after, we difeovered 
the Town of Gaz.(i: half an hour after eight we found a Bridge, under which 
runs the water of the Meadows, which are very fpacious, and at the end 
of that Bridge there is a well of good W ater ; the Countrey abounds in fair 
Cattle, and all forts of Fruit-Trees: about an hour after we found two Sibils 
not far diftant from one another, and about half an hour after ten, we arrived 
at Gaz^a^ where we Encamped near the Caftle, in a little Burying- place walled 
, about. 
^ I "1 H E City of Gaz,a is about two miles from the Sea, and was anciently 
very Illuftrious, as may be feen by its Ruines, for you have Marble-Pillars 
every where, and I have feen Burying-places there, where the Tombs were 
wholly made of Marble j among others, there is one enclofed with a wall, 
which belongs to fome particular Turkifli Family, and is full of lovely 
Sepulchres, made of large pieces of excellent Marble, which are the remains 
and evidences of the 'ancient fplcndour of that Town: It was one of the five 
Lordfhipsof Lordfliips of the Fhlliftms^ to which S;?w/o« did fo much hurt, nay, and one 
the PhiliJih'S' d^Y carried away upon his Shoulders the Gates of this City, and left them 
upon a little hill at a miles diftance. The Caftle is near the Town, gnd is 
round, with a Tower at each corner, four in all ; it is kept in good order, 
and has bnt a fmall circumference, but two Iron-Gates. Hard by this 
Caftle is the SerragUe of the Balha's Wives, and joining to it above, fome 
pieces of old wall, of a matter fo compadt that it cannot be broken with 
a Hammer i it is the ruines of the Caftle of the Romans. iThe Town is but 
very little, it h^xhz Bez.e(iem in very good order, and a pretty large Greek 
Church, whereof the arched Roof in the middle is fupported by two great 
Pillars of Marble, with their Corinlhes of the Corinthian order ^ they fay, 
that our Lady was three days there, when flie fled into <L/£gypt: ThQ Arme- 
nians have a Church there alfo. Near to the Caftle of Gaz.a behind the 
Burying-place, (where we Encamped) is the place where the Palace of the 
Thiliftins jftood, which Samfon pulled down. Smothering himfelf and all that 
were within it ; it is now no more but a heap of Earth. Without the 
Town there arefeveral goodly Mofques, all faced with Marble on theout- 
lide, and I beleive they were places that belonged all to the ancient City. 
From Caire till we came thither we found no Wine, but there we had 
fome pretty good, wherewith we provided ourfelves , and might have had 
pretty good Brandy too, if we had had occafion. We flayed at Gaz^a all Sunday 
CHAP. 
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