Chap. V. through Hungary^ Thessaly, Macedonia^ 773 
laid under Water for a whole Winter : I know fome who 
are of Opinion, that all Tbejfafy was, in the moft ancient 
Times under Water, till the Mountains OJfa and Olympus 
being torn afunder by a violent Earthquake, the River 
Peneus forced its Paflage that Way by Pempe, into 
the Sea. 
I remember, that as we were travelling in Macedonia^ 
our Chiaus told me, that within a few Days I fhould 
fee Frenchmen in thofe Parts ; meaning the Fhejfalians^ 
the Country People wearing narrow brim’d Hats like 
the French Hats, then lately in Fafhion. The Fhejfali- 
6 ns had always the Reputation of being Warlike, and 
are accounted fo to this Day among the Turks^ this 
Country having been very famous in ancient Times, not 
only for the Battles fought in the Plains of Thejjaly, but 
alfo for its having produced many great and worthy 
Perfons •, and HippoctateSy the Father of Phyficians, 
Jived and pradlifed here, and died about Larijfa, being 
buried betwixt that Place and Gyrton. The Fhejfalians 
are generally well made, have very black Hair and 
Eyes, with a frdli fanguine Complexion ; and their 
"Women are much celebrated, among Strangers, for 
their Beauty j the MacedonianSy who inhabit a Hilly 
Country, being of a much rougher Complexion ; and 
the MoreanSy or ancient PeloponnefianSy who live more 
to the South, inclining to Swarthinefs. 
21. The Country abounds in Horfes, and they have 
the largefl; Bufflos in all GreecCy except thofe of Santa 
Maura in Epirus. They have alfo Plenty of fine yel- 
low and black Tortoifes, which are good Meat; but 
the Furks ufe to laugh at the Chriftians, for eating 
them, when they had fuch Plenty of Mutton, and all 
Sorts of Fowl. This Country alfo produces very large 
and moft delicious Figs, and the bfeft tafted Water-me- 
lons that I ever met with-, likewifc Pomegranates, Oranges, 
Eimons, Citrons, and Vines, which grow low here 
like thofe of Montpellier y and though not fupported, 
bear large Branches, and Grapes as big as our Damaf- 
cens, and of a moft lufcious Tafte. The Wine of the 
Country is rich, but has a refinous Tang. 
The Tobacco they plant, they efteem beyond what 
is brought from other Parts, being ftronger and more 
pungent. Their Fields are cover’d with Sefamumy and 
Cotton-Trees, which though but low, make a glorious 
Show ; as alfo with Almond and Olive-Trees ; the Greeks 
pickle their Olives ripe, whereas ours are all green. 
The Gourds in the Hedges, with their large yellow 
Flowers, and the different Sorts of green Thorns, and 
Sempervirent Odiksy make the Ways exceeding pleafant. 
The Ilex Cocciferuy and Chermes Berryy or the Excreti- 
on ferving for dying and making the Confedlion of Al- 
chermesy are very plentiful in this Country. The high 
Hills produce AfdepiaSy and Helleborus ; and the ftony 
plains Carduus GlohofuSy CyftuSy Lavender, Sweet Mar- 
joram, Rofemary, and other fweet-fcented Plants. The 
PlatanuSy or Plain-Tree, grows very fair and lofty in 
Macedonia, 
They ufe a great deal of Garlick in their Difhes, and 
their Onions exceed ours, not only in Bignefs, but alfo 
in Tafte ; being fharp, and pleafantly pungent upon 
the Tongue, without any offenfive Smell ; they agreed 
very well with my Stomach, though I never ufea to eat 
Onions before. They are ufed here at moft Collations ; 
the Turkijh ChiauSy who had travell’d almoft through 
all the Furkijh Dominions, told me, that the Onions of 
Egypt only, exceeded thofe of Thejfaly in Goodnefs -, 
which was the firft Time I really underftood that Paf- 
fage in the Scripture, of the IJraelites longing after the 
Onions of Egypt. They have alfo a Fruit call’d Patle- 
jafty or Melanzan (mala inf ana) between a IMelon and a 
Cucumber, out of which . they take the Seed, and af- 
ter having fili’d the Concavities with the Meat of Sau- 
fages, they pare and boil them, which makes a very 
good Difli. 
The Foreign Minifters who attended the Grand 
Seignior’s Court at Larijfay were the Imperial Refident, 
and the Ambalfadors of Ragufa and JVallachia ; thofe 
Ambaffadors that refide at Conflantinople chiefly on Ac- 
count of Trade, being not obliged to follow the Court. 
Vo L. II, N° 122. 
The Imperial Refident having got Leave of the Sultan 
(by Realbn of the great Concourfe of People at Lariffa) 
to chufe which of the neighbouring Towns he pleafed 
for his Refidence, he pitch’d upon TornovOy a large and 
pleafant City of Thejfalyy twenty Miles to the Weft Ward 
of Larijfa near the Hills, where moft of the Inhabitants 
are Chriftians, having eighteen Greek Churches there, 
whereas the Turks had no more than three Mofques. 
The chief Churches I took Notice of were, the Cathe- 
dral of Sr. Stephen, the Church of St. Demetrius, of Cof- 
mus, and Damianus, of the Nativity of the Blefftd Vir- 
gin, of St, Elias (with a Monaftery adjoining to it, of 
Sz. Anajlajius, of the Twelve Apoftles, of Si. Nicholas, 
(with a Convent alfo) and of St, Anthony the Hernute. 
The Bifliop of this City is a Suffragan to the Archbi- 
ffiop of Lariffa. 
22. Before I traveli’d into thefe Parts, I could never 
conceive that the Eaftern Countries contained fuch vaft 
Numbers of Greek Chriftians as are to be found in Gre- 
cia and the Greek Hands ; in the Turkilh Parts of Dal- 
matia and Croatia, in Rafcia, Bofnia, Servia, Thrace, 
Sagora, Bulgaria, Perfia, Bejjarabia, Coffackia, Podolia, 
Moldavia, and JVallachia ; befides the vaft Dominions 
under the Jurifdicffion of the Czar of Mufeovy : Which 
put me in Mind of what a certain learned Author fays 
upon that Head, viz. That if a true Computation were 
made of the Greek Chrijlians in Europe, they would far 
exceed thofe of the Roman Religion. 
The Font or Balon in the Greek Churches is generally 
made of plain Stone, and plac’d immediately upon the 
Floor of the Church, which feerns to be done for Con- 
veniencies Sake, for being not contented with fprink- 
ling of Water upon the Child’s Head ; the Prieft, 
having firft blefs’d the Water, and dipp’d the Crucifix 
into it three Times, takes the naked Child by one Arm, 
and putting it into the Font up to the Wafte, with the 
other Hand laves the Water thrice over his Head ; which 
that it has been the ancient Cuftom among them, 
may eafily be gathered from what is related of the Em- 
peror Conflantine VI. Conftantinus fextus, didius Co^ 
pronymus, quod Infans dum haptizaretur aquam facram 
ventris folutione maculaffet The Dipping of the naked' 
Body in Water being apt to move it. Some of their 
Children I law baptiz’d before the Navel-ftring was fal- 
len off. * 
23. The Fields round this Place were full of Vines, 
Sefamum and Cotton-Trees. The Emperor’s Refident, 
named Signore di Cafa nova lived here in great Splendor, 
with a Retinue of about thirty Perfons, fome Chriftians 
and fome Turks, and has two Janizaries attending at 
his Gate. He was a Milanefe by B'rth, much addided 
to Study, civil and courteous in his Behaviour, but re- 
ferv’d. The Ambaffador of Ragufa had made Choice 
of the fame Town for his Refidence ; but they never 
vifited one another, by Reafon that the Ragufan being 
here in the Quality of an Ambaffador, would not give 
the Precedency to the other, who had only the Charac- 
ter of a Refident j which fometimes gave great Occa- 
fion of Laughter to the Germans, who look upon the 
Ragufans no other wife than as Vaffals. 
Here I muft not pafs by in Silence the many Civili- 
ties I receiv’d from a certain Greek Merchant of Torno- 
vOy whofe Name was Demetrius, who entertained us 
with a great deal of Freedom at his Houfe, at feveral 
Times, and brought his two Daughters to bid us wel- 
come, whom we faluted after the Cuftom of our own 
Country, They were very well drefs’d after the Greek 
Fafliion, with their Hair braided and hanging down their 
Back i their Shoes and Slippers painted, and (which 
fomething furprized us) their Nails colour’d with red 
by a certain Tinefture drawn with Water and Wine out 
of the Leaves of a certain Plant call’d Cnd or Alcanna 
brought out of Arabia and Mggypt, and much ufed in 
lurkey, where fome colour the Mains and Tails of Hor- 
fes with it. The Grecians of Scio, who wear Gloves 
ufe alfo this Tindture to colour them upon thofe Parts 
■that touch their Nails. It muft be confefs’d, that the 
Gr <€cian Countries bear now-a-days a quite different 
9 E Face 
