Chap. I. from Aleppo to Jerusa l e m. 843 
we fent a Turk to a 5/&^fFsHoufe hard by, to try if by Mofque our Guide carried us to a Chrlftlan Church, 
any Means we could get Admittance there ; and at laft, which we found to be nothing but a fmall Grotto in a 
with Rood Words, having declared, that we had no Rock open towards the Sea, having a rude Pi e of Stones 
Intention to defile their Faith, we were permitted to for an Altar; which poor Chappel is the only Place, as 
fecure our Bagc^age in the Houfe, whilft we flielter’d the Curate told us, allow'd to the Greek ChnftianS for 
ourfelves among the Tombs from the Rain, which Divine Service. But the moft confiderable Antiquity in 
pour’d down ail Night long. A Sheck^^ Houfe is a Jehilee^ is the Remains of a noble Theatre, of which 
Stone Fabrick, of fix or eight Yards fquare, roof’d with the Semi-circle is all that’s now Handing, being an 
a Cupola, ereded over the Grave of fome eminent hundred Yards in Compafs, having in it feventeen Win- 
Sheck i Gone who by his long Beard, whining Pray- dows, between which are large mafiy Pillars Handing 
ers and Pharafaicd Pride, (the great Virtues of the agamH the Wall, that is three Yards three Quarters 
Mahometan Religion) has purchafed the Reputation of thick of nrm Stone, by which Means it has been pre- 
a Saint ; of which Sort there are many in this Country, fetv’d thus long from the Jaws of Time, and the Rum 
£0 which the People repair with their Vows and which the Turks bring upon moH Places. 
Prayers, which they offer in thefe Shrines, not to the On the 6th, having done with Jebilee, our Road 
Saints as the PapiHs do, but to God only, whom alone continued by the Sea-fide, and baniHi’d us in two 
they adore. ^ g Hours to a fair deep River, call’d the j ; on 
4 On the 4th : This Morning we found the River both Sides of which we faw the FootHeps of fome con- 
fordable, and got to the other Side of it with our Bag- fiderable Buildings. About half an Hour further we 
gage, from whence afcending a very Heep Hill, at the pafied the River Joiar, and on the other Side Hood a 
Top of it we were prefented with the firH Profpeft of great Square Tower, and round about it there was the 
the Ocean ; and to the WeHward, we had a View of Rubbifli of a great many other Buildings. And all 
the City Latichea, built by Seleucus Nicanor, and by him along this Day’s Journey we obferv’d the Rums of Caff 
call’d Laodicea, which Name it Hill retains with a little ties and Houfes, which teflify that this has been for- 
Corruption. After it was reduced to a low Condition, rnerly a Place of great Strength and Beauty. Strabo calls 
it now begins to flourifli again, being put in a Way of that whole Region, from Jebilee as far as Aradus, the 
Trade h^^Coflan a Man of great Wealth and Country of the Aradii, and gives the Names of feveral 
Authority in thefe Parts. From the Hill laH mention’d. Places fituate along the CoaH, which cannot be now 
we defcended into a fpacious Plain, having the Sea on diHinclly known. Only the Balanea of Str'abo feems to 
the Right-hand, and Mountains on the Left. In which be that Place which the Turks now call Baneas, which 
Plain we difcern’d two ancient Tombs, which were Hands about a Furlong from the Sea, and has fuch a 
CheHs of Stone, two Yards and a half long each, co- pleafant Situation, fuch Ruins, and fuch a Bay, as Hiews 
ver’d over with large Tables of Stone, carv’d on the fo have been a commodious Habitation, Leaving 
Outfide with Ox-heads, and Wreaths hanging between Baneas, we went by the Sea-fide, and in one Quarter 
them, after the Manner of adorning Heathen Altars. ®f ^.n Hour we pafs’d by an old CaHle, on the Top of 
Above'an Hour from thefe Tombs we were Hopt by ^ hjgh Mountain, built in the Figure of an equilateral 
another Stream, but here we found a fafePaffage to the Triangle, which the Turks call Merchab, which proba- 
other Side, and then we were forc’d by the Rain to bly is the fame CaHle mention’d by Adrichomius under 
make the beH of our Way to Jebilee. After this Man- *^he Name of Margath, to which the Bifliops of Bala- 
nov our Road continued for feveral Days, between the were forc’d to tranflate the See, by Reafon of the 
Sea on the Right, and the Mountains on the Left ; Infults of the Saracens. About an Hour and half from 
but the Mountains go under different Names, Baneas.^ we met with a fmall clear Stream, which in- 
and are inhabited by feveral rude People. In that duc’d us to take up our Lodgings near it, about two 
Part of them above Jebilee^ there dwell a People or three Furlongs from the Sea, having in Sight on the 
called by the Turks Neeeres, of a very fingular Character Mountains above us a Village call’d Sophia., inhabited 
for it is their Principle to adhere to no certain Religion, only by Maronites, and a little further, Refeck, poffefs’d 
but to put on the Colour of that Religion which is pro- by the Turks ; and a little further Merakiah, poffefs’d 
feffed by thofe with whom they converfe : And fo with by Chrijlians and Turks together. 
Chrijtians they profefs themfelves Chrijlians, with Ma- 5 * On the 7th : Next Morning we came in three 
hometans they are good Mujfulmans, and with Jews they Hours to a deep River call’d Nahor Hujfme, having one 
pafs for Jezvs. All that is certain concerning them Arch large and well wrought ; and in an Hour and 
is, that they make very much and very good Wine, half more we reach’d Tortoja, anciently call’d Orthofta^ 
and are great Drinkers, but in Religion they are very being a BiHiop’s See in the Province of Tyre, frequently 
Proteus's,. mention’d by the Writers of the Holy Wars as a Hrong 
On the 5th ; This whole Day we fpent in Jebilee, hav- Place, as it appears to have been. What remains of 
ing a convenient new Kane to lodge in, built by 0 (ian it is the CaHle, waHi’d on one Side by the Sea, on the 
their Bafliaw of Tripoly. Jebilee is feated clofe by the others fortified by a double Wall, between which there is 
Sea, having a vaH and fruitful Plain on the other Sides one Ditch, and another compaffmg the oujtermoH Wall, 
of it ; its ancient Name was Gabala, and fo it is call’d You enter this Fort over an old Draw-bridge which lands 
by Strabo. In the Time of the Greek Emperors it was you in a fpacious Room, which on one Side refembles a 
a Bifliop’s See, and is Hill accounted a City, though it Church, having at this Day feveral holy Emblems, as that 
makes a very mean Figure at prefent. The moH re- of a Dove defending, and that of the holy Lamb ; but on 
markable Things in it are a Mofque and an Alms- the other Side it has the Face of a CaHle, being built with 
houfe, built by Sultan Ibrahim ; in the former is his Port-holes inHead of Windows. On the South and 
Tomb, which we found to be a great wooden CheH EaH-fide of it Hood anciently the City, encompaffed 
ereifled over his Grave, and covered wih a Carpet of with a good Wall and a Ditch, of which there are 
painted Callico, trick’d up with a great many Ropes of fome Remains ; but of other Buildings there is nothing 
■wooden Beads, which is the Turks ufual Way of adorn- left, except a Church which is an hundred and thirty 
ing the Tombs of their holy Men. In this Mofque Foot long, ninety three broad, and fixty one high, fo 
we faw feveral Incenfe-Pots, CandleHicks, and other Fur- entire, that it might eafily be repair’d ; but it is now 
niture, being the Spoils of Chriflian Churches. made a Stall for Cattle, in which we waded up to the 
The Turks reported, that he diveHed himfelf of his Knees in Dirt when we went to fee it. 
Royalty, and liv’d twenty Years in a Grotto by the From Tortofa we fent our Baggage before towards 
Sea-Side ; and to confirm the Truth of their Relation, Tripoly, which we follow’d not long after, and within 
they Hiow the Cell where he abode, and another Grot one Quarter of an Hour we came to a large Channel 
twice as large, which had three Niches or Praying-pla- ' of a River, now almoH dry ; and in half an Hour 
ces hewn in its South-fide, as they always are, for that more we came to a fmall Ifland about a League from the 
Way the Mujfulmen are oblig’d to fet their Faces, in Shore, call’d by the Turks, Ruad, which is fuppofed to 
Reverence co the Tomb of their Prophet. From this be the ancient qi Arpad (mention’d, 2 Kmgsxix, 
