86o Maun DR 
in Indid^ Perfia^ Baflary and Purky^ have been raifed on 
the Ruins of the Saracen Empire, and are all of them now 
grown old and infirm, fo that they feem ready to efum- 
bie under their own Weight. No other Reafon can be 
affigned for this, but the Prevalence of Corruption in 
them all, for wherever moral Virtues grow into Con- 
tempt, it is fimply impoffible that national Power fhould 
long fubfift *, or that where Princes and great Men, iriftead 
of devoting their Cares to the Adminiftration of Juftice, 
become infenble of all Things, but what contribute to 
their Eafe and Plealure, they fhould for any Length of 
Time continue to enjoy even thefe. Innocent Divertife- 
ments and manly Pleafures are not at all inconfiftent 
with good Government and publick Spirit j but fenfual 
Delights, and a Propenfity to Indolence which always 
accompanies them, naturally begets Contempt in thofe 
whofe Reverence and Refpebl: can only keep them in real 
and confiant Subjebtion. Thefe Remarks may be con- 
firm’d, from what has happen’d v;ithin our View in all 
thefe Countries. The Mogul Empire has been over-run 
in lefs time than would have fufficed in ancient Time 
for the Conquefc of one of its Provinces •, the Perfian 
Empire has been fubverted over and over j nothing has 
been more unfteady of late Years than the Throne of 
the Xeriffs in Africa^ and the depofing of the Grand Sig- 
nior is in fome Meafure become a Thing familiar. But 
let us now return to our Author for the laft Time. 
Mr. Maundrell^ though he had lived long in a Country 
w'here Superftition prevails to fuch a Degree, that the 
feveral Nations who inhabit it feem to vie with each 
other in Credulity, yet he preferved a juft Regard for 
Evidence, and did not fuffer his Judgment to be hurried 
away by Tradition, however ancient; or Affertions, how- 
ever bold. He examined every Thing carefully, and 
then exercifed his own Judgment freely, affirted by all 
the Helps that could be derived from (.onverfation and 
Learning. Of this we have a remarkable Inftance in 
an Anlwer he gave to a Gentleman who conlulted him 
upon thefe two Points, viz. Whether Gehazi\ Leprofy 
ftill fluck to and diftinguiflied his Pofterity as fome have 
reported ; and what Ground there was to impute to the 
Greek Church, a Notion that Perfons who died excom- 
municated, did not confume in their Graves. “ When 
“ I was in the Holy Land., fays he, I faw feveral that 
‘‘ labour’d under Gehazds Diftemper, but none that 
“ could pretend to derive his Pedigree from that Perfon. 
“ Some of them were poor enough to be his Relations, 
“ particularly at Sichem (no^N Naplo fa) there were no 
“ iefs than ten, (the fame Number that were cleanfed by 
“ our Saviour not far from the fame Place) that came 
“ a begging to us at one Time. Their Manner is to 
‘‘ come with fmall Buckets in their Hands, to receive 
“■ the i\lms of the Charitable, their Touch being ffill 
held infectious, or at leaft unclean. The Diftemper 
“ as 1 faw in them, was very different from what I have 
“ feen it in England., for it not only defiles the whole 
“ Surface of the Body with a foul Scurf, but alfo de- 
“ forms the Joints of the Body, particularly thofe of 
“ the Wrifts and Ancles, making them fwell with a 
“ oouty, fcrofulous . Subftance, very loathfome to look 
upon. I thought their Legs refembled thofe of old 
“ battered Horfes, fuch as are often feen in Drays in Eng- 
“ land. The whole Diftemper indeed as it there appeared, 
was fo nolfome,that it might well pafs for the utmoft 
“ Corruption of the human Body on this Side the Grave, 
And certainly the infpired Penmen could not have 
found out a fitter Emblem, whereby to exprefs the 
“ Uncleannefs and Odioufnefs of Vice, But to return 
“ to Gehazi. It is no Wonder if the Defcent from him 
“ be by Time obfeured, feeing the beft of the Jews., 
at this Time of Day, are at a Lofs to make out their 
“ Genealogies. But befiJes, I fee no Neceffity in 
‘‘ Scripture for his Lines being perpetuated. The 
“ Term (for Ever) is, you know, often taken in a li- 
mited Senfe in holy Writ, of which the Defignation 
“ of PhineaPs, Family to the Priefthood, Numb. xxv. 
15. may ferve for an Inftance. His Pofterity was, 
“ you know, cut entirely oft' from the Priefthood, and 
that transferred to A/i, who was one of another Line, 
“ about three hundred Years after. I have enquired of 
ell’j Travels Book III. 
“ a Greek Prieft, a Man not deftitute either of Senfe or 
“ Probity, about your other Queftion. He pofitively 
“ affirmed it, and produced an Inftance of his own 
“ Knowledge in Confirmation of it. He faid, that 
“ about fifteen Years ago, a certain Greek departed this 
Life without Abfolution, being under the Guilt of a 
Crime which involved him in the Sentence of Ex- 
“ communication, but unknown to the Church. He 
“ had Chriftian Burial given him, and about ten Years 
“ after a Son of his dying, they had Occafion to open 
« the Ground near where the Body was laid, in order 
“ to bury his Son by him ; by which Means they dif- 
“ covered his Body as entire as when it was firft laid in 
“ the Grave. The Shrowd was rotted away, and the 
“ Body naked and black, but perfeeftiy found. Report 
“ of this being brought to the Biffiop, he immediate- 
jy fufpeded the Caufe of it, and fent feveral Priefts, 
“ of whom the Relator was one, to pray for the 
“ Soul of the Departed, and to abfolve him at his 
“ Grave. Which they had no fooner done, but 
“ (as the Relator goes on) the Body inftantly dif- 
“ folved, and fell into Duft like flack’d Lime. And 
“ fo well fatisfied with the Effcdf of their Abfolution, 
“ they departed. This was deliver’d to me Verbo Sa- 
“ cerdohs. The Man had hard Fortune not to die in 
“ the Roman Communion ; for then, his Body being 
“ found fo entire, would have entitled hirn to Saint- 
“ fhip : For the Romanikfs, as I have both heard and 
“ feen, are wont to find out and maintain the Relicks 
“ of Saints by this Token. And the fame Sign, which 
“ proves an Anathema Maranatha amongft the Greeks., 
“ demonftrates a Saint amongft the Papifts j perhaps 
“ both equally in the Right”. This fufficiently proves 
what has been before advanced, that Superftition pre- 
vails generally through the Eaft, and that the Chrijiians 
are as far gone in it as the Turks ; neither need it be 
at all wonder’d at among the Greeks., fince it is natural 
for all Nations under Oppreffion, to fink into Superfti- 
tion ; and there is certainly nothing that can be more 
evident; than that thefe unfortunate People are brought 
as low, and their Spirits as much broke, as it is pof- 
fible to conceive in the Courfe of fo' many Ages as 
they have been under the Yoke : But however, it is 
certain, that even in Ruffia., where their Religion is 
eftabliffied by Law, this Notion prevails, together with 
the Prabtice eftabliffied upon it, of abfclving the Dead, 
that their Bodies may rot in Peace, and not remain, as 
they apprehend they do, for a Covering or Receptacle 
to evil Spirits. Upon the fame ftrange Notion, collect- 
ed from the fame Nation, arofe the wild and incre- 
dible Relations concerning Vampyres, or dead Bodies 
that fuck the Blood of living ones, that appear’d in our 
News Papeis fome Years ago from Hungary. Yet I 
think it might be doubted, whether this ftrange Opi- 
nion was not originally borrow’d from Mahometans., 
who, as we have before obferved, are ftrongly per- 
fuaded, that Men have a Kind of Senfation in their 
Graves, and that there is no fuch Thing as abfolute Reft 
even among the Dead. 
We may learn from this Gentleman’s Account of the 
Holy Land, the true State and Condition of it at this 
Day, independent of Fable and Prieftcraft ; and from 
thence it appears, that there could not be a more fruit- 
ful or pleafant Region, better feated for all Purpofes 
whatever, or more in the Heart or Center of the Uni- 
verfe, while that was a Thing of Confequence to the 
Propagation of Religion, than this Land of Ifrael. It 
is no lefs evident from the Remains of a vaft Variety of 
Antiquities, fome of which extend to the very Country 
itfclf, where not only Buildings but Mountains are feen 
in Ruins ; that this was truly what Canaan is reprefent- 
ed to be in the holy Scriptures, a Land of Hills and of 
Valleys, abounding with Corn, productive of Wine, 
and flowing as it were with Milk and Honey. Yet now 
its State is fo much alter’d, that if v/e were to meafure 
the Wickednefsof its Inhabitants by the Mifery of the 
Places that once furniffied them with Habitations, we 
fhould not in the leaft doubt of the Reprefentations 
made by infpired Writers of the Sinfulnefs and Obfti- 
nacy of thefe People. There is another natural and 
