ti 8 TRAVELS TO THE EAST, 
thing to lay on but the bare earth. If our bed was 
not convenient, our reft was not long. We arofe 
before day-break to go to the mountain where Chrift 
farted and was tempted by the devil : we came 
thither at fun-rife, and began to afcend before the 
heat fliould incommode us. The mountain is high 
and pointed ; and on our left, as we afcended, was a 
deep valley, towards which the rock w r as perpen- 
dicularly fteep. It confifts of a loofe white lime- 
rtone, mixed with another that is greyilh and 
harder. The way up to its higheft point is danger- 
ous beyond imagination. It is narrow, fteep, full 
of rocks and ftones, which obliged us frequently to 
creep over them before we could accomplifti our de- 
fign. The difficulty is encreafed by the valley on 
one fide ; which, befide its terrible afpeft, is danger- 
ous in cafe one fliould flip, as in fuch cafe it would 
be impoflible to efcape death. Near the top of 
the mountain are the ruins of an old Greek con- 
vent, which fliew how the Monks and Anchorites of 
the ancient Chriftians lived, and what places they 
inhabited, viz. fuch as really inclined them to lead a 
lonely, detached, and devout life : therefore dc- 
farts and inacceflible rocks u'ere chofen by the pri- 
mitive Chriftians for their dwellings, where they 
might offer up their prayers in folitude. The former 
are yet occupied by the Coptite Monks in Egypt* 
for they have two convents in the defarts; and with 
refpeft to the latter, the Greeks preferve the an- 
cient dwellings of their forefathers in Mount Sinai. 
Saba, St. Elias, and other places in the Eaft. * 
W'ent as far up on this terrible mountain of tempta- 
tion as prudence would permit, but ventured not to 
go to the top, whither I fent my fervant to bring what 
natural curiofities he could find, whilft I gathered 
what plants and infefts I could find below r ; of the 
latter 
