ISLAND OF PATMOS. 59 
too gross for the purposes of altarage and super- CHAP. 
stition. There seemed to be something like v - ..> 
a school held in the building erected about 
this cave ; but the only monk who shewed the 
place to us, and who appeared to superintend 
the seminary, was not much better informed 
than his godly brethren in the parent monas- 
tery*. 
Descending from this place towards the Port Dinner 
given by 
of La Scala, we were met by several of the theFreA 
Frenchmen, coming with the Commissary to 
invite us to dinner: so grateful were they for 
the attention paid to their request, and the 
consequent safety of their baggage, that each 
seemed to strive with the other who could 
render us the greater civility. We accepted 
their invitation; and were conducted into a 
warehouse near the quay, where a large 
table was prepared, with fish, wine, and biscuit. 
Here we found several French women, conversing 
with their usual gaiety ; and we all sat down 
together. During dinner, the conversation 
turned upon the events that had happened in 
(Ti Mr. Walpole, who arrived afterwards, has mentioned, in his 
Journal, that the schoolmaster wan able to read. He found him read- 
ing a Manuscript of the Odyssey of Homer. See the Extract from 
Mr. IPalpok's Journal, in a preceding page of this Chapter. 
