STALACTITES. 
355 
high, that in some measure resembled an altar; 
from which, taking the hint, we caused mass to be 
celebrated there. The beautiful columns that shot 
up round the altar appeared like candlesticks ; and 
many other natural objects represented the cus- 
tomary ornaments of this sacrament. 
“ Below even this spacious grotto there seemed 
another cavern, down which I ventured with my 
former mariner, and descended about fifty paces by 
means of a rope. I at last arrived at a small spot of 
level ground, where the bottom appeared dififerent 
from that of the amphitheatre, being composed of a 
soft clay, yielding to pressure, and in which I thrust 
a stick to about six feet deep. In this, however, as 
above, numbers of the most beautiful crystals were 
formed, one of which particularly resembled a ta- 
ble. Upon our egress from this amazing cavern, 
we perceived a Greek inscription upon a rock at the 
mouth, but so obliterated by time that we could 
not read it. It seemed to import that one Antipater, 
in the time of Alexander, had come hither, but 
whether he penetrated into the depths of the cavern 
he does not think fit to inform us.” 
Tournefort, in the year 1/00, descended into this 
cavern, and has endeavoured, from what he saw 
there, to establish his hypothesis of the vegetation 
of stones. In his Voyage to the Levant he has 
given a very particular description of the place, 
which, however, has been superseded by one that 
appeared in the British Magazine for the year 1 7 4 6 , 
signed with the name of Saunders. As this ac- 
