-122 THE HOLY LAND. 
CHAP, history of the actions of the holy Apostles, 
Vi .y. ./ where mention is made of the visit paid to it 
by St. Paul and his companions, during their 
voyage from Tyre to Ccpsarea\ The Editor of 
the Oxford edition of Straho affirms that it 
regained its antient name under the Moham- 
medans^. Ammianus Marcellinus\ as cited by 
Maundreir, best explains the cause; when he 
affirms, that " the Greek and Roman names of 
places never took amongst the natives of this 
country." It is therefore most probable that it 
always retained its original Oriental appellation 
among the natives of Syria ; and that the word 
* Ptolemdis,' used by Greek and Roman writers, 
and found upon medals of the city struck after 
it was a Roman colony, was never adopted by 
the indio-enous inhabitants. 
'&' 
In the light sandy soil, containing a mixture 
of black vegetable earth, which lies near the 
town, we observed plantations of water-melonsy 
pumpkins, and a little corn; also abundance of 
(1) Acts xxi. 7, 8. " And when we had finished our course from 
Tyre, we came to Ptolemdis And the next day, we that were 
of Paul's company departed, and came unto Ccesarea." 
(2) " Sub Mahommedanis nomen vetus revixit." Vid. Annot. in 
Strab. Geogr. ed. Oxon. p. 1077. 
(.3) Lib. xiv. Hist non long^ ab initio. 
(4) 5o\in\ty itova Aleppo to Jerusalem, p. 64. Oxf. 1721. 
