THEBES. 7\ 
of more consequence, from the positive as- chap. 
surances made to us by several Greeks, that the , "' . 
Sepulchre of St. Luke was preserved within a chapel Pretended 
upon the outside of the town, towards the east ; st. Luke. 
and that a long inscription, proving the fact,existed 
upon the tomb. We hastened to the sanctuary said 
to contain this remarkable relic, and found a 
beautiful Soros of white marble, with an in- 
scription thereon; the first sight of which con- 
vinced us of the astonishing ignorance of the 
Greeks of Thebes, whose priests could not un- 
deceive their countrymen with regard to its 
pretended origin. They shewed to us, indeed, 
the word TYMBill upon the monument; and 
the chapel being dedicated to St. Luke, thence 
concluded that this Soros must contain his 
relics. Its operculum is beautifully sculptured, 
so as to exhibit in relief, upon its sloping sides, 
the resemblance of a thatch made of the foliage 
of the laurel. The oblong sides of the Soros are 
channelled into indented pannels, three on each. 
Upon the south side of the tomb there is an in- 
scription in the middle pannel; and the other 
pannels, to the right and left of this, are 
ornamented with a rose, or sun-flower, in the 
center. 
