PARNASSUS. 271 
might have found the same mummery practised chap. 
two thousand years ago. Judging indeed from ^ -^- • 
these vigils, wherein all their devotion appears 
to consist, the religion of Christ seems to be o? those 
as foreign to those who call themselves its ""**' 
ministers, as if it had never existed ; for, with 
the exception of now and then a hymn, sung 
in honour of the Virgin, or upon the festival 
of some Saint, nothing connected with the 
history of Christianity, or its worship, seems 
to have been introduced. Being curious to 
know whether such a thing as a Bible, or even 
a copy of any one of the Gospels, in their own 
language, existed among them, we asked per- 
mission to examine the books of their church ; 
but they had none ; nor were any of them able 
to read : neither had they any library or 
manuscripts belonging to the monastery. Yet 
when we spoke of the •)(^ii^oy^a(pcc found in the 
monastery at Patmos, they seemed perfectly 
to understand us, and said that there were 
many such in the Monastery of St. Luke. This 
indeed is confirmed by what Wheler has said of 
that monastery, who mentions its manuscripts, 
and he himself purchased doaEvangelistcmj during 
his visit to the place'. It was written, he says. 
(3) Journey into Greece, p. 3-3. Land. 1682. 
