ATHENS. 
89 
ancient Athens, which are encircled by a wall. It is situated 
at the edge of the modern town, toward the interior; is as¬ 
cended by a good pathway to the principal entrance, where 
a guard receives tickets of admission, or pay, or something, 
and takes down the name of the visitor, in order that he (the 
visitor) may be found out in case he pockets a temple or a 
piece of one. On the whole, the Acropolis is a very respect¬ 
able mass of ruins, besides being conveniently situated for a 
general view of the country. There are shops in Athens 
where French lithographs of the principal ruins throughout 
Greece may be had in every variety of size, so that the tour¬ 
ist, who has but little time to spare in Athens, may carry 
them all home secretly, and describe the details in full to his 
friends, as if he had carefully studied the original ruins. By 
a little tact and a glance now and then at the guide-book, 
aided by a good memory, the most ignorant person is enabled 
in that way to puzzle, confound, and completely triumph 
over the most learned professor in the universities—provided 
the professor has not acquired his fame in the same manner. 
I should be sorry to have it supposed that this is intended as 
irreverence toward the ancients, or contempt for the learning 
of the moderns; but if it be taken in that light, I can only 
say that one who attempts to think with his own brains and 
see with his own eyes (both of which may be defective) is 
apt, unintentionally, to run against the prejudices of his fel¬ 
low-creatures, and should rather be pitied for his folly than 
censured for his presumption. Besides, the classical tourist 
and learned professor, who have striven so hard to enlighten 
the world in regard to ancient times, should console them¬ 
selves with the reflection that— 
11 When with much pains their boasted learning’s got, 
’Tis an affront to those who have it not.” 
Modern Athens is a small town, composed chiefly of frame 
houses. The population is about seventeen thousand, prin¬ 
cipally degenerate Greeks. A considerable number of Ital¬ 
ians, French, Germans, Hussians, and some few English 
families, are included in this estimate. The streets are ram¬ 
bling and irregular, narrow and wide by turns, dusty or 
