ATHENS. 
97 
“ de Madam is indispose : ’tis imposs to proceed without some 
wine.” 
While my friends were sipping their wine and “ reposing” 
after the fatigues of the “voyage,” I stepped into the adjoin¬ 
ing yard and made a sketch of the old Convent, which may 
CONVENT NEAR ATHENS 
he seen here on a small scale, just as it appeared to me on a 
large scale, except that it looks rather better in print, and 
leaves more room for exercise of the imagination. It is built 
upon the ruins of the temple of Apollo, which may account 
for the fact that it is really a very beautiful piece of Byzan¬ 
tine architecture. The priests were all asleep or dead. I 
neither saw nor heard any thing of them. 
Not far beyond the old Convent we came to a pass with 
a rugged bluff on the right, upon which were some ancient in¬ 
scriptions. Our dragoman stopped the carriage, and in a very 
imposing maimer called our attention to the fact that we 
were now at a most interesting point in our journey. Doctor 
Mendoza never suffered any thing mentioned in the guide¬ 
book to escape his attention ; but unfortunately he had for¬ 
gotten his book in Athens, and was reduced to the necessity, 
of depending solely upon the classical attainments of our 
dragoman. 
“ Wat you call dis place ?” said he; for the dragoman spoke 
E 
