Modern Accounts oj Athens, 62[) 
short stage, which took us less time than 
we should have been walking two 
leagues: no garden in the midst of a 
wood of forest-trees can afford greater 
pleasure to the eye thati tliis road. You 
proceerl through an extensive plain full 
of olive and orange-trees, having the sea 
on the right, and hills on the left, wlienca 
spring so many beautiful streams, tliat 
INature seems to iiave taken pains to 
render this country so delightful. 
“ The city of Ailiens is situated on the 
declivity aiid in tlie vicinity of a rock 
imhedded in a plain, which is bounded 
t«y the sea on the south, and by pleasant 
lulls that close it towards the north. It 
IS not half so large as formerly, as may 
be seen from the mins, to whicli time 
has done much less injury tlum the bar¬ 
barism of the nations wiio have so often 
pillaged and sacked this city. The an¬ 
cient buildings, still standing, attest the 
magnificence of those who erected them ; 
o , , 
for there is no want of marble, or ol cor 
lunins and pilasters^ On the summit of 
the rock is the castle, which is still made 
use of by the Turks. Among various 
ancient buildings, is a temple as entire 
and as unimpaired by the ravages ol 
time, as if but recently erected. Its ar¬ 
rangement and construction are ad¬ 
mirable; its figure is oval; and without, 
as well as within, it is supported by three 
rows of marble columns decorated on 
their bases and capitals; behind each 
column there is a pilaster of correspond¬ 
ing siyle and proportion. I'he Chris¬ 
tians of the country assert, that this is 
the very same structure which was de¬ 
dicated to the unknown God, and in 
which Sr. Paul preached; at present it 
is used as a mosque, and tlie Turks as¬ 
semble there to pray. This city enjoys 
a very serene air, and the most malignant 
stars divest themselves of their baleUil 
intlueuces when they turn towards this 
countrv. This iraiy easily be percci\e(i, 
botii from its. fertility, and from the inai- 
blcs and stones, v\luch, during the long 
period that they ha\e been exposed to 
the atmo.-:phfere, are not in the least 
worn or decayed. Yon may sUepout of 
doors bare-htadtd. without experiencing 
the smallest inconvenience ; in a word, 
the air which you breathe is so agreeable 
and so temperate, that you perceive a 
great difference on your departure. As 
to tbe inhabitants of the country, they 
are all Greeks, and are cruelly and bar¬ 
barously treated l>y th.e Turks residing 
there, though their nuiuber is but small. 
11rere is a cadi, who administers justice ; 
a sheriff, called soubaohy; and some 
janissaries sent hither every three months 
by the Porte. All these officers received 
the Sieui- Deshayes with great respect 
when we visited the place, and exempted 
liim from all expences, at the cost of the 
Grand Signior. 
“ On leaving Athens, you pass through 
the great plain wdiich is full of olive-trees, 
and watered by several streams that in¬ 
crease its fertility. After proceeding for 
a full hour, you reach the shore, wiiere 
IS a must excellent harbour, which was 
formerly defended by a chain. The 
people of the country call it the Lion’s 
iiaibour, from a large lion of stone 
which is still to be seen there; but by 
the ancients it was denominated the 
harbour of Firseus. It was at this place 
that the Aihenians assembled their fleet, 
and were accustomed to embark.” 
The Jesuits of Paris settled at Athens 
about the year 1645, the Capuchins in 
1658, and, in 1669, Father Simon pur¬ 
chased the Lantern of Demosthenes, 
which became the place of entertain¬ 
ment for strangers. 
De Monceaux visited Greece in 1668. 
We have an extract from-his Travels, 
printed at the end of Bruyifls, He has 
described antiquities, especially ia the 
Morea, of which not a vestige is left* 
De Moneeaux travelled with i’Aisne, by 
order of Louis XJV. 
The French missionaries, whilst en- 
gaj^ed in works of charity, were not un¬ 
mindful of those pursuits which were 
calculated to reflect honour on their 
country. Father Babin, a Jesuit, pub¬ 
lished m an Account of the present 
State of the City of Athens. Spun was 
the eduor of this work. Nothing so 
complete and so circumstantial on the 
antiquities of Athens had yet appeared. 
iM. de Nointel, the Fiench ambas- 
jfador to the Porte, pa^sed through 
Attiens in 16?4 ; he was accompanied by 
Gailaiiri, the learned orientalist. He 
had (baw ings made of the basso-relievos 
of the bariiienon. The originals liave 
perished, and we think ourselves ex- 
tiemely fortunate in stiil possessing the 
copies of the Marquis deNoiiiiel. 
'i'he I'.ari of Wiiichchea, amlrassador 
from the court of London, also visited 
Athens in 1676, and had several frag¬ 
ments of sculpture conveyed to Tuglaud. 
Ver 4 n)n, an English traveller, has left 
nothing but a letter printc'd in the Phi¬ 
losophical Transactions for 1676. He 
gives a rapid sketch of his travels in 
Greece. “Sparta,” says be, “is a 
iL? desert 
