TRADITIONS OF THE GREEKS.

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The shop in which Joseph is supposed to have worked is converted into a chapel. There is a picture over the altar, representing a mechanic, with the implements of a carpenter around him, and holding a youth by the hand.

In another chapel a rock is exhibited, on which it is said Christ eat with his disciples.

A couple of miles from the town the precipice is pointed out, down which the people of Nazareth sought to throw our Lord; and in the opposite extremity of the valley the Greek papas conducted me to the fountain of the virgin, in the interior of the Greek church, and here it was, he assured me, that the angel came to her and said,

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Hail, thou that art highly favoured; the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women!" The Latins, on the other hand, assert that the annunciation took place in their chapel;—which is to be believed?

"Græcia mendax, vel Roma mendacior?"

The pilgrim need not trouble himself about the authenticity of the tradition which gives to every cave in Palestine a sacred name. In Nazareth, at least, there is a religion in the place which needs not the adventitious aid of superstition to

excite enthusiasm. The peaceful valley of Nazareth, hemmed in from the noisy world by an amphitheatre of verdant hills, is the spot which one might imagine the meek and lowly Jesus would have chosen for his earliest abode. The silent paths, the deep ravines in the eastern hill might well have served for meditation; every morning during my stay in Nazareth I visited these solitudes, calling to my mind the miracle of morality and philosophy which came from the little town before me, and reflecting on the revolution in religion, which every country had undergone since "Jesus of Nazareth" first broached his doctrines in the village synagogue, the site of which was then before me. The feelings these reflections inspired were intense; and, seated on a cliff which commanded a view of the village and the valley, I gave them vent in the following feeble verses:

LINES

WRITTEN IN NAZARETH.

JESUS of Nazareth! on high all hail;
Jesus of Nazareth! on earth all praise:
Weak though my voice, let mercy still prevail;
Hear me, Redeemer, and direct my ways.

IN NAZARETH.

If ever folly urged my tongue in vain

To take thy sacred name, thy wrath forego: If ever madness worked upon my brain,

To doubt thy holy word, thy pity show.

Here, gracious Lord, where thou didst humbly wear
The garb of poor humanity, and pass'd

The dawn of mortal life, vouchsafe to hear

The voice whose homage turns to thee at last.

Here was that vast beneficence design'd

Which e'en embraced the universe, and bless'd;
Which made "a chosen people" of mankind,
Of earth a Zion, spread from east to west.

Here was that fine morality matured

Which all philosophy doth far exceed; Which in the wreck of systems hath endured, And still endures, a never ending creed.

Here is the spot where thou didst condescend,
Subject to earthly parents, to remain ;
Whereon thy infant wisdom did attend
Thy virgin mother, wondering at the strain.

Here were thy sayings treasured in her heart,
All worldly words and wisdom far above,
Tidings of peace on earth did they impart,

Good will towards man, and never ending love.

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However infelicitous the mode of conveying my impressions, I trust to your indulgence for their reception. After After sojourning five days in

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CUSTOMARY PRESENT.

the most interesting part of Palestine, I bid adieu to my worthy host Heremia, to whose hospitality I cordially recommend all travellers. The customary present at departure all over Syria for a gentleman and his servant is a dollar and a half per day. He bestowed his benediction on me as I passed his threshold for the last time; and in the perilous excursion I was undertaking to the Jordan I thought the prayers of a good man, whatever was his creed, could do me no harm.

I am, my dear Madam,

Yours very truly,

R. R. M.

LETTER XXXVIII.

TO THE REV. H. CAMBELL.

MY DEAR SIR,

Alexandria, Oct. 20, 1827.

I SET out from Nazareth to visit the Jordan, a journey of twelve hours across a wild country, as usual, accompanied by a single attendant, and so attired as to avoid exciting the cupidity of the Bedouins. About seven miles from Nazareth, we halted at the foot of Mount Tabor; the heat was insupportable, the thermometer in the shade stood at 102, and even my Bedouin guide complained of the excessive warmth.

Mount Tabor is a small isolated mountain of a conical form, commanding a splendid view of the plain of Esdrælon, which extends about four and twenty miles in length, its breadth is from ten to twelve. In the scriptures this magnificent plain is sometimes called the Valley of Jezreel.