PART II. those pestilential or noxious vapours, which it perspires, infecting the air about it with unwholesome atoms; which Pliny confirms, book ii. chap. 83. of his Natural History. The Turks that have had the curiosity to enter into this cave, being ignorant of its ill vapours, have often felt the bad effects of them, having either suddenly died, or else fallen desperately sick; and therefore they have a report generally amongst them, that the place is haunted by spirits, which strike men dead, that have the boldness to enter into their region. For my part I would not go near it; for I ingenuously confess that curiosity was never so prevalent in me, as to make those experiments which might either hazard my life, or prejudice my health.

4.

This place, which had the honour to be a metropolis, now lies desolate, not so much as inhabited by shepherds; and so far from the ornaments of God's ancient worship, which renowned it in former ages, that it cannot now boast of an anchoret or hermit's chapel, where God's name is praised or invoked. This is the account given us of Hierapolis by the worthy Sir P. Rycaut.

As Hierapolis lay about six miles from Laodicea, Of Colossa. (which is likewise counted by some a city of Phrygia, but being reckoned by St. John among the seven Churches of Asia, shall therefore be spoken of, together with them, under Asia,) so it is generally agreed among learned men, that Colossæ stood at no great distance from Laodicea and Hierapolis, whence we find St. Paul mentioning the inhabitants of these three cities together, in the forecited Col. iv. 13. And that Colosse was a city of this Phrygia, we are informed by the ancient Greek historian * Herodotus, who withal marks out very exactly the very place of its situation, telling us that it was a great city of Phrygia, standing where the river Lycus running under ground disappears; but rising up again above ground, at about the distance of five stadia or

Herod. Polyhymn. book vii. p. 251. Steph. edit. 1570.

furlongs, it empties itself into the river Mæander, CHAP.IV. This city has been long since quite buried in ruins. SECT. I. the memory of it being now chiefly, if not solely, preserved by the Epistle which St. Paul wrote to the inhabitants thereof, and which is one that makes up the canonical books of the New Tes

tament.

5.

The next country, which is mentioned in the course of St. Paul's travels, is* Galatia which Of Galatia. joined on to Phrygia, towards the east or northeast. Galatia took its name from the Galatæ or Gauls, who, leaving their own country in Europe, and having ranged over Italy and Greece, passed over into the Asiatic continent, and brought a great part of it under their command. But being broken by Attalus King of Pergamus, and driven out of other parts, they were at last confined to this country. These Gauls, though mixed with some Grecians, (who united themselves to them, when they came for the Asiatic continent, whence Galatia is sometimes termed Gallo-Græcia, sometimes Græco-Gallia,) yet are said not only to have preserved their language, but in a short time to have made it the common language of the whole country. And it continued so till St. Jerom's time, who tells us in the preface to his Commentaries on St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians, that it was a language very like to that of the people of Triers or Treves in the European Gaul.

6.

Of Cappa

To the east of Galatia joined Cappadocia, a country mentioned Acts ii. 9. and by St. Peter, who directs his first Epistle to the dispersed docia. throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Bythinia, and Asia. The people of this country were formerly of very ill report for viciousness and lewdness of life. Hence + they were reckoned the first of the three worst people which began with the letter K, or in English C, the other two being Cretans and Cilicians. And as they had a share in the said old Greek proverb, so was a Cappado+ Καππαδόκαι Κρῆτες, Κίλικες τρία Κάππα Κάκισα. This was the old proverbial verse,

* Acts xvi. 6.

PART II. cian used as a proverbial expression for one that was most extremely wicked. However, this country, after it had received Christianity, afforded very great and worthy men and martyrs, as well as some very infamous and unworthy men. To pass by the mention of these latter, among the former are justly reckoned Gregory Nazianzen, and Gregory Nyssen, and St. Basil, commonly styled the Great; all learned and religious Bishops and Cappadocians. And amongst many martyrs of great St. George faith and constancy, St. George, a noble Cappasaint of the docian, a tribune or colonel of soldiers under Dioorder of the clesian, was most celebrated in the churches both Garter, a east and west, and for that reason was made panoble Cap- tron of the order of the Garter by King Edward padocian the Third.

the patron

and martyr.

7.

As Cappadocia lay to the east of Galatia, so to the north of it lay Pontus, mentioned together with Of Pontus. the former two, both by St. Peter *, and the writer + of the Acts of the Apostles, in the places before cited. Under this name of Pontus was sometime comprehended all the country lying on the south shore of the sea called Pontus, and by way of distinction Pontus Euxinus, now-a-days the Black Sea. Whether the sea gave name to the adjacent coast, or the coast to the sea, is not agreed upon, nor worth while to dispute; but the former seems most probable. This was the native country oft Aquila, whom St. Paul met with at Corinth, and with whom he abode, they being both of the same trade. And the first Epistle of St. Peter is by some styled Epistola ad Ponticos, from Pontus being the first of the countries to whose inhabitants it was sent.

8. St. Paul

comes into Mysia.

Having thus taken notice, in our way, of Pontus and Cappadocia, adjoining to Galatia, and mentioned in the New Testament, though not in the course of St. Paul's travels; let us now return to St. Paul whom we left in Galatia, he departing hence, and being forbidden by the Holy Ghost to

* 1 Pet. i. 1.

+ Acts ii. 9.

Acts xviii. 2.

preach the word at this time in Asia, (for after- CHAP. IV. wards he preached in Asia for a long time, as we SECT. I. shall see in the course of his travels; and then we shall speak of Asia; which the Apostle being now forbid to preach in,) went into* Mysia, adjoining on the west to Galatia, and so called, as some say, from the abundance of beech-trees growing in it, and called by the Lydians, a neighbouring people, Mysæ. The people of Mysia are noted by Tully, in his Oration for Flaccus, to be despicable and base to a proverb.

9.

St. Paul being come into Mysia †, designed to go from thence into Bythinia, a country adjoining Of Bitbyto Mysia on the north or north-east, and also to nia. Phrygia on the north; and stretching along the sea which lies between the European and Asiatic continents, quite up to the Pontus Euxinus; and so adjoining to the country Pontus before mentioned on the west. It is one of the countries, to whose inhabitants St. Peter directs his first Epistle, in the place above cited. It has been famous since the times of the New Testament for the first General Council held at Nice, a city thereof, against the Arian heresy, by command of Constantine the Great; as also for the fourth General Council held at Chalcedon, (a place lying on the straits of Constantinople, and out of whose ruins Scutary has since risen,) by the command of the emperor Martianus, for repressing the heresy of Nestorius. But as to our Apostle, though he purposed to go into Bythinia, yet he did not go, the Spirit not suffering him. Wheraupon passing by Mysia, he came down to Troas.

10.

comes to

Troas.

Troas was a small country lying to the west of Mysia, upon the sea. It took this name from its prin- St. Paul cipal city, Troas, a sea-port, and built, as is said, about four miles from the situation of Old Troy, by Lysimachus, one of Alexander the Great's captains, who peopled it from the neighbouring cities, and called it Alexandria, or Troas Alexandri, in honour

* Acts xvi. 7.

+ Acts xvii. 7.

Acts xvi. 7, 8.

PART II. of his master Alexander; who began the work, but

lived not to bring it to any perfection. But in following times it came to be called simply Troas. The name may be understood as taken by the sacred writers to denote the country as well as city so called, but chiefly the latter. Whilst St. Paul was here, a vision * appeared to him in the night, wherein there stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him to come over into Macedonia, and help them. Hereupon the Apostle, assuredly gathering, that the Lord had called him to preach the Gospel in that country, loosed from Troas.

11.

sails to Sa

mothracia.

SECTION II.

Of St. Paul's Voyages and Travels from his departing out of the Asiatic Continent, to his fourth Return to Jerusalem.

ST. PAUL and his companions loosing from From Troas Troas, came with a strait course to Samothracia, St. Paul a small island lying on the west, and off the coast of Thrace, and so called to distinguish it from the isle Samos lying over-against Ionia, of which I shall have occasion to speak hereafter. The isle Samothracia is now called Samandrachi, and is said to be better stored with commodious harbours, than others in these seas.

12.

Thence to

From Samothracia the Apostle sailed next day ‡ to Neapolis, a sea-port reckoned at first to Thrace, Neapolis. afterwards to Macedonia, as were the adjacent cities and towns, which follow; viz.

13.

Nicopolis, a town seated on the river Nessus, Of Nicopo- from which Neapolis was not far distant, but

lis.

*Acts xvi, 9.

+ Acts xvi. 11.

Acts xvi. 12.