Cross the Plain of Argos-River Inachus-Cave of the Nemean LionNemea Cleona-Arrival at Corinth-Excellent Character of the young Bey-His great Hospitality-Failure in our Attempt to ascend the Acrocorinthus-Ascent of an adjoining Mountain-Departure and Passage over the Isthmus-Megara-Interesting Discovery made there by Mr. Jones-Plain of Eleusis and Saronic Gulf-First View of Athens-Arrival there-Visits of Ceremony from the Inhabitants. NEXT morning, after having distributed a variety of small presents among the family of our host, we resumed our journey across the plain of Argos. Leaving Mycenæ * a short distance to the right, we soon entered some defiles leading to Mount Tretus and the plain of Nemea: * It appears very extraordinary that these ruins which are certainly of prodigious magnitude compared with those of almost all the Grecian cities, were entirely overlooked by Strabo, who says that not a single vestige of Mycenæ was to be seen: ὤτε νῦν μηδ ̓ ἴχνοςἐυρίσκεσθαι τῆς Μυκηναίων πόλεως. T. i. p. 540. 238 CAVE OF THE NEMEAN LION. the natural rocks of this district present in their exterior surface such a strong resemblance to the Cyclopéan masonry, that it requires a near inspection to be convinced of the deception. In about two hours we deviated from the direct road in the direction of Nemea, leaving Antonietti and the tchocodar to make the best of their way to Corinth. We very soon observed a large cave at the end of a long mountain on our right hand, which is supposed to have been the retreat of the Nemean lion* whose destruction afforded one of the twelve labours to the Grecian Hercules: winding round this hill (the ancient Tretus) we entered upon the spacious plain, that scene of animated contests and tumultuous passions, now solitary as the desert and silent as the grave. Three lofty Doric columns, remains of the great temple of Jupiter, cast as it were a melancholy charm over its solitude, seeming as if they were spared but to impress upon man the awful moral lesson, "that all his pomp is vanity." Turning through a chasm amongst the hills behind this temple, we passed a fountain of delicious water, probably that mentioned by Pausanias under the name of Adrastéa: soon afterwards we discovered the ancient road by which the chariots passed to Nemea, the rock being in many places indented to the depth of more than a foot by the constant attrition of the wheels: there is nothing to detain the traveller upon the site of Cleonæ, for that ancient city-ingenti turritæ mole Cleone has been long swept away by the besom of destruction. The Acrocorinthus soon afterwards appeared in view, and remained a land-mark to direct our course: after a very fatiguing journey under the hottest sun we had yet endured, we reached Corinth about eleven o'clock at night. Tired beyond measure and sadly in want of refreshment, we were obliged to wander about the town for a full hour before we could discover the Theoc. Id. Kε. 170. Pausanias mentions the cave as existing in his days, and upon inquiry I could not discover that any other cavern existed in the vicinity of Nemea but this. ARRIVAL AT CORINTH, 239 house allotted for our residence; Antonietti and the tchocodar conceiving probably that we should find it by inspiration had given themselves up to mirth and jollity, making copious libations to the rosy god. I believe that Antonietti, who in general was a pattern of sobriety, was seduced on this occasion by the old Turk, who was not slow to takę some compensation for the odious restrictions of the ramazan so lately terminated: he had fairly beaten the Italian in the Bacchic contest and had put him to bed; when we entered the house, he was singing, dancing, and playing all the antics of an ancient Silenus: upon our opening the door he threw off his turban and ran up to embrace us for very joy, calling us his excellent and beloved masters, and declaring that he should cry with sorrow when we separated: this promise he literally kept, and it is but justice to declare that a more kind-hearted, facetious, entertaining Mussulman could scarcely be found: he was a great favourite with the Bey his master, who regarded him in the light of a confidential old friend rather than a dependant. Early next morning the young Bey of Corinth, eldest son of our friend and protector at Tripolizza, sent an officer of his household to inquire about our health. After breakfast we paid our respects personally at his seraglio, where we were received with the most gratifying marks of polite attention and cordiality by this young nobleman, whose manners would have graced any court in Europe: after having partaken of the refreshments usually offered to guests, we entered into conversation, in which he displayed a character full of interest, with more liberality of sentiment, more taste and general knowledge, more acuteness of intellect and readiness of communication, than we ever met with in any other of his countrymen; at the same time the genuine stamp of sincerity seemed impressed upon all he said or did. He expressed himself a great admirer of the institutions of our country and regretted much that he had never enjoyed the advantage of visiting Great Britain-but he had married early and to leave his wife and children would be to pluck up his happiness by the roots-saying 240 EXCELLENT CHARACTER OF THE BEY. this, he ordered two fine boys to be called into the room and presented them to us as his sons, making the little fellows kiss our hands and salute us as the friends of their father. Certainly foreign travel was not necessary to divest this excellent man of those prejudices or that pride and bigotry which his countrymen too generally betray; yet he was said by the Corinthians to be a better and more strict Mahometan than the zealots of the faith. Did the Turks all resemble him and the pasha of Nauplia the Greeks would have little reason to complain of their destiny: still the blessings and the miseries of a constitution must be estimated by the intrinsic merit of that constitution itself, rather than by the practice of those who administer its laws; that must always be bad which can only be good by chance. An Achmet of Tripolizza will more than counterbalance the virtues of a dozen beys of Corinth; and even the severities of a thousand Achmets are light as a feather in comparison with that terrible theocratic principle in the Turkish government which is the main-spring of their policy, which makes power hang solely upon religious faith, and authorizes the meanest disciple of Mahomet to vilify and tread under foot every Christian subject in the empire without fear of retribution. Before we left the bey he expressed his intention of preparing apartments for us in his own seraglio, and entertaining us as his guests on our return: amidst such civilities and hospitality we almost fancied that the rites of Xenian Jupiter were still cultivated in this country. Finding him thus kindly disposed towards us, we ventured to request an order for admission to the acropolis, which very few travellers have been permitted to see. This however it was out of his power to grant. The disdar Agà, or commandant, is absolute in his fortress, and the jealousy of the Turks is extreme regarding the entrance of foreigners into their citadels: a sure mark this of a declining power*. *They may indeed defend their practice by the example of the ancient Athenians who had a law prohibiting any foreigner from ascending even their city walls, and putting him to death if he entered the place of their assembly.-Meursii Them, Att. c. 26 and 29. FAILURE IN ATTEMPT TO ASCEND THE ACROCORINTHUS. 241 He advised us to apply for a firman of admission from the Porte before our return, though he assured us that from his own observation there was not a vestige of antiquity remaining*, and the view might be seen to equal advantage from an adjoining height, whither he would send us in the evening upon his own horses under a proper escort. With this arrangement we were of course content, and taking leave of our courteous friend, strolled through the town which contains little to remind the traveller of Corinthian splendour, except a few columns of some temple, which antiquarians find very difficult to identify : their antiquity is attested by their massive structure, the height being only four diameters, a less proportion than is known to exist in any other Grecian building. It is not surprising that Corinth should be so divested of its ancient ornaments: standing as it does, in the very gap, the pride and bulwark of the Peloponnesus, it was opposed to every invader, and few indeed were they who required any instigation from the prophetic Pythia to seize this horn of the Peloponnesian heifer though no city was ever less anxious to disturb the tranquillity of its neighbours, being contented with the empire of luxury nor aiming at that of power, yet none has suffered more from the attacks of enemies, and its cruel destruction by Mummius will ever remain an indelible blot upon the Roman annals. In the evening the bey kept his promise of sending horses and a guard: the latter was quite necessary, as the Turks of the citadel are particularly barbarous. Passing over the roots of the acrocorinthus by a paved road on the north-west side, we met many Corinthian women returning from the fountain of Pirene, and carrying on their heads pitchers of that water This account was afterwards confirmed to us at Athens by Signore Lusieri, who procured a firman with very considerable difficulty: he told us that a silver key would have unlocked the gates of this otherwise impenetrable citadel, had we applied it secretly, for the Disdar Agàs are generally so poor as to be very accessible to a bribe. Chandler was permitted to inspect the Acrocorinthus, and even then found no remains of interest, except what he thought to be the fountain Pirene, which amongst various other springs, it is scarcely probable he could identify. + The nollem Corinthum' of the philosophic Tully speaks volumes on this point. |