Departure from Ioannina-Cassopaa-Route to Paramithia-Grecian Spring-Vlakiote Shepherds-Pass of Eleftherochori-Plain of Paramithia-City-Visit from the Primate and Bishop-Ascent to the Castle-Route along the Plain to Glyky-Plutonian Temple-District of Aidonati-San Donato and the Dragon-Monastery of Glyky— Water of the Acheron-Fortress of Glyky and its Albanian Commander -Excursion over the Plain of Phanari-Village of Potamia-River Cocytus-Convent of St. George-Monastery of St. John, on the Site of the ancient Necyomantéum-Greek Papas-Ruins of Cichyrus or Ephyre in the District Elaiatis-Theseus and Pirithous-Acherusian Lake-Malaria of the Plain-Conjectures on its Mythology-Ancient City of Buchetium-Return to Glyky-Sleep under the Tent, surrounded by Albanian Palikars-Fine Night-scene-Poetical Address to the Acheron-Curious Dream of the Author's-Ascent up the Pass of Glyky-Arrival at the Vizir's great Fortress of Kiaffa-Salute from the Fort-Scenery described-Adventure of the Author-Suicide committed by an Albanian Palikar-Ceremonies before Interment-Ascent to the highest Summit of the Suliot Mountains-Grand Panoramic 302 ROUTE TO PARAMITHIA. MAY 11.-An early hour in the morning was fixed upon for our departure; but so long a time was occupied in arranging our affairs, in receiving visits, and in distributing appropriate tokens of gratitude amongst our friends and hosts, that it was near noon before the cavalcade could be put in motion. At length notice was given that all was ready: we mounted our horses and made our way with some difficulty through the crowds that lined the court and adjoining streets to witness the procession, which consisted of ten men and at least double that number of horses. Our first stage was to Dramisus by the road which I have before described. We were accompanied thus far by Mr. Cerbere, a young Frenchman, who had arrived from Corfu on a visit to Mr. Pouqueville, and was desirous of inspecting the ruins of Cassopæa. The evening was delightful, and we retraced with pleasure the remains of this venerable Epirotic city. In addition to my former account I have very little to add, except that the walls of its fortress are from eleven to twelve feet in thickness, whilst those of the lower city appear to have been constructed only of a single stone, and could not have been more than two feet broad in the widest part. We observed a large piece of defaced sculpture lying upon the ground near some recent excavations; it represented a Triton in bas-relief, but the style of execution was indifferent. Upon a further consideration of this locality, I have my doubts whether it may not have been the site of Passeron*, one of the most celebrated cities of Epirus, where it was customary for the kings of Molossis to take a solemn oath, and exact one in return from their people; the former that they would govern, and the latter that they would defend the state according to the prescription of the laws: this was done after sacrifices to the Martial Jupiter; and that stupendous theatre which still exists may have * Ειώθεισαν οι Βασιλεῖς, ἐν Πασσαρώνι χωρίῳ τῆς Μολοττίδος, Αρέιῳ Διὶ θύσαντες, ὁρκωμοτεῖν τοῖς Ηπειρώταις και ὁρκίζειν, αυτὸ μὲν ἄρξειν, ἐκείνος δὲ τὴν βασιλέιαν διαφυλάξειν κατὰ τὰς νόμος. Plut. in Vit. Pyrrhi. GRECIAN SPRING-VLAKIOTE SHEPHERDS. 303 been appropriated to the solemn ceremony. I give this however as mere matter of conjecture. We slept at Dramisus; but though we changed our cottage we did not escape those indefatigable torturers which had destroyed our rest in a former excursion. On the morrow we parted with our companion and took the road to Paramithia, proceeding at first in a northerly direction till we turned round the extremity of Mount Olitzika towards the west, in which course we kept generally for the next six hours. Our route during this time lay through the sinuosities of contiguous valleys, watered by transparent streams, shaded with evergreens and thickets of beautiful shrubs, amidst which a thousand nightingales made the air resound with their sweet notes. It was here and in other parts of this excursion that I felt to the full those ecstatic sensations which a Grecian spring, to which no description can do justice, is capable of inspiring; when a balmy softness and serenity pervade the atmosphere, when the richest tints are painted on the cloudless sky, when every valley and plain is clothed in a deep luxuriant verdure, superior even to that which our own island boasts, when every grove is vocal with the melody of feathered songsters, when a thousand flowers dye the surface of the earth and shed a perfume through the air, when the bright splendour of the morning sun animates the soul of man, and the coolest shades of evening refresh him after his daily toil. Nurtured as they were amidst such scenes, breathing such an air, and inspired with such sensations, who can wonder at that delicacy of taste, that vigour of imagination, that tenderness of sentiment, that conception of the beautiful which distinguished the sons of Greece, when Greece was free? In these valleys we met many parties of Vlakiote shepherds driving their flocks and herds from the great plains of Thesprotia, to which they had emigrated from the colder regions of Zagori and the Pindus mountains, for the sake of pasture during the severity of winter. The vizir possesses immense tracts of land in these parts, and to him they 304 PLAIN AND CITY OF PARAMITHIA. pay a certain price for every head of cattle which they turn into his pastures. The wives and daughters of these people rode upon asses and mules, whilst the sons assisted their fathers in driving the cattle; the infants were packed up in panniers together with the scanty articles of household furniture, and carried on the backs of horses, being closed up in these receptacles till their heads only could be seen. In about seven hours we arrived at the village of Eleftherochori on the top of a rugged defile at the northern extremity of the Cassopæan mountains of Suli. At this spot many sanguinary contests took place between Ali Pasha and the people of Paramithia: the conqueror has built a small fortress to defend the pass. The sun was setting when we began to descend through this chasm into the great plain of Paramithia, which extended before us its magnificent scenery: we could count five undulating ridges of mountains, all rising one beyond the other towards the Adriatic coast and tinged with the colours of the setting sun. Emerging from the narrow part of this defile we continued along the mountain path on our left and soon saw the castle of Paramithia hanging as it were on a vast height above the city, which lies supine upon the side of a large mountain. Paramithia is considerable in size and contains many good houses; a few of these on the outskirts had not yet recovered from the effects of assault in the wars with Ali. Almost all the habitations are separate and shaded by luxuriant plane-trees, beneath which there are more fountains of delicious water than I ever saw in any town: this, added to the charming scenery which its site commands, made me think I should prefer it as a place of residence to any other part of Epirus. To what ancient city Paramithia has succeeded it is now difficult to determine; Pandosia, Gitanæ, and Batiæ, all put in their claims; those of the last-mentioned place seem generally allowed, probably because its name bears the nearest resemblance to the modern appellation. There can be no doubt but that an ancient city did once occupy this site, both from the remains of Hellenic building ob VISIT FROM THE PRIMATE AND BISHOP. 305 servable in the fortress and the number of beautiful bronze statues which have been discovered here in excavations, several of which are very finely engraved and illustrated in the Specimens of Ancient Sculpture published by the Society of Dilettanti*. We were conducted to an excellent lodging by the governor's son, who then left us and proceeded to the dwelling of his father. Next morning, whilst we were at breakfast, we received a visit from two great personages, the Greek Primate and the Bishop of Paramithia. The latter was very chatty, and as he sat cross-legged upon the floor beside our table, gave us a complete history of his diocese, and described the manners of the people before the vizir's conquest of the country, as barbarous and savage to the greatest degree; not a person of any tribe or any religion daring to approach this inhospitable tract, where life was held so cheap that the barbarians frequently used to fire upon each other when in want of employment against foreigners. We expressed a desire of proceeding a day's journey northward of this plain to visit some ruins upon the banks of the Thyamis, which have been supposed to belong to the ancient Pandosia; but were deterred from this plan by the representation of our visiters, who informed us that the whole tract of that country was encircled by a cordon of troops, on account of the plague, and that if we even approached it, a long quarantine would await us at our return. We therefore contented ourselves with paying a visit to the governor and inspecting the fine fortress of Paramithia. For this purpose we took horses and employed full half an hour in the ascent up these steep and rugged acclivities. We passed many large isolated houses, surrounded with gardens, and having only loop-holes, instead of windows, from whence the musketry of their defenders might be most advantageously directed. We observed also a huge fragment of calcareous rock at the north end of the town, which had been de |