visit of Maundrell took place in A. D. 1697. In the present century it reappears upon the map of Jacotin.

It does not seem probable, that the ancient Legio was a city founded by the Romans; but rather, that this was a new name imposed upon a still older place; which, like the names Nâbulus and Sebŭstieh, has maintained itself in the mouths of the native population, while the earlier name has perished. This circumstance led us naturally to inquire, whether there was any ancient city so situated, as to correspond with the position of Lejjûn. As we travelled across the plain, and had Ta'annuk and Lejjûn continually in view, we could not resist the impression, that the latter probably occupies the site of the ancient Megiddo, so often mentioned along with Taanach. The distance of Taanach from Legio is given by Eusebius and Jerome at three or four Roman miles;' and it is somewhat remarkable, that Megiddo is rarely spoken of in Scripture, except in conjunction with Taanach; a circumstance which likewise implies their vicinity to each other. The chief onslaught also in the battle of Deborah and Barak, took place in the plain near Taanach and "the waters of Megiddo;" and whether this expression be applied to a large fountain, or to the river Kishon, we know that the scene of battle was at any rate not far from the Kishon. Megiddo too gave its name to the adjacent valley or low plain along the Kishon; and in like manner Eusebius and

but there seems to be no other trace of its ever having been a bishopric.

1) Onomast. arts. Thaanach, Thanaach.

2) So as being each the seat of a Canaanitish king, Josh. xii. 21. Both were assigned to Manasseh, though lying within the borders of Issachar or Asher, Josh. xvii. 11.

1 Chr. vii. 29. Both remained long unsubdued, Judg. i. 27. The battle of Deborah and Barak took place near both, Judg. v. 19. Both came under the same purveyor, 1 Kings iv. 12.-Ahaziah fled from Jezreel to Megiddo, and Josiah died there; 2 Kings ix. 27. xxiii. 29, 30. 3) Judg. v. 19, 21.

Jerome speak of the plain of Legio. All these circumstances make out a strong case in favour of the identity of Legio and Megiddo; and leave in my own mind little doubt upon the point.2

We left Sôlam at 10 o'clock for Nazareth; our road passing at first along the western end of the mountain of Duhy on high ground. The general direction quite to Nazareth is N. 9° W. After some twenty minutes, we began to turn the N. W. corner of the mountain, where a third great arm of the plain gradually opened upon us, running up between the Little Hermon and Mount Tabor. At 11 o'clock the latter for the first time rose upon our view in the N. E. an hour or more distant, a fine round mountain, presenting (as here seen) the appearance of a segment of a sphere; sprinkled with old oaks to its very summit, and realizing in its graceful form and beauty all that I had been led to anticipate respecting it. Yet it seemed not so lofty as has usually been represented; and, on this side, it is surrounded and shut in by other mountains of nearly equal altitude. It stands out almost insulated upon the plain, being connected with the hills in the N. W. only by a low ridge. Across

and Legio are both applied to the plain. It might at first seem an objection to this whole hypothesis, that Eusebius and Jerome in their article Mageddo, make no mention of Legio. But it is evident from the article itself, that the name Megiddo was already lost; and they do not even attempt to mark the position of the place. The same was the case in respect to Sichem; and even the identity of Sebaste and Samaria they only give as a report. See Onomast. arts. Mageddo, Sichem, "Semeron.

this ridge on the left of Tabor, we could here again see the lofty peak of the distant Hermon; and could now distinguish the ice upon its summit glittering in the mid-day sun.

This third branch of the great plain is, like the others, about an hour in breadth, but is more distinct and marked; the mountains which enclose it being higher and rising more abruptly from its borders. It extends around and beyond Tabor, quite to the brow of the Jordan valley, and likewise northwards with slight interruptions almost to Hattîn. In this part its waters run westwards to the Kishon, and the Mediterranean; further east, as we shall see, beyond Tabor, they flow towards the Jordan.

Below us, on the left, were the deserted villages of Fûleh and 'Afûleh; the former next to us about half an hour distant, and the latter beyond. So far as we could here judge, they stand nearly upon the dividing line of waters, between the head of the valley of Jezreel and the more western plain. But there is here no apparent ridge or swell of land, to mark the watershed; the ground on the North, South, and West, is level, and sends its waters to the Mediterranean; while towards the Southeast it begins to decline gradually, to form the great valley running to the Jordan.

At the same point (11 o'clock) we crossed the great caravan-road from Egypt to Damascus; which, coming by Gaza, Ramleh, and Lejjûn, here strikes the corner of the little Hermon, and passes on, one branch over the low ridge on the left of Tabor, and another on the right of that mountain in the plain. The branches unite again at the Khân beyond; and the road continues and descends to the shore of the lake, about three quarters of an hour north of Tiberias.

We now descended gradually to cross the arm of

the plain before us. At 11h 40' there was a large dry water-course coming from the right; and at 11h 55' another, apparently the bed of the main stream of this part of the plain, coming from the direction of Mount Tabor. But in this season of drought, not one drop of water did we meet with in all the great plain, except in the valley of Jezreel. Near this latter channel, was a small site of ruins called el-Mezra'ah.1 On our right, at some distance, we could perceive, on the northern slope of the little Hermon, the hamlet of Nein; and at the base of Tabor, the village Debûrieh. Nearer at hand in the plain, on a low rocky ridge or mound, not far from the foot of the northern hills, was the village of Iksâl, described as containing many excavated sepulchres. It is probably the Chesulloth and Chisloth-Tabor of the book of Joshua, on the border of Zebulun and Issachar; the Chasalus of Eusebius and Jerome in the plain near Tabor; and the Xaloth of Josephus, situated in the great plain.3— At 12h 20′ we approached the border of the plain on the North, being still ten minutes distant from the foot of the mountains, which here rise abruptly.

3

We were here opposite the mouth of the narrow

1) This is doubtless the "Casal Mesra" of which Brocardus speaks in this quarter, c. VII. p. 176. So too Marinus Sanut. p. 241.

2) Pococke calls this village Zal. Returning from Tabor to Nazareth through the plain, he says: "I came to the village of Zal, which is about three miles [one hour] from Tabor, situated on rocky ground, rising a little above the plain. Near it there are many sepulchres cut in the rocks; some of them are like stone coffins above ground; others are cut into the rock, like graves; some of them having stone covers over them; so that formerly this might be no inconsiderable place;" Descr. of the

East, II. p. 65. fol. Buckingham merely amplifies this account, Travels p. 450. 4to.

3) Josh. xix. 12, 18. Onomast. art. Acchaseluth: "Appellatur autem et quidam vicus Chasalus juxta montem Thabor in campestribus in octavo milliaro Diocaesareae ad orientem respiciens." Josephus B. J. III. 3. 1, ἀπὸ τῆς ἐν τῷ Μεγάλῳ πεδίω κειμένης κώμης, ἣ Σαλων καλεῖται. Jos. de Vita sua § 44. Raumer Pal. p. 123. Pococke 1. c.

4) From this point, at 12} o'clock, the places in sight bore as follows: Iksâl N. 63° E. Debûrieh N. 73° E. Summit of Tabor N. 80° E. Nein S. 50° E. Duhy S. 40° E.

Wady, which appears to come out directly from the basin of Nazareth; and is skirted on the East by the steep bluff usually called the Mount of Precipitation. A path leads directly up this valley to Nazareth; but it was said to be difficult, and our muleteers chose to take a circuitous road lying more towards the West. This led us along the base of the mountain for a short distance, passing the mouth of one small Wady, and then winding around and up a projecting point of the mountain, to gain the entrance of another. We thus obtained a noble view of the western part of the great plain, and of the third great eastern arm which we had just crossed. The plain in this part is rich and fertile, but lay mostly untilled; here and there only were a few patches of grain, intermingled with the far greater portions now let run to waste. From this point a beaten path went off across the plain towards Lejjûn, falling into the great caravan-road in that direction.

The way now led up through a narrow, rocky, desert Wady northwards; near the head of which we came at 1 o'clock to a cistern of rain-water with flocks waiting around. Not far from this spot, in another valley on the left, is the little village of Yâfa, of which I shall speak again. Fifteen minutes further brought us to the brow of the valley, or basin, in which Nazareth is situated; from which point descending gradually and obliquely, we reached the town at 13 o'clock. Passing along its lower side, we encamped five minutes beyond, among the olive-trees; just above the public fountain known as that of the Virgin.

The town of Nazareth, called in Arabic en-Nâsirah, lies upon the western side of a narrow oblong basin, extending about from S. S. W. to N. N. E. perhaps twenty minutes in length by eight or ten in breadth. The houses stand on the lower part of the