forced every night to defcend, and leave their flocks of goats and fheep feeding. This mountain on one fide, abounds with pleasant fprings, woods, many sorts of trees, fhrubs, and herbs, as Maples, Ilices or Holmoaks, Arbutus and Adrachne, Alaterni, Cifti Labdaniferi, Firrs, Cypress, Chamalea, Thymelea, Oxycedrus, Nerion or Oleander with a white flower, Olive-trees, Vines, many Legumes and Pulfe.

Near round this famous mountain Ida arə found Salvia Pomifera, which is carry'd to all the markets, Caperfhrubs, Mandragora Mas & fœmina, two kinds of Peony with a white flower, Tragium feu Androfæmum fœtidum, Leontopetalum, Melilotus vera Odorata,Trifolium Moenianthe (perhaps our Paluftre) Heliocryfon, which grows so thick as to cover and fhelter the hares; Stachas Citrina, two kinds of Tragacanth, which yield no gum in this island ; Staphis agria, common up and down; Coris, a fort of Hypericum, with leaves like Heath or Tamarisks, grows plentifully, the root hath an unpleasant taste, and vomited me. The Anagyris ftinks fo upon the roads, that it caufes the head-ach, and scarce any animal will touch it. Tithymalus Dendroides, Thapfia, Ferula, Libanotis, and Sefeli abound. Agriomelea frutex, a fort of Sorbus or Cotonafter; a fourth fpecies of Ariftolochia different from thofe three defcrib'd by the ancients; it is fcandent like a Smilax. The Coccus Baphica or Kermes is found plentifully here upon an Ilex, the fhepherds and boys gather it in June, feparate the red animalcules from the veficle or excrefcence by fieves, and form them into balls very gently for fale, for if they are squeezed or prefs'd,they diffolve, and the colour perifhes. The Dictamnus grows only between the fiffures of the rocks, but the Pfeudo di Etamus in other places. Lotus Arbor, Zizyphus or Jujube, Scolymnus Chrifanthemos, call'd commonly Afcolimbros, whofe milky root and young leaves make a common dish, Tithymalus Myrfinites and Paralius in the mountainous and maritime places, as also a Gnaphalium candicans littoream, and a wild Braffica, Chamafyce and Soldanella, a Dracunculus with an Ivy-leaf; the Halimus makes their common hedges up and down the island, the tops are eduIcus; Agnus Caftus, Sedum fruticefcens, Thymum legiti

mum

which laft ferves them for common fuel; the Thymbra or Satureia vulgaris, all loaded with Epithymum or Didder; the Tribulus Terreftris is very noxious to their fields, and Pulfe; Scammonea or Schammony in hilly places, Sefamum and Xylon, or Cotton, are fown in April; Pitch is boyl'd out of the Pines on the mountains. There is none of our Afparagus, but inftead of it two prickly kinds, call'd Corruda and Politricha. Ten varieties of wild Anemone's. There is a fort of Artichoak, call'd by the fhepherds Agriocinara, whofe turbinated root is fold by many Druggists for the Coftus Indicus, the tops are eaten, the flower is white, fometimes purple. There is a fort of Carline thistle, call'd Chamalion Albus, whofe odorate root Tweats out a Gum which the women in Candy chew, as they in Scio do Mastich, or they in Lemnos the Gum of a Condrilla. Two forts of Acanthus, one foft, the other prickly. The inhabitants have not left off the old manner of preferving the tops of an Anonis, as alfo the tender fhoots of an Eryngium. The island affords three kinds of Origanum, a fort of Squill or Sea-onion, Orobus, Securidaca, and many other legumes. It abounds with Terebinths and Maftich-trees, Laurels, Styrax, and arborefcent Ricinus, or Palma-Chrifti; Afpalathus, and a Genifto fpartium call'd Echinopoda.

The Ibex, or Steinbock, a swift nimble animal, whose horns are heavy and long for the bulk of the creature, frequents the rocky mountains; there is also the Strefi ceros, a fort of Gazella.

The bird call'd Merops and Apiaftrum, or Beeater, a fort of Woodpecker, is common in the ifland, catches Bees, and feeds on them in the air. The Attagen and Francolino, as alfo a white large Partridge, frequent the mountains; Eagles, Vultures, and Falcons build on the rocks.

The fish call'd Scarus, which I never obferved in the Euxine, Propontis, or any other part of the Mediterranean-fea, is common on the coafts of Candy, and is generally taken at the same season that the inhabitants rake and gather their fweet Labdanum, or Ladanum; the only bait for this fifh is made of the leaves of a Phafeolus, which they fwallow very greedily.

I obferved only three kinds of Serpents in this ifland, the first is call'd by the country people Ophis; the fecond Ochendra; the third Tephloti; but none of these is venemous; I faw one bite and draw blood, but without any harm. Hence the ancients might fay, that Crete nourish'd no poisonous animal.

The Phalangium is common up and down; it weaves webbs like other Spiders, to catch it's prey, as Butterflies and Flies, and other infects. It lays about fixty eggs, carries and hatches them under it's belly; it fights much with the Ichneumon Wafp.

The ftone call'd Dactylus Ideus, or Belemnites, erroneously taken and fold for the Lapis Lyncis, is plentiful on mount Ida.

The Vinum malvaticum, or Pramnium, as alfo the Mofchatell, are made here, and tranfported up and down.

For a full catalogue of fuch vegetables as grow in the ifland of Candy, together with their fynonymous names and places, the reader may be pleased to confult Mr Ray's Collection of Exotic Catalogues, publish'd this year at London, and annex'd to the end of this Second Volume, amongst which the Cretic plants are all drawn together out of Bellonius, Honorio Belli, Alpiaus, Pona, &c.

СНАР.

CHA P. II.

A Defcription of mount Athos, commonly call'd Monte Santo, by Mr Belon.

T

HIS famous mountain fo celebrated by the ancients, stands in a peninsula or promontory of Macedonia, ftretching out into the Egaan-fea; it's fhadow reaches to Lemnos or Stalamine; it is inhabited only by monks, call'd Caloyers, who never marry, tho' other priests of the Greek church do. These Caloyers abstain from all flesh, and even from fanguineous fishes in Lent-time; they live very hardly and feverely; their ordinary difh is pickled Olives, not green like ours, but black and ripe, dry'd without pickle. There are about fix thousand of thefe Monaftics, that inhahit feveral places of this mountain, on which are feated twenty four large old monaftries, encompaffed with high and strong walls, for defence against pyrates and other robbers, tho' they who spare nobody are kind and indulgent to the Caloyers.

In these monaftries the ceremonies of the Greek church are moft diligently and ftrictly observed, and these Caloyers or monks are the moft reverenced of any belonging to that communion; the Turks themselves will often fend them alms, being taken with the fanctity of their lives; and the monks who inhabit mount Sinai, mount Libanos, the defarts of St Anthony, Jerufalem, and other holy places, are always the more valued and refpected, if they have lived before on mount Athos, which is in as great esteem and veneration amongst the Greeks as Rome among the Latins. This place is under the jurifdiction

of

of the Patriarch of Canftantinople, who pays about twelve thousand ducats per Anum to the Grand Signior, upon the account of the European Greek church. The Patriarchs of Alexandria, Damafcus, Antioch, &c. give alfo their particular fums to the Turk, who gives liberty of religion to all that pay tribute.

Of these fix thoufand religious, or Caloyers of mount Athos, none lead idle lives, as most of the monks in other places do, but every one hath his daily employment; fome labour with the ax, fpade, and fickle, drefs their vineyards, cut trees, build fishing-veffels; others carry facks full of provifion, bread, and onions; fome spin and weave, their diftaff being made of the Arundo Donax, and their spindle of the herb call'd Attractilis; some are Taylors, Bricklayers, and Carpenters; they are generally cloath'd like hermits.

This mountain is about three days journey long, and may be feen about thirty leagues off at fea; the monaftries are at fome diftance; they give fuch provifions as they have gratis to all travellers whatfoever, as pickled or dry'd olives, raw onions, falted beans, bisket, falted fish, fometimes fresh, for they often go a fifhing, their veffels or boats being cut without great difficulty out of the thick trunks of Planetrees; their nets, for want of Cork, are fupported with Gourds, as they are in the Propontis with the bark of Pines. The chief monaftry is call'd Ageas Laura, and fronts the ifle of Lemnos, it contains about three hundred Caloyers or Greek monks; thofe that look towards the continent of Macedonia, have all their peculiar names, and contain fome two hundred, others one hundred and fifty Caloyers. Formerly there were good Greek manufcripts in these monaftries, but now none at all, unlefs of Theology; no Poets, no Hiftorians, no Philofophers, not one of the monks learned, of fix thousand fcarce above two or three know how to write or read, fo degenerated and deprefs'd is the Greek nation at prefent; they ufe wax candles and lamps in their churches, as alfo ftatues, pictures and bells; they have no poultry, pigeons, or any other birds; nor fheep nor cows, nor goats; because they abftain from all flesh;

they