lect the Grand Signior's tribute, to see good order observed, and to protect the pilgrims, and the father's who reside here, from the insults of the Arabs.

On Good Friday, in the Latin style, the French consul was obliged to go into the church of the holy sepulchre, to attend the religious solemnity of that season, and we made no scruples to accompany him, though it was not yet Easter according to our computation. The doors of the church are guarded at these times by Turkish officers and soldiers, who watch that none enter who have not paid an appointed caphar, which is more or less, according to the country or character of the persons who want to be admitted. Whoever has once paid this duty, may go in and out gratis during the whole feast at public times, when it is usual for the doors to be open; but if they would have them opened at any time on purpose, the same expense must be re

peated.

But before we enter this sacred fabric, let us take a view of its outside. The church of the holy sepulchre, which pilgrims chiefly visit, stands upon Mount Calvary, and is about a hundred paces long, and sixty wide. To prepare this hill for laying the foundation of the church, the workmen were obliged to reduce it to the plain area, which was done by cutting away several "parts of the rock, and elevating others; but particular care was taken, they tell you, that none of those parts of the hill should be diminished, or suffer any alteration, which were more immediately concerned in our Saviour's passion; and, therefore, that part of Calvary where he is said to have been fastened to the cross, and lifted up, is left entire, being about twelve yards square. This spot of ground is considerably higher than the floor of the church, insomuch that there are one and twenty stairs to go to the top of it; and the holy sepulchre itself, which at first was a cave hewn in the rock, under ground, the rock all round it having been cut away. At the West end of the church is a square tower or steeple, the top of which appears somewhat broken and ruinous; but the edifice in general is kept in good repair, and,

considering what part of the world we are in, may be deemed sumptuous and magnificent.

All the pilgrims having entered the church on Good Friday, the doors were locked in the evening, and opened no more till Sunday morning, during which agreeable confinement we had the pleasure of seeing all the ceremonies practiced by the Latins at this festival, and of visiting the several holy places in the church, all which we had an opportunity of surveying deliberately and without interruption. By 'holy places' we are to understand such as are looked upon with more than ordinary veneration, and are reckoned peculiarly consecrated, by having some particular actions done in them, relating to the sufferings, death, burial, and resurrection of our blessed Saviour. Of these there are above a dozen within this church, some of which are as follows: 1. The place where Christ was derided by the soldiers; 2. The place where they divided his garments; 3. The prison where he was shut up whilst they digged a hole to set the foot of the cross in, and prepared every thing for his cruci fixion; 4. The spot where he was nailed to the cross; 5. Where the cross was erected; 6. Where the soldier stood who pierced his side with a spear; 7. Where his body was anointed in order for burial; 8. Where he was laid in the sepulchre; 9. Where the angels appeared to the women after his resurrection; 10. The place where he himself appeared to Mary Magdalen; and several others. All this is supposed to have been transacted within the narrow limits of this church; and the sacred places are still all distinguished and adorned with so many several altars.

In the galleries round the church, and in some little buildings on the outside adjoining to it, are apartments for the reception of the friars and pilgrims; and in these places almost every Christian nation formerly maintained a small society of monks, the Turks assigning each of them their particular quarter. There were Latins, Greeks, Syrians, Armenians, Georgians, Maronites, and several other sects of Christians; but there are only three sorts remaining at present, who constantly reside

here, namely, Latins, Greeks and Armenians; all the rest having forsaken their apartments, not being able to bear the excessive rents and extortions imposed upon them by their Mahometan landlords; and the Armenians are reduced to such a low condition, and so much in debt to the Turks, that they will soon be obliged to leave their quarters.

Besides these distinct apartments, each fraternity has its respective altars and sanctuary for its own use, from which all other nations are excluded. But what has ever been the great source of contention between the several sects of Christians in this place, is the command and appropriation of the holy sepulchre, each claiming it as their property, and being desirous of having it in their own possession. The Greeks and Latins particularly, have disputed the privilege of saying mass in their chapel with so much warmth, that they have come to blows, and wounded each other, at the very entrance of the contested se pulchre: but to put an end to these scandalous and unchristian quarrels, the French king interposed by a letter to the Grand Vizier about the year 1685; and in 1690 an order was obtained for putting the holy sepulchre into the hands of the Latins, who since that time have had the sole privilege of saying mass in it, and solemnizing any public office of religion, though Christians of all nations are permitted to go into it to perform their private devotions.

The constant employment of the monks belonging to the church is to trim the lamps, and to make devotional visits and processions to the several altars and sacred places. Thus they spend many years of their life, and some of them out of their

*"An evidence of this fury," says Mr. Maundrell, "the father guardian of the Latin convent showed us in a great scar upon his arm, which he told us was the mark of a wound given him by a sturdy Greek priest, in one of these unholy wars." "Who can expect,' continues he, "ever to see those holy places rescued from the hands of infidels? Or, if they should be recovered, what deplorable contests might be expected to follow about them? seeing even in their present state of captivity they are made the occasion of such unchristian rage and animosity."-Journey from Aleppo, &c. p. 70, 71.

abundant zeal, continues here to their dying day, entertained and transported with the pleasing contemplations naturally excited by this holy mansion. The Latins in particular, ten or twelve of whom constantly reside in the church with their president, make every day a solemn procession with tapers, crucifixes, and such Hike apparatus, to the several sanctuaries, singing at every one of them a Latin hymn, suitable to their respective subjects; but at Easter, the time when pilgrims usually resort to Jerusalem, their duty is greater, and their ceremonies more numerous, than at any other season. As these Latins are more exact and regular in the discharge of their functions than the other monks residing at Jerusalem, and our conversation being chiefly amongst them, I shall only describe their manner of celebrating this festival, without taking notice of the ceremonies practised by the other Christians on the same occasion.

On Good Friday night, called by the friars Nox tenebrosa, or the dark night, the solemnity begins, which has something in it so extraordinary as to deserve a particular description. In the evening, as soon as it grew duskish, all the monks and pilgrims assembled in the chapel of the apparition, (a small oratory, so called, as being the supposed place where Christ appeared to Mary Magdalen after his resurrection) in order to walk round the church in procession. Previous to this, however, one of the Latin fathers preached a sermon, during which the candles were all put out, to yield the more lively representation of what we were then commemorating. Sermon being ended, which lasted about half an hour, every one had a large lighted taper put into his hand, and all necessary preparations were made for beginning the procession. Among the crucifixes there was one of a large size, to which the image of our Lord, as big as the life, was fastened with great nails, having a crown of thorns on its head, and being smeared with blood in such a manner that it very well represented the tragical spectacle of our Lord's body hanging on the cross. This figure was carried at the head of the procession, the company following, and singing different hymns at the ap pointed places.

Hh.

The first place they stopped at was a little cell not far from the door of the chapel of the apparition, wherein is kept the pillar of Flagellation; and having sung a hymn proper to the cruelty here commemorated, another friar gave us a sermon in Spanish, relating to the scourging of our Saviour. This pillar, or rather the piece of it here preserved, is near a yard in height, and is secured by an iron grate, so that no body can touch it, though it may be viewed distinctly.

From hence we went, two and two, to the chapel of the prison, where they say our Lord was secured whilst things were getting ready for his crucifixion. This is a little dark place, to which we descend by three steps, and belongs to the Greeks, who keep a lamp there continually burning. Here another hymn was sung, and a third friar preached in Italian.

Our next visit was to the chapel of the division of Christ's garments, which belongs to the Armenians; and here a hymn was also sung, but we had no sermon.

Having done here, the procession advanced to the chapel of Derision, wherein is an altar supported by two pillars, and underneath it is a piece of greyish marble, on which they say the soldiers placed our Saviour when they crowned him with thorns, and mocked him, saying, "hail, king of the Jews;" from which mockery the chapel takes its name. Here we had another hymn, and a fourth sermon..

1

From this place they went up to Cavalry by the stairs already mentioned, leaving their shoes at the bottom; and being come to the altar where our Lord is supposed to have been nailed to the cross, they laid down the great crucifix on the floor, and seemed busied in nailing the body to the cross; and, after the hymn, another friar preached a sermon upon the crucifixion. This chapel is covered all over with mosaic work; and in the middle of the pavement there are some marble stones of several colors, designed to show the very place where our Lord's blood fell, when his hands and feet were pierced. It belongs to the Latins, and has two altars, before which are sixteen lamps, and a candlestick with twelve branches.