Voices of Many Waters: or, Travels in the lands of the Tiber, the Jordan and the Nile, etc

Front matter

VOICES OF MANY WATERS ; OR, Cratols in t|. f .m.s of THE TIBER, THE JORDAN, AND THE NILE : WITH NOTICES OF ASIA MINOR, CONSTANTINOPLE, ATHENS, etc, etc. BY REV. T. W. AVE LING. LONDON : JOHN SNOW, PATERNOSTER ROW. 1855. TO THE CIRCLE OF BELOVED CHRISTIAN FRIENDS, THROUGH WHOSE GENEROUS SYMPATHY AND KINDNESS THESE TRAVELS WERE UNDERTAKEN j TO THE YET MORE ENDEARED AND INNER CIRCLE OF HOME AND CHIEFLY TO HER, WHO IS ITS CENTRE AND LIGHT, AND WHO, DURING THE WANDERER'S ABSENCE, WAS ITS EARTHLY STRENGTH AND STAY J ftlris ©nlniro is _._i.inrtr_, BY ONE WHO, WHILE LISTENING TO THE " VOICES OF MANY WATERS, COULD EVER HEAR THE MURMURINGS OF THOSE THAT FLOWED AROUND HIS ENGLISH HOME, WHOSE THRILLING AND WELL REMEMBERED TONES MADE SUMMER MUSIC IN HIS SOUL.

Preface

. I am not aware that any one is very desirous to know why this book was written and printed, and yet I cannot help prefacing its pages with an explanation. A long and severe illness, to a great extent incapacitating me from public duties, rendered it imperative that I should, for some months, seek an entire change of scene and occupation ; and avoid the severity of a northern winter, by a sojourn in some of the more genial climates, that are found on the shores of the Mediterranean. This led me, in the autumn of 1853, under the direction of my kind physician, Dr. Chapman, of Albemarle Street, to determine upon a tour in the East. Thither he had previously sent some of his patients ; and the happiest results had followed. It is my good fortune to add another name to the list of those, to whom his advice has proved eminently beneficial.

In this volume I have recorded the details of my visit, and given a description of men and things, as they presented themselves before me. I have not attempted to utter what is startling or profound — I am afraid these are not in my line ; — but to record the impressions which were made upon a mind h

PREFACE.

. VI somewhat susceptible, and eager to catch the different phases of society which presented themselves, as I rested or journeyed, amid scenes of beauty, or wonders of art; and as I mingled with the interesting people of the several countries in which I sojourned ; meeting them in the bosom of domestic privacy, or in the more public scenes of daily life. The hotel, the boat, the tent, the hut, and the palace — all, at times, offered opportunities for observation and reflection ; while numerous spots and objects of interest, — in the Holy Land, especially, presented much to a biblical student, from which he could not fail to derive invaluable instruction. I am perfectly aware that upon Italy and the East there are several excellent works already before the public. Two (in Italy, or on certain portions of that country, have recently appeared : the Rev. J. Stoughton's " Scenes in other Lands, with their Associations ;" and the Rev. Newman Hull's " The Forum and the Vatican ;" which, from the names they bear, are sure of a wide circulation.

These books I have not read ; for the very simple reason, that I wished to record only the results of my own observations ; and indulge in reflections, that should be uninfluenced by the opinions of others ; but I should, most likely, have been tempted, had I read their productions, to transfer many extracts from their pages to my own. I have no doubt it would have improved this volume, but I should have been shining in borrowed garments. If, therefore, any similarity should appear, in our descriptions or thoughts, it must be attributed to the fact, that we have all seen the same objects, and looked at men and manners from the same point

PREFACE.

. VII of view ; — a not unlikely thing to those whose sentiments on subjects, political and ecclesiastical, are pretty much the same. Upon Egypt, I believe, there are not so many publications. Of those written upon the Holy Land, as might be expected, the supply is greater. But I am not aware of any work, that within the compass of a single volume, gives a description of all three countries. This is one reason why I have written this book. I have attempted to present as lifelike and condensed an account of those interesting portions of the world, as could be done within the compass of five hundred pages ; that those who might not find it convenient to read separate works on these lands, might have an opportunity of perusing one, that should embrace them all. Another circumstance that led to this publication is the fact, that the substance of this volume was embodied in ten lectures, each of which was attended by more than a thousand persons.

Those who heard them were desirous to have a more permanent record of the personal adventures, the description of scenes of grandeur and beauty, and of men and things, which were then given. For them, therefore, this book is written ; as also for others — and I think they are many — who are anxious to receive information concerning these deeply interesting countries. This volume is not intended as a guide book to any of the places referred to. Murray's "Handbooks for Travellers" — in which will be found all that is requisite for this purpose — can never be superseded. I had them for Italy and Egypt, and

PREFACE.

. VIII found them invaluable. In some details, I have ventured to quote from them, because they could not be improved upon. One of the best works on the Holy Land, so far as its authors travelled, is the volume ofthe Scotch Deputation to the Jews; — a very correct and instructive book ; and so is that of the Rev. Cuthbert Young, " A Wayfarer's Notes on the Levant and the Nile " " The Boat and the Caravan," well known to be written by Mr. Tilt, the eminent bookseller of Fleet Street, is a most pleasant and agreeable volume, on Egypt and Syria ; very correct and unexaggerated, and having the advantage of some beautiful engravings. It is almost needless to mention Dr. Wilson's "Lands ofthe Bible;" and Dr. Robinson's "Biblical Researches." These are both — especially the latter — standard works, on the countries to which they refer.

Bartlett's Views are the most perfect pictorial representations I ever saw. To all who read these pages, I can only express the wish, that they may feel as much interest and pleasure in the perusal, as I myself felt when wandering through the " lands of the Tiber, the Jordan, and the Nile." If this be the case, my labour in writing this book, amid the pressure of many pastoral and pulpit engagements, will be amply rewarded. T. A. Stoke Newington, December, 1854. CONTENTS.

Chapter I

The Tiber, — the Jordan — and the Nile - - - 1 CHAPTER H.— Switzerland. Basle — Morn among the Mountains — Sabbath in Lucerne — St. Gothard Pass — An Englishman in trouble — The Alps — Belliuzona ....... f CHAPTER LU.— Italy. Lago Maggiore — Milan — Isola Bella — The Plains of Lombardy — Milan Cathedral — Ambrosian Bitual — Da Vinci's Last Supper — Street Fightings ----- 16

CHAPTER IV.

— Italy. Genoa — Leghorn — Pisa — The Campanile — Grand Duke of Tuscany -.--..__ 24

CHAPTER V.

— Italy. Florence — The Cathedral — Museum of Natural History — Fiesole 31

CHAPTER VI.

— Italy. Sienna — The Cathedral — The Papal Dogana — Acquapendente — Roguish Innkeeper — The Campagna — Baccano — Porta del Popolo - - - - - - - 37 CHAPTER VH.— Rome. Lifelessness of Borne — Pantheon — Castle of St. Angelo — St. Peter's — Dome of St. Peter's - - - - 46 CHAPTER VIH.— Rome— the Vatican. Pagan Hopelessness— Galleria Lapidaria — The Apollo Belvedere — The Laocoon — The Etruscan Museum — The Transfiguration, by Raphael — The Sistine Chapel - - 54

CHAPTER IX.

— Rome. The Capitol — The Bamhino — View from the Capitol — The Mamertine Prisons — The Forum — The Coliseum - 03

CHAPTER X

— Rome. Palace of the Cæsars — -The Fountains — Basilica of St. John Lateran — Pilate's Staircase — Basilicas of St. Croce, and St. CONTENTS. X CHAPTER XXXHI.— Jerusalem. rtal English Service on Mount Zion — The Via Dolorosa — Calvary — Holy Sepulchre — Hostile feeling between the Greeks and Latins— Site of Calvary— Mosque of Omar — The Temple — Jews' Place of Wailing — Ancient Bridge — Jewish Hospital — Karaite Rabbi — Jewish Women — Armenian Convent and Patriarch— The Pool of Bethesda - - - 331

CHAPTER XXXIV.

— Environs or Jerusalem. Valley of Hinnom — Mount Zion — The Valley of Jehoshaphat — Gethsemane — Turkish Cemetery — Mount of Olives. View from the Mount of Olives - - 352

CHAPTER XXXV.

— Bethany— Bethlehem. Jesus at Bethany — Tombs of the Kings — Bethlehem - - 362

CHAPTER XXXVL

— The Jordan and the Dead Sea. Road to Jericho — The Brook Cherith — Ruins of Jericho — Bedouins — the Jordan — the Dead Sea — Convent of Mar Saba — Accident — English Schools — British Consul — Departure from Jerusalem - - - - - - 871 CHAPTER XXXVH.— Samaria. Bethel— Well of the Thief— Jacob's Well— Nablous— Lepers- Samaria — Plain of Esdraelon — Tabor - - - 388

CHAPTER XXXVIIL

— Nazareth. Jesus at Nazareth — Tiberias — View from the hill of Nazareth — St. Jean d'Acre — The Lebanon — Tyre — Zarephath — Sidon — Beyrout - - - - - . _ 400

CHAPTER XXXIX.

— Damascus. The Lebanon— The Bekaa — Robbery — Anti-Lebanon — Damascus — Scene on the Barrada — Jewish Family in Damascus — Mosque and Khan - . 4]g

CHAPTER XL.

— Baalbec. Abila — Baalbec — Jewish School— Farewell to Syria - 432

CHAPTER XLI.

_ The Levant. The Cydnus — The Archipelago— Patmos — Smyrna— Plains of Troy — Gallipoli — Constantinople — St. Sophia — Views of Constantinople— Syra— Athens— The Acropolis— Ruins near the Acropolis -

CHAPTER XLIL

— Athens. Paul on Mars' Hill - _ i7i

CHAPTER XLIIL

— The Adriatic. The Ionian Islands— Trieste— Venice— Lake Como— Zumglius - 492

CHAPTER XLIV.

— England. A Retrospective Glance — Our Native Land - . -003 OR, TEAVELS IN THE LANDS OF THE TIBER, THE JORDAN, AND THE NILE.

CHAPTER I. THE THREE RIVERS.

The lands of the Tiber, the Jordan, and the Nile, are invested with a deep and undying interest, as the scenes of events the most striking that have ever occurred in the history of the world. The very names of these rivers, as they float around us in sacred or classic song, or greet the ear in the less impassioned tones of the historian, have a charm, to which the soul of the scholar, the antiquarian, or the Christian, yields with delight ; and call up a host of such mingled and startling associations, as belong to no other streams within the eastern or western hemisphere. The re flective traveller, as he wanders along their banks, hears, in the murmurs of their glancing waters, living voices, that seem to proclaim incessantly to the world the mighty and imperishable deeds of which they have been witnesses, and that have attracted to the I! countries through which they flow the attention of every student of history.

A rapid glance at these three rivers — not in the geographical order in which they are found, with respect to this country, but according to the antiquity of their recorded history, may be a fitting prelude to the details that follow. In ascending the Nile, literally or mentally, we ad vance towards the primeval source of civilization and government; light upon the first schools of science and art, and discover one of the chief birth-places of the religions of men. There we reach the most ancient seats of Polytheism, and enter the very adytum of the temple, whence issued most of the gods that Greece and Rome in after ages adored. Standing before the Pyramids of the desert, and the temples of Upper Egypt, a shadowy procession of priests and kings — the cunning and the strong — passes before us ; with an innumerable multitude of people chained to the chariots of their rulers, and by force or fraud made to minister to the lust of power.

Those gigantic structures, which for many days form such prominent objects in the landscape, as the voyager ascends the Nile, and which seem to bid defiance to the hand of time, and to that of a still greater spoiler — man ; while they proclaim, with trumpet tongue, the bold and grand conceptions of their founders, speak also of the utter disregard of princes for their people ; and are but mighty monuments of a lofty ambition, that, vaulting into high places, cared not how many were overthrown by its movements, how many homes were made desolate, or living hearts crushed. While, in musing amid the ruins of some of the most magnificent temples the THE NILE. 3 world ever saw, and tracing the sculptured similitudes of other days, one is irresistibly compelled to recog nize the appalling truth of the sacred writer, that "the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty;" and that when men "change the glory of the incorruptible God into an image like to corruptible man, and to birds, and to four-footed beasts, and creeping things, God will give them up to uncleanness, through the lusts of their own hearts."

The records of ancient Egyptian life, as they come before us in temple and tomb, are among the most painful and instructive confirmations of the scrupulous verity of the Holy Scriptures. The different phases of social existence that presented them selves, in the successive periods which have passed from the Pharoahs to the Ptolemys, and from these to the Turk, have left their traces, not merely in the sculptured and painted memorials of the past, but in the seemingly ineffaceable peculiarities, mental and physical, which are reflected in the appearance, the habits and thoughts of the present generation. The same remark applies to other lands of the East as well as to Egypt — the stereotyped character of the people and their customs being one of the most marked characteristics of Oriental countries, which thus present living commentaries upon that grandest record of Eastern persons and manners — The Bible.

We pass from the Nile, and cross the arid desert, over which once moved the mystic pillar of cloud and fire, and along whose bosom flowed the miraculous rock-born stream ; and traversing the rugged mountain paths of Judea, find ourselves on the banks of the b _ Jordan, among a different race of people, and amid other and more agreeable aspects of the physical creation. There every spot has its tale of wonder: every valley or hill claims to be the scene of some miracle of mercy or judgment; and all speak of a land that has been the abode of a wonderful nation, and that has witnessed a more extraordinary state of things than Egypt ever knew. There existed a true theocracy ; God becoming to men ruler, guide and guard, and the people dwelling under a government based upon the highest principles ; every law emanating direct from Jehovah himself.

" Thy land, O Imma nuel." Angels' feet have trodden its soil ; over its plains the audible harmonies of heaven have rolled ; while on its winds, for many generations, have been borne the voices of warning prophets, announcing their message from God to man. Above all, there dwelt and taught the Incarnate one, — " God manifest in the flesh ;" breathing around him the influences of heaven ; rebuking guilt by his purity, and irreligion by his piety, and selfishness by his self-denial, and hypocrisy by his transparent honesty ; lightening the burdens of humanity by words of sympathy and deeds of goodness ; kindling in the souls of men a new and glorious life, and waking up their slumbering powers to an imitation of himself, — a display of the Godlike in spirit, temper, heart, and life. Here, too, yet again, are wondrous events to trans pire.

The soberest interpreters of prophecy are con strained to lay their finger on the place which Syria occupies in the map of the world, as the spot where occurrences of a most extraordinary character are yet to be seen ; and thus the prophetic future, as well as the wondrous past, invests that land with an interest THE TIBER, 5 that does not attach itself to any other country under heaven. Again we pass onward, and crossing that " great and wide sea," of which the harp of David sang, and whose historical importance distinguishes it above all others on the face of the globe, we reach the European shores, and light on a people whose name is a synonime for valour and strength ; who, on the banks of the Tiber, reared so mighty a system of government, and so widely extended their empire, that never, until the days in which we now live, did the world witness aught that was parallel.

There was nurtured a patriot ism so stern, that even the gentlest and holiest emotions of our common nature were made to bow to its dictates ; and Roman honour and justice became a proverb as well and as widely understood as Roman valour had made itself known. Here, too, were kindled many of the most glorious lights of the intellectual world, that shone with a full and brilliant lustre, at a time when our British forefathers were rearing their rude huts in the shadow of mighty forests, and offering human victims on Druidical altars. Poetry, Philosophy, Ora tory, found a home within the circle of the seven hills, on the banks of the Tiber, and — so widely had their influence spread — were honoured as much in the house of the plebeian as in the palace of the patrician. As Athens fell Rome arose ; the sun that was partly set on the Acropolis continued to shine in full splendour on the Capitol ; and Cicero in the forum, Virgil at Cæsar's board, and Seneca in the household of Nero, were to Rome what Demosthenes, pouring forth his burning words and electrifying an Athenian audience ; Homer singing his wild and wondrous lays to Grecian leaders and princes; and Plato discoursing in the shadow of the temples, or wandering in the groves of Acadcmus, on the banks ofthe Ilyssus, had been to its more ancient rival.

" Italia! too, Italia ! looking on thee, Full flashes on the soul the light of ages, Since the fierce Carthaginian almost won thee, To the last halo of the chiefs and sages, 'Who glorify thy consecrated pages; Thou \v ert flie throne aud grave of empires ; still The fount, at which the panting mind assuages Her thirst of knowledge, quaffing there her fill, Flows from the eternal source of Rome's imperial hill." That student of history must be very strangely con stituted who has not cherished the desire to walk and muse by these mighty streams ; to stand upon the spots which have been distinguished by heroic deeds, or con secrated by religion ; to gaze upon the stupendous ruins of palaces, temples, and pyramids, that are even now regarded as the marvels of human skill, — and which, almost coeval with the birth of nations, have witnessed the march of forty centuries ; to become familiar with the scenes that have been immortalised by the pen of the historian, or the poet ; and, most of all, to tread in the footprints of the Divine Redeemer, when, veiling his essential glory, he walked among men, in the land which he hallowed by his presence, and baptised by his tears.

Such desires had often been cherished by me, and circumstances unexpectedly led to their realisation. The record of what was seen and felt, during a sojourn of nine months in Italy, Egypt, and the Holy Land, is given in the following pages ; and the reader is invited to wander along with the writer, and listen to the echoes of the past, and the utterances of the present, as they float around the contemplative traveller in the voices of many waters. BASLE — ŒCOLAMPADIUS — ERASMUS. 7

Chapter II. Switzerland

BASLE LUCERNE THE ALPS. The facilities for transit across the continent of Europe, as well as the deep interest that attaches to the countries and towns through which the traveller passes, have led many, who, like myself, were bound for Egypt and the East, to select the Austrian, French, or Italian route to the Mediterranean. I chose that of Italy, as I designed to spend five or six weeks in that country. The western sunlight lay sleeping softly upon the hoary brow of the Jura Alps, as the train rushed along the valley of the Rhine, with the Alsatian mountains on our right, and those of the Black Forest on the left, and brought us to the outskirts of the city of Basle. This fine old place is full of interest. Its situation on the banks of the rushing Rhine is very beautiful, whUe the view from the terrace overhanging the river in front of the cathedral, embracing mountains, forests, and stream, is most lovely.

The old minster, of red stone, is well worthy a visit, both for its archi tectural character and its historical associations. The part which some of the citizens of Basle played in the mighty drama of the Reformation invests it with no small importance. Here Œcolampadius, a worthy compeer of Luther and Zuinglius, introduced the doctrines of Protestantism, and after a laborious life found his last resting place in the cloisters of the cathedral. Under the roof of this edifice lie the remains of Eras mus, the scholar and theologian, who, though destitute of the spirit that fired his great contemporaries in their noble work, contributed by his learning, in no small degree, to accelerate the progress of divine truth. The ancient martial spirit of the Swiss, that has given them a world-wide fame, resides in the bosom of the people to this day.

On the evening of my arrival, the troops of the town met in a field outside the gate for exercise. A more noble and intellectual set of men I never saw. On my expressing myself thus to a gentleman, in whose shop I stepped while they passed along the narrow street, I was told that these were most of them substantial householders, and many of them students of the university. These men, therefore, were no hirelings, ready for any contest; but those who, with minds to appreciate the freedom of their own institutions, were ready to do battle in their de fence against any adversary. The threatening aspect of affairs at that time, on the confines of the Ticino, rendered it a not improbable thing that their services might be demanded. Happily, however, — for the present at least, the dark cloud that was gathering there has overblown.

On two previous visits to Switzerland, I had travelled by the road that leads over the Hauenstein to Berne ; but now designing to enter Italy by the St. Gothard pass, my course lay towards the lake ofthe four cantons, and its capital, Lucerne. I left Basle in the diligence just as the day was breaking. It was a beautiful sight to see the mountains gradually unveil themselves, as the clouds rolled up from the deep valleys and gorges below, kissing the tops of the forest trees, and reveal ing the green sides of the hills, glowing here and there in the rich morning light. The sun itself was yet MORN AMONG THE MOUNTAINS. 9 hidden by thick vapours, but pouring down from be hind them a flood of radiance upon the earth below ; while the higher summits of the Jura were every now and then visible through the rifts in the clouds, and stood out clearly defined against the dazzling blue sky that overarched them.

Just as we reached Liesthal, whose situation in the heart of a valley is most lovely, the sun burst out with a dazzling splendour, as if he were exulting to get free from his misty attendants, while far away towards the mountain peaks floated the torn wreaths of white vapour, until they melted into invisible air. Walnut-trees grew in abundance along the road, by whose side ran the wires of the telegraph, bringing London and Italy within an hour's communication with each other. It seemed as if one had not yet left the confines of the land of home, when the means of immediate intercourse with it were still in possession. After reaching the summit of the Unter Hauenstein, we descended by a steep road to Olten, the Ultimum of the Romans. The view from the upper part of the mountain was most magnificent, extending far away, into the dreamy distance, towards the Alps, whose snowy peaks were glittering like silver in a cloudless sky.

We passed through Aarburg, where is a strong citadel ; and ZofEngen, where are Roman baths ; and skirted for some distance the shores of lake Sempach, so celebrated in Swiss history, as the scene of the noble and heroic devotion of Arnold of Winkelried ; who, when the Austrian ranks could not be broken by the Swiss, because of their serried front of spears, rushed forward, and grasping a number of them in his arms, received their points in his bosom. By so doing he opened a path for his comrades, who, taking advantage of the breach thus effected, rushed forward, and ultimately overcame their foes. Soon after leaving Sempach the mountains around Lucerne began to open before us, and the city itself was speedily reached. I strolled along the shores of the lake until the evening, and watched the moon rise over the Righi, with a soft and silver glory, that shim mered along the quiet bosom of the waters, and lighted up the whole houses of the town with a pale and gentle radiance.

The following morning, which was the Sabbath, was as rich in daylight splendour as the previous evening had been in nightly beauty ; and I was glad that the day of rest was to be spent in a spot so full of interest, historical and natural. The glorious scenery of the neighbourhood; the mingled majesty and loveliness of the mountains and lake, with their ever-changing aspects, under clouded or azure heavens, was so beautiful and subduing, that I felt there was no place in Switzerland where I should prefer spending a quiet Sunday sooner than at Lucerne. A holy calm seemed to brood over all things, especially over the Alps, that stood out before us in all their startling grandeur. The snows of some were so pure and bright in the sunlight, that they seemed to woo the heart up wards to God, to adore Him who reared these monu ments of His power, and wisdom, and goodness, — to Switzerland at once a glory and a defence.

I felt thankful, too, that I was surrounded by so many of my own countrymen who were inclined to "keep holy day." Out of twenty-seven people, at breakfast at the " Trois Suisse," twenty-three were English, so that we had to look out towards the snowy mountains to realise the fact that we were seven hundred miles from our native shores. SABBATH IN LUCERNE. For a Catholic city, the Sabbath is kept with far greater strictness at Lucerne than in most of the con tinental capitals, although the contrast between it and Berne is still sufficient to indicate the character of their respective religious peculiarities. I went in the morn ing to the English church, the officiating minister of which was in ill health. One of the congregation, and one who had apparently something to do with the management of the place, enquired of me if I were a minister; and on my replying in the affirmative, requested me to help the clergyman in the services of the day.

I told him, that not being an Episcopalian I should not be allowed, even if I felt the inclination, to assist. His natural desire for the health of his minister seemed to overcome his ecclesiastical predi lections, for he intimated that as no one knewT of my peculiar religious opinions, there would be no danger of giving offence. But having some small objection to sailing under false colours, and knowing that the good man might very likely get into trouble for allow ing a minister of another communion to perform public duties in an Episcopal place of worship, — as some had already done, I was obliged to decline. After the service, I was joined by an American gentleman, who was staying at the hotel, in a walk out side the town. He inquired, with great simplicity, if a wedding was being celebrated, as he had seen a large number of people coming out of the church, near the hotel.

On my telling him it was Sunday, he appeared amazed, having lost his reckoning during his transit from the interior of Germany to Switzerland. He had seen so little of Sabbath-keeping — the people working in the shops and gathering in their corn — that one day appeared to him the same as another, and hence his surprise to find he had lighted upon a Sunday without knowing it. The next morning at five o'clock I left Lucerne, by the steamer, for Fluellen, en route for Milan. Some of my English fellow-voyagers were bound for the same city, and with them was a good sprinkling of Italian and Swiss passengers. The morning wind blew cold from the white peaks of the lofty mountain range, seen up the gulf of Alpnach, changing to a rosy hue, as the first rays of the sun caught the snow crystals ; and the mists began to roll up the sides of Pilatus and the Righi, as if to greet the rising sun.