Newspapers / The Journal (Salisbury, N.C.) / June 14, 1825, edition 1 / Page 4
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VARii:rY. • AH pleasure co:’Sist> in Vuridjj. Fioni the (London) Monthly LETTERS FKUM THE EAST. ■TFHUSALl.M. In an apartment a little on the left of the rotunda, and paved ivith marble, is shown the spot where Chritt appear ed to Mary in the c^ordcn. Near tliis bcf!;ins the asccnt to Calvary : it con sists of eighteen very lofty stone steps; you then find yourself on a floor of iKjautifully v.uie^ted slender marble, in the mickt of M'hich arc three or four tvhitft pillars of the same material, V'hirh support the roof, and separate the Greek division of the spot from that 3i)propriated to the Catholics ; these pil lars are partly shrouded hj’ silk hang- inp;s. At the end stand two sniall and elegant altars ; over that of the Catho- liccs is a painting of the crucifixion, and over the Greek is one of the taking down the body from the cross. A nuni- l>er of silver lamf>s are const;intly burn ing, and throw a rich and sofiened light over the whole oftliisstrikingscene. The street leading to (/'alvary has a long and gradual ascent ; the elevation of the stone steps is abt)VR twenty feet, and .f it is considered tt)al the summit has been removed to make room for the sa cred church, the ancient hill, though low, was sufliciently conspicuous, 'i'he very spot where the cross was nxed is shown ; it is a iiole in the rock, ourrounded by a silver rim ; and cm'h pilgi'im prostiates hin)s(df and kisses it with t!)e greatest (hn'otion. Its identi ty is piobably as strong as that of the cross and crown of thorns found a foot befow the surface ; l)iit where is the sceAe around or v. ithin the c'lty, how ever sacred, that is not defaced by the sad inventions of the fathers ? Having resolved to pass the night in the ciiurch, tve took possession for a few hours of a small apartment adjohiing the gallery that overlooked the crowded area ben- eatii. As it derw near midnight, we as cended again to the summit of Calvary. The pilgrims, one alter another, iiad dropped off, till at last all had dej>arted. No footstep broke on the deep silence of the scene. At intervals, from the Catholic chapel below, was heard the melody of the organ, mingled with the solemn chanting of the priests, who sung the death and sufferings of the Re deemer. This cervice, pausing at times, and again rising slowly on the oar, had an effect inexpressibly line. The hour, the stillness, the softness, the softened light and sound—above all, the belief of being where He, who ‘*so loved us,” poured out his life, affected the heart and the imagination in a man ner difficult to be described. Hour af ter hour fled away fast, and w’e descend ed to the chamber of the sepulchre. How vivid the midnight lights stream ed on every part ! the priest had quitted his charge, and the lately crowded scene was now lonely. This was the moment, above all others, to bend over the spot %vhere the sting of dpath and the ter rors of the gravc’^ were taken away for ever. Soon after daylight, the pilgrims be- ^an to return, and continued their vis its till the ensuinjjf night.—The fathers lamented deeply the breaking out of the Greek revolution, and the internal war between the two Pachas, which have combined to diminish the number of pilgrims to less than one-lourlii part of what it forme«’ly was, as the journey is become too dangerous. Three or four thousand arc conioutf'd to arri' e every year, who alibi'd a j roductivo revenue 10 tlie (lifffrent convents Ihit tliis in a great measure eaten up by the hea vy tix which the dill’erent urdcis are c'ljiigC'.’. pay t!ie 'I'uTk''. One d.'.y wo were favoured with an .'\udieiico of the Armenian patriarch. He w;)s seatedon a low divan, in an el- eg.'oit opartment ; anl his aspect wms noble and venerable. This fine old man is second only in rank to the great patriarch who resides in Persia; he said but little, and that throiigli his inter preter ; coffee ';iMd i»weeimcaio were handed round. A gratid procession of the three dif ferent orders took place one evening in the c];urch of the lloly Si pulchre. it v/as curious to ob''(*r\e t!ie spirit cl vanity and rivalry disjilayed on tiiis oc casion. First marched the Armenians nine times slowly rouiv.l tJje ton'.h, cl.i.l in the ir.ost splendid dreiseo ; the robe and tinr.'' of the patriarch was literally loadfd wih irv/els. They bore a num ber of .silk ol various colours, >vitii scenes iVom the Sciiplurc represented on them ; and they sung as they moveii alimg, with a consciuusness tliat they out-vied thc.’r brctl'iern in spleiulour ; b'lt the ahominahle nitsnl sounds they produced did not adJ to its ( fleet. The Gre(‘ks suc'^eeried, v.’ith far less rnas"- r*ifi^tncc, aiul little better singing ; b'l* ilic nc/hli* 'iiid intrllirrnt PTcprrss'oii of eoai.teiKUiCe of their dignified ecclesia stics stniek us extremely 'y thi;y ckrried hunches of sacred flow era in tlieir hands, ‘.vhieh the poor pilgrims gra^'jed at most eageily, to carry, eveu when withered, to their diNtant homes. 'I'iie fine and solemn chr.urilms; of the Fran ciscans, who came last,’ cunijflelely re- decmefl their dirty habits, coarse robeS; and sliaven crowns. One day, as Mr. G. was walking without the city, he perceived my old fellow-traveller in Eg} pt, *Mr. W . wh.u had come to reclaim his countrymen, the Jews, sitting forlorn at the p;ate of liethlehem ; but he sprang up \\ ith rap ture as soon as he saw him ; for his spirit was sad and desolate, he said, to find himself in his own fallen country, and surrounded by strangers. He was so fortunate, by means of an c.xeellent letter of introduction, as to find a home in the Armenian convent, wdiere he had a luxurious 3j)artinent, and the society of so»ne intelligent fathers. He was an excellent linguist, but had been nearly starvfMl by the monks of Anttmra. a- convent on Mount Lebanon, where he went to perfect himself in the Arabic, and who allowed him only a couple oi- eggs a day, with bread, to subsist on. He had an auilience in a lV;vv' da_\ s ol the 'I’urkish governor, who received kindly from him a Persian coj)y of the New Testament, It will be found, tiiat the Turks in general ])ossess I'ar more tolerance of opini(»n and practiCC than we give them credit for. I have heard m.tny of them obstu ve, that good men of all religions will be received into Paradise ; ami in all the cities of their dominions are to be found churciics and -convents of every Christian sect, enjoy ing perfect freedom of W'orship, and protection from insult in their rites and ceremonies. But the conduct of the Christians of Jerusalem to each other, and the bitter hatred they mutually manifest, are sufficient to give the Moslenien a contemptible opinion of CHristianity. About five years ago, a furious scuflle to(*k jilace aroiuid the Holy Sepulchre ; the time for the Cath olic priest’s stay in the tomb being ex pired, the Greek brother came to oc cupy his place, as'they take this duty in turn. The Catholic refused to quit it, when a w’arm.altercation ensued, and the Franciscan struck the other a vio lent blow on the head with the vase of holy incense. At sight of his blood flow’ing, the Greek cried out loudly, and the fathers of each church running in, the contest became general, and was only allayed by the superior. Even during the time of Easter, knives have been drawn and wounds given in the church, by the zealous of the different orders. It is said that the Turkish guard at the entrance sometimes beat and abuse the pilgrims ; but this can on ly be on occasion of their noisy and ri otous entrance. I have seen well-dressed Turks look ing on at the processions in the church w'ith perfect quietness and serenity. The Armenian patriarch one day sent Mr. W a pi escntof a large goat and a loaf of sugar, and we found him very much at a loss what to do with tije Ibrmer ; but as it was evident his highness, though keeping strict lent himselt', and his flock, intended it to be eaten, we advised him to have it killed and dres sed fjr dinner. 'J’he next day the goat made its appearance in sou[), and in half-r.-dozen slews and ragoiits besides ; unif, hilt that tiie patriarch had sent some excelient wine, it would have hcen dilicidr to gcL through the ban(juet. One of the tather.s, a middle-aged man, aud intorpi’ctcr to the jjalriarclv, was already on very intimate terms with Mr. . and higii in his cstimatijn, hut he .v’ould not share in tiiis rejiast in his own convent. Fatl.er Paolo Titiungi, having tried one or two paths before, had at last become an Armenian, and was a complete specimen of a clever, worldly, and designing monk. He lis tened with an a])pcarance of ileep inter est to Iho earnest discourses the stran- £i;er addressed Jo hini, wept occasional ly, saw clearly info the iniquities of hi:> past life, tii! at last no one, in his own, and his w friend’s opinion, could be so j)r;iper to he at the head of an Ar menian estahiishment, to be fi)unded in s(n';te part of Italy, and for which funds wore to he raised in F]n[;iand. We in vited him to dine with us at the convent one day with JVIr. W—. A late travel ler h.';' dwelt with some admiration on the excessive strictness of the Armenian pi u sts in Jerucalem during the time of Lent. If Father P’s ohs’rvations a- hcut his bretheren arc to he believed, there is a good deal of room for scepti- ("i.sPi on the subject. It was Lent, how- '■■\er, and we doubted if we hod an^ thing for our guest to eat. Put Father Titiungi ahvays refusing each otler al first, contrived to eat heartily of ever}- dish on the table ; and the wir.c also riOt‘.sparpil ; f;nd ii. ih? ev'ening, as we v.;.iked (jo the terraced luof, the good fatl.- r euuld u A relrain from singing a song. We rode yesterday, ::rcompnnled by At.tonio, the-yo’iiig (-’;itho!ic g'uide, to IJrthlelicm, a dislance ol about six n;i!es. 'I'he Vv'ay led over a bairen plain, for some distance, till we arriveil at the monastery of St. Elias, liethlehem soou came in view, on the brow oi a rocky hill, Vvhose .•■ides and feet arc partially covered with olive trees. On the right, about a mile from the village, is show'u the tomb of Jtachel : it h all the apju ?.”ance of one oi those toudjs erected often tu the memory of a'i'urk- ish snnton. After diningvery frugally at the Franciscan convent, it b(;ing Lent, we visited the Church built by the Em press Ifelena : it is large, and supported l)y several rows of marble pillars, but has a very naked appearance. I^icaving the Church, and descending thirteen stone steps, you are in the place that was formerly the stable where the Ke- decmer was born. 'I'here is no viola tion of consistency in this, as the stables •n the East are now often formed in the •«,ime way, beneath the surtace. Its present appearance is that of a grotto, as it is I'.ewn out of the rock, the sides ofw’iuch, liowever, are concealed by silk curtains ; the roof is as Nature made it, and the floor paved with fine mar ble. A rich alter, where the lamps are ever burning, is erected over the place wJiere Christ was born, and the very sj)ot is marked by a largf' silver star. Directly opposite to this is anoth er altar to signify the ))lace where the Virgin Mary and her child received the homage of the -Magi ; and ov>r it is a [Kiinting descriptive of the event. 'I'he second visit we paitl to R. thlehem v/as a few days afterwards; and the nionks be ing either absorbed in sleej), or In their devotions, as we could get no entrance to the con v(*ut, we found our way again to the grotto alone, and remained >hc!e without any intrusion. It issmall nfsize, and not lofty : the glory, formed oi marble and jaspr'r, around the silver star, has a Latin inscription,—“In this sjjot Je‘>us Christ was born of the Virgin Mary.” A narrow passage leads to the study of St. Jerome ; and not far off is shown his tomb, near to ^\•hi>’h are the tombs of St. Paul and another j)ious lady. Ascending again, you enter the Cliurches of the Greek and Armenian orders, but there is nothing, particular in either. About a mile down the val- h'y towards the wilderness, is the field where the shepherds kept watch by night, wlien the angles announced the birth of our Lord.. Two fine and vene rable trees stand in the centre, and the earth around was thickly covered with flowers. It is so sweet and romantic a spot, and so well suited to be the scene of that high event, that it would be pain ful to admit a doubt of its identity. At Bethlehem are sold the beautiful shells of mother of pearl, brought from the shores ui the Red Sea ; the surface is carved with various designs of the la.st supper and the crucifixion, by the in habitants of the village; and they are purchased by the pilgrims. Small cros ses also, cut out of the shells, are carv ed in the same way. 'I'he village con tains about seven hundred inhabitants, who appear to live very meanly. At some distance from Bethlehem,’and in rather a desolate spot, are the sisferns or reserv’oirs formed by Solomon to sup ply Jerusalem with water. They are three in number, and rise up the hill o- ver each other, so that the water flows down in a full stream from the highest, anti descends from the lower one into tlie valley, and thence, assisted by a small ariueduct, passes, by a course of seven miles, into the city,’which it en ters immediately by a subterraneous passage. I’hese cisterns are sustained i)y strong buttresses, and are of various sizes, tlie lower one being above six hundred feet In length ; they are evident ly of the highest antiquit}', and stand at present very much in need of repair. The spring that supplies them is not far ofl, and issues some feet below tlie ground. From lience to Hebron is a distance of seven hours: it is a large town ; and a '^l'urkii>h mosque is built over the cave where Abraham and Isaac were interred ; but it is scarcely possi ble to obtain admission into the mosque. We rejiented al'terwards not havinji' visitf'd this town, the most ancient in the Land of Promise. It was easy to perceive, in the con dition of the nionks, that the habit of residing constantly about the sacred places took away ali their novelty ; thev go over the detail as heartlessly as il attending an exhibition. Father Giusep- pe complained bitterly of his havin'; been obliged to sing and pray for thrc months together in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; for the prie.sts must lake this duty in turn ; and during th tur.C', soou after dawn, of th» celebra tion of high nias3.in the tomb of the Virgin Mary, one of tlie priests enter ed nilo a gay c.mversation, asserting that evwy man should be indulged with a couple of wives. The efi’ect on them at last, perhaps, of relics, chants, and holy places, is similar to that produced on the old monk, by the sacred territo- rv of Mount Sinai, who said that for seventy years he had seen little butpre- cijiices, sand, and sky. We returned to Jernsalem in the eve ning. Having sent to the Governor, for jjcrniission to visit the Dead Sea, ac companied by a guard, he retused it very civilly, but decidedly. In the present dIstLirbed state ot the coinitry, he said, w hen the Pacha ol Acre's troops were besieging Naplous, only nine hours distant, and the roads were infest ed by stragglers from the arndes, he could not be responsible for our safety ; and we must waitlor more peaceable days. 'I'he places within the walls of the city, which tradition would render sa cred, are innumerable. Beneath the gate of Bethlehem is shown the spot where Bathsheba was bathing wh.enthe king beheUriier from the roof of Ids palace, and the present tower ol David is l?uilt on the side ol the ancient edi fice. A small di>ttance within the gate of St. Ste[)hen that fronts Olivet, is the pool of Bethesda : it is deep and dry, the sides and bottom overgrown with grass, and containing two or three trees. A wretched street leads from this to the Governor's ])alace, a spacious and rather ruinous building, of Roman ar chitecture ; it contains some good apart ments, '. 'le windows of which command an excellent view’ of the mosque of 0- mar, and its large area. In the palace, the monks point out the room where Christ was confined before his trial; and, at a short distance, is a dark and ruin ous hall, shown as the judgment-hall of Pilate :—a little further on is the arch where the Redeemer stood, as his judge exclamed, ‘Behold the man.’ You then proceed along the street where Christ bore his cross; in which, and in the street leading up to Calvary, are the three places, where, staggering under the weight, he fi-H. These are mark ed by three small pillars, laid flat on the ground. The very hou.se of the rich man, also, is here, and the spot where Laj'aru'5 sat at his gate. Our faith had been on the wane long before we had accomplished thetourofall these places; for on what authority, save that of the priesthr.od, can they possibly rest; since the ancient city was so completely lev elled by Titus? We w'ere invited one evening to join a procession of the Fran ciscans, in a solemn visit to the sacred spots within the church of the Sepulchre. They were clad in white vestments, aiul carried each a long wax taper, one of which was f^iven into our hands.— The service was very impressive, and the chaunting fine. At every place rendered holy by tradition, they knelt for some time, till they entered into the chapel where Helena was interred, and then deseeuded into the vault where the cross was found. The interior of ol the the Church of the Sepulchre is of great extent, as it contains, besides the sacred places, the chapels of the Francis can, Greek, and Armenian orders. The first are losing grouml before the aspir ing and intriguing spirit of the two o- ther bodies. The Greek chaple is ex tremely rich, but has too'great a profu- ion of ornaments. The whole of Mount Calvary, and the lower ground about it, is enclosed within the “ sacred church,” and surmounted without by a large dome of a dark colour, which, from its conspicuous situation, is visible in almost every view of the city. They perform ed, in the Catholic chapel, one morning, a disgusting and revolting ceremony.— A young man was brought forth, niean- ly clad, and of a slender make, and a large cross being laid on hi.s shoulder, he walked slowly round, followed by a number of people. lie put on a sad enuntenace, and seemed to bend and faint beneath the lj*irden of the cross ; and at every pause he made, there wp.s a wailing and sobbing among the peo ple ; they at times knelt down, a monk prayed or chaunted in a mournful tone, in which they all joined ; and tl'.us the cereniony lasted for some time. It is beautiful to turn from such scenes to others, where the faith is confirmed, and the imagination delighted. Such is the fountain of Siloam : it rises about half-way down Mount Zion, and gushes Irom beneath a little urch, nearly ten feet below the surface, into a small pool, about two feet deep, 'i’his is quite open, ami the rocky sides of the spot are cut smooth : on the south side a flight of steps leads dov.-n to it ; the water is clear and cool, and flows down the ir.ount intj} the vjlley beneath, to a considerable distance.' At this steam ihe women of the city generally come to wash their linen; and its hanks arc in some parts shaded with Ircps. o pleasant spot here, a poor Tuik l' 5 brought his little cofie-shed, his nj and bread to -refresh the passengi?'^’ Down this romantic valley, wateieflT the stream from Siloe, was my fovor ? walk ; at the head of it, the Valiev^ c Hinnom and Johosaphat meet, and > winds between rugged and desolate Mji towards the wilderness of St. Saba 1* was frequented by few. ' One evening, I observed two poor Turks, who were, returning to tjie: homes ; the hour of prayer being com^ they quitted the path, and crossin^*thI stream, knelt down side by side on us i'anks, in deep and silent devotion, h was infinitely striking ; and if weirl,ej in the balance with the vain processions and vile ceremonies in the ill-fiited city wdiich would be lightest In the account To the north of the town, and not very far from the walls, is the magnificer> cavern, called that of the prophet Jcrc* miah. Here, it is said, he retired to pour forth his lamentations. As far as size, gloominess, and grandeur go, "it well merits its appellation ; it is held in no small regard, as the key of the gate Is carefully kept. No spot could have been more suitable to the utterance of the woes against the devoted city, and the mournf^ul and Impassioned feelings of the inspired prophet. The pilgrim, however, whocomesto the city, must set no bounds to his faith, as he is shewn the place where the head of Adam was found, the rock on which the martyr Stephen was stoned, and the place of the withered fig-tree ; with the milk of the Virgin Mary, and sonic of the tears that St. Peter wejit in his bit- ter repentence. Beneath a large spread ing tree., down the valley, where the soil is rather elevated, is the place where the prophet Isaiah was sawed asunder. Among the pilgrims was a Servian and his wife, who had come a great distance from their own country to visit the Se pulchre. This poor man w’as so enrap tured at what he saw, that he give forty pounds, great part, no doubt, of his pro perty, as a present to the convent. Ac Armenian, a man of property, died a- bout this time, in the convent: the monks, as is the custom, took posses sion of all he had with him, and turned his poor servant out, without even pay ing him the wages due from his master. A curious instance was related to us of the uncertainty of regarding^ too hi?hly many of the spots pointed outas sacrei!, by a gentleman whose travels brou:ht him to the city about this time. He had gone to the summit of Calvary ; and his mind being deeply affected with tho solemnity of the seen**, he knelt dowa where tlie hole of the true cross was pointed out to him, and though no wor shipper of that, yet it served to bring vividly to remembrance all that had passed around. But in the midst oi Ids beautiful reverie and blissful feelinp, he was suddenly startled by the {riiidc Antonio clapping him on the shoulder, with “Signor, Signor, this is not the true hole, it is farther on,” Inan instant every solemn feeling was put to flight, and the charm irreparably broken. The Chlppewas, after the interment of a person, preserve a fire for four nights upon a grave. This is founded cn'a romantic tale, that a warrior being once, as it was believed, mortally wounded^ was placed against a tree. When hisp:iriy returned victorious, this man follo'veJ the party, and though he saw thcm» could not himself be seen, and though he heard them speak, could not himscll be he'ard. He had an in interview with. his wifi; in this predicament, and stnl not being able to convince licr th^^it r/J was present, resolved to return and if his body was in reality sitting by tha side of a tree. He accortlingly and was obstructed by fire, wliioh finally passed through, ond on hi^^!'^^' turn awaked frofn a trance in v.’hich T/j bar! remained for eight daysa:nl rcturi.- ed home with his body. The fire is preserved by tlic Chipr^^' was upon tlie grave for four n.g,'!it* the intelligence imparted ly this ma./, that the spirit had fi>ur days journey W make before he could arrive at the lan“ ofsouls;and that he visited his g^au every night to v/arni liimscii while o.i his passage. THE TKr-S.S Is a formidable bridle to power, by making public its Ica^^ croaehments, by suffering nothingtp concealed, and by eternizing the Vice» and even the weakness of Kings, remarkable act of inju.^tice is -means echoed through all nations o. ^ earth, and rouses every free and sen-'- ble mind. The friend of cherish the art of"printing ; but tho man must tremble, wh'm he press ready to publish his Cill 0"“^?, r.''d t ? .'*11
The Journal (Salisbury, N.C.)
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June 14, 1825, edition 1
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