CHAP. 1.

virtues which they certainly possess, when they exhibit movements and postures of the body expressing, in our eyes, the grossest licentiousness. Possibly it may have been from observing such violations of decorum, that some travellers, in their accounts of the country, have calumniated the Grecian women, by imputing to them a general want of chastity. Yet there is no reason to believe that any charge of this nature has been deservedly bestowed: on the contrary, we find that the latest descriptions of the manners of the inhabitants afford a much more favourable representation of their moral character'. That they are exceedingly superstitious, cannot be denied; but even their Superstitions. superstitions are rendered interesting, in having been transmitted, unaltered, from the earliest ages of the Grecian history. Among these may be noticed the wearing of rings, as spells'; the practice, upon any sudden apprehension, of spitting into their own bosoms'; the alarm excited by seeing serpents in their houses'; the observance of lucky or unlucky days'; the various charms and drugs which

(3) They are assiduous housewives, and tender mothers, suckling their infants themselves; and notwithstanding the boastings of travellers, I must believe them generally chaste." Hobhouse's Travels in Turkey, &c. p. 506. Lond. 1813.

(4) Δακτυλίους φαρμάκιται. Aristoph. Plut. p. 88.

(5) Τρὶς εἰς ἐμὸν ἔπτυσα κόλπον. Theocritus. A similar superstition is mentioned by Mr. Galt, in his " Letters from the Levant," p. 172. Lond. 1813.

CHAP. J.

Funeral Rites of the Albanians.

which are supposed to facilitate child-birth'; the ceremonies attending sneezing; offerings made of locks of hair; a veneration for salt'; with their various modes of divination. To collect and enumerate all of them, would require a longer residence in the country. An attention to such examples of antient ceremonies and superstitions is however useful; because, having been transmitted from father to son, and being found at this day in countries widely separated, they serve to assist an inquiry into the origin of nations; and if they do not enable us to trace a connection between different branches of the same stock, with as much certainty as the relationship of languages, yet they sometimes tend to confirm the truths which are thereby suggested. In such an inquiry, perhaps there will be found nothing more perplexing than the evident analogy between some of the customs of the present inhabitants of Greece and those of other nations, differing both as to situation, and in every peculiarity of language; such, for example, as may be observed in comparing the funeral ceremonies of the Albanians with those

(1) Vid. Aristophanes, @KUTÓKEL @vwoduɛvos. Plutarch (De Fluv. p. 60. Tortosa, 1615.) mentions an herb, Cyura, growing upon the banks of the Inachus, famous for its virtues in assisting parturition: and the women of Darien in America, when pregnant, eat an herb which, it is said, causes them to bring forth without pain. Vid. Boem. lib. iv. c. 11.

(2) ПIrapμos ik dev. Plut. Themist. p. 85. 1. 23.

(3) Vid. Lucian, Pausanias, &c. Human hair is often suspended among the aona votiva made by the inhabitants of India to their Gods.

(4) Ποῦ ἅλες. Demosth. p. 241.

with those of the Wild Irish and the Abyssinians'. It is quite impossible that these three nations can have had a common origin; because nothing can be more striking than the radical difference in their speech. The Albanians call the Sun Diel; among the Irish it is called Gideon, and by the Abyssinians Tsai; and a similar distinction may be noticed in comparing all their other nouns. Khéne, in Albanian, signifies the Moon; in Erse it is Djallack; and in Abyssinian, Tcherka. Yet the remarkable feast in honour of the dead, as practised by the Albanians, exactly corresponds with the Caoinan of the Irish, and the Toscar of the Abyssinians. There is not the smallest difference; and a coincidence so extraordinary, attending the funeral rites of such distant nations, is utterly unaccountable.

Upon

CHAP. I.

(5) They interrogate the deceased as to his reasons for quitting the world, crying out, "WHY DID YOU DIE? WHY DID YOU DIE?" (See Hobhouse's Travels, p. 522. Lond. 1813.) The Reader will find the same circumstance related also by Guilletiere. The Irish make use of the same questions, and in a similar manner enumerate all the good things which the deceased enjoyed. (See the former Section, Chap. III. p. 73. Note 1.) Among the Abyssinians the ceremony is precisely the same. "A number of hired female mourners continually keep up a kind of fearful howl; calling at times upon the deceased by name, and crying out, "WHY DID YOU LEAVE US? HAD YOU NOT HOUSES, AND LANDS? HAD YOU NOT A WIFE THAT LOVED YOU?" &c. &c. (See Salt's Travels in Abyssinia, p. 422. Lond. 1814.) Judging solely from the analogy thus pointed out, it would appear that the Celts, Albanians, and Abyssinians, were decended from the same stock as the Arabs and Egyptians, among whom the same ceremony also exists. Mr. Salt was also greeted in Abyssinia (near Dixan, upon entering Tigre from the sea-coast) with the Halleluïa, as it is practised in Syria. (See p. 242.) "The women," says he, "greeted us with the usual acclamation, Heli, li, li, li, li, li, li, li!"

CHAP. I.

Departure

from Athens.

Kakúvies.

Course of the
Antient Road.

Upon the last day of November, at four o'clock P. M. we set out from Athens, for Marathon, accompanied by our friend Lusieri, the Tchochodar, Ibrahim, and our Interpreter, and the Guides with our baggage; our little Danish dog, and his gigantic companion Koraki, the Epidaurian wolf-dog, running by the side of us. The English Consul, and some other Greeks, mounted on very beautiful horses, and in their best apparel, accompanied our cavalcade, as a mark of their respect, to a considerable distance from the city; amusing us until they took their leave with the game of Djirid. In this manner the Turks usually begin their journeys. We crossed a small river which falls into the Cephisus, and saw upon our left a tumulus that appeared to have been opened. After this, we proceeded, through oliveplantations, to a village called Kakúvies', at two hours' distance from Athens; and here we passed the night. The next morning, continuing our journey towards Marathon, we saw upon our left, about a mile from Kakúvies, among some olive-trees, a marble Bas-relief representing two figures, with part of an Inscription; of which we could only trace the following letters, belonging perhaps to the name of some family:

ΠΑΥΣΤΑ
ΤΡΑΤΗ

Such imperfect Inscriptions are only worth observing when they serve, as perhaps this does, to denote a sepulchral monument, and thereby to mark the course of the antient road

(1) This place is written Koukouvaones by Mr. Hobhouse. Trav. p. 439. Lond. 1813.

CHAP. I.

road near to which the tombs were constructed. Other travellers may hence be guided to the proper spot for making excavations. We had seen fragments of terracotta vases at the village of Kakúvies, taken from graves that had been accidentally opened by the peasants in the neighbourhood. We observed a pleasing village upon Mount Pentelicus, towards the right: the mountain is now called Pendeli. This village retains its antient name Konoia, Kevisia, Κεφήσια, almost unaltered in its present appellation, Kevisia. It is mentioned by Wheler. Here Herodes Atticus had one of his country-seats. Cephisia was famous for the birth of Menander; and when Herodes Atticus retired to this spot, during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, PAUSANIAS OF CÆSAREA, author of the Description of Greece, followed him as one of his pupils. Wheler says it is situated upon the stream that falls from Pentelicus into the Cephisus. As we continued our journey, we passed quite round this extremity of the mountain, leaving it upon our right. The country then became more uneven : we were always among hills, until we reached a village belonging to the Disdar of Athens, called Stamata, (written Stamati by Wheler',) distant

five

(2) Journey into Greece, p. 453. Lond. 1682. Also, since, by Mr. Hobhouse. (See Journey through Albania, &c. p. 436. Lond. 1813.) Chandler informs us, that one of the Marbles presented to the University of Oxford by Mr. Dawkins was brought from this village. (See Travels in Greece, p. 160. Oxf. 1776.) Mr. Hobhouse obtained here a marble bust as large as life, and of fine sculpture. The same author refers to a description of this place by Aulus Gellius, lib. i. cap. 2. & lib. xviii. cap. 10.

(3) It is also written Stamati.

Chandler (p. 160); and by Mr. Hobhouse (p. 425). We have preferred an orthography which we believe to be nearer allied to the name of this place as it is pronounced by the inhabitants.