by a paved court, now a raised way, leading from the Mount of Olives over the Brook Kedron. The descent into it is formed by a handsome flight of steps composed of polished stone, being about fifty in number, and of a noble breadth. About midway down are two arched recesses in the sides, said to contain the ashes of St Anne the mother of Mary, as also those of Joseph her husband. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, the visiter is shown the tomb of the Holy Virgin herself, which is in the form of a simple bench coated with marble. Here the Greeks and Armenians say mass by turns, and near it is a humble altar for the Syrian Christians; whilst opposite to it is one for the Copts, consisting of earth, and entirely destitute of lamps, pictures, covering, and every other species of ornament. Chateaubriand observes that the Turks have a portion of this grotto: Buckingham asserts that they have no right to enter it, nor could he "learn from the keepers of the place that they ever had;" whereas the author of the Anonymous Journal, from which I have already quoted, states distinctly that "there is a place reserved for the Mussulmans to pray, which at the Virgin's Tomb one would not expect to be much in request." So much for the clashing of authorities, even on the part of writers who could have no wish to deceive!

There are various other grottos on the acclivity of the hill, meant to keep alive the remembrance of certain occurrences which are either mentioned in the gospel, or have been transmitted to the present age by oral tradition. Among these is one, which is supposed to be the scene of the Agony and the Bloody Sweat; a second marks the place where St Peter and the two sons of Zebedee fell asleep when their Master retired to pray; and a third indicates the spot whereon Judas betrayed the Son of Man with a kiss. Here also is pointed out the rock from which our Saviour predicted the sack of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple,-that dreadful visitation of which the traces are still clearly visible both within and around the walls. The curious vilgrim is farther edified by the sight of a cavern where the Apostles

were taught the Lord's Prayer; and of another where the same individuals at a later period are said to have met together to compose their creed. On the principal top of the Mount of Olives,—for the elevated ground presents three separate summits,— —are a mosque and the remains of a church. The former is distinguished by a lofty minaret which commands an extensive prospect; but the latter is esteemed more remarkable, as containing a piece of rock imprinted with the mark of our Saviour's foot while in the act of ascension.

But the view of the venerable metropolis itself, which stretches out its lanes and sacred enclosures under the eye of the traveller, is still more interesting than the recapitulation of ambiguous relics. It occupies, as we have already seen, an irregular square of about two miles and a half in circumference. Eusebius gave a measurement of twenty-seven stadia, amounting to nearly a mile more than its present dimensions; a difference which can easily be explained, by adverting to the changes made on the line of fortifications by the Saracens and Turks, especially on the north-west and western extremities of the town. Its shortest side apparently is that which faces the east, and in this is the supposed gate of the ancient Temple-shut up by the Mussulmans from a superstitious motive-and the small projecting stone on which their Prophet is to sit when he shall judge the world assembled in the vale below. The southern side is exceedingly irregular, taking quite a zig-zag direction; the south-western entrance being terminated by a mosque built over what is esteemed the sepulchre of David, on the elevation of Mount Sion. The form and exact direction of the western and northern walls are not distinctly seen from the position now assumed; but every part of them appears to be a modern work, and executed nearly at the same time. They are flanked at certain distances by square towers, and have battlements all along their summits, with loopholes for arrows or musketry close to the top. Their height is about fifty feet, but they are not surrounded by a ditch. The north

ern wall runs over ground which declines slightly outward; the eastern wall passes straight along the brow of Mount Moriah, with the deep Valley of Jehoshaphat below; the southern wall crosses Mount Sion, with the Vale of Hinnom at its feet; and the western wall is carried over a more uniform level, near the summit of the bare hills which terminate at the Jaffa gate.*

Buckingham, vol. i. p. 316.-The following words, put into the mouth of Titus by the eloquent author of the "Fall of Jerusalem," will be read with interest in connexion with the view just given. The son of Vespasian stands on the Mount of Olives :

"It must be

And yet it moves me, Romans! it confounds

The counsels of my firm philosophy,

That Ruin's merciless ploughshare must pass o'er
And barren salt be sown on yon proud city.

As on our olive-crowned hill we stand,
Where Kedron at our feet its scanty waters
Distils from stone to stone with gentle motion,
As through a valley sacred to sweet Peace,
How boldly doth it front us! how majestically!
Like a luxurious vineyard, the hill-side
Is hung with marble fabrics, line on line,
Terrace o'er terrace, nearer still, and nearer

To the blue heavens. Here bright and sumptuous palaces,

With cool and verdant gardens interspersed;

Here towers of war that frown in massy strength.

While over all hangs the rich purple eve,

As conscious of its being her last farewell

Of light and glory to that fated city.

And as our clouds of battle, dust, and smoke,
Are melted into air, behold the Temple,
In undisturb'd and lone serenity,
Finding itself a solemn sanctuary

In the profound of heaven! It stands before us
A mount of snow fretted with golden pinnacles!
The very sun, as though he worshipp❜d there,
Lingers upon the gilded cedar roofs;
And down the long and branching porticos,
On every flowery sculptured capital
Glitters the homage of his parting beams.
By Hercules! the sight might almost win
The offended majesty of Rome to mercy."

Old Sandys, a simple and amusing writer, describes Jerusalem as follows:-"This citie once sacred and glorious, elected by God for his seate, and seated in the midst of nations; like a diadem crowning the head of the mountaines; the theatre of mysteries and