for it is ufual with great Men among the Mahometans to leavé à Sum of Money at their Death for certain Prayers to be repeated at their Sepulchres. It would be tedious, and almost endless, to describe all the Mofques in Damafcus; I fhall therefore only mention one more, which is commonly call'd the green Mofque, because it has a Steeple or Minaret faced with green glazed Bricks, that make a very fhining and agreeable Appearance. This Mofque has a large Court or Area before it, the Pavement of which is admirable; and in the Middle of it is a fine Fountain or Bafon of Water. At one End of it is a Portico fupported by eight Marble Pillars of the Corinthian Order, the fix inner ones whereof are fluted. These eight Pillars fupport fo many little Domes cover'd with Lead, which form the Top of the Portico, from whence we enter the Mofque by three ftately Doors, adorn'd with excellent Sculptures. THERE are a great many Bazars, that is, Exchanges, or Market-places, in Damafcus, which are large Buildings roof'd over, with Shops on each Side, and most of them take their Names from the Commodities that are fold in them, as the Bazar of Stuffs, the Bazar of Saddles, &c. The largest of these Structures, if I remember right, has a high-ridged Timber Roof, fupported by Stone Arches at convenient Distances, and is call'd Sinanie, from its Founder Sinan, a Bashaw of Damafcus, who has left feveral other publick Monuments of his Generofity in different Parts of the Turkish Empire. Thefe Bazars are generally crowded with People, the City being a Place of confiderable Trade, but they have nothing else in them that de ferves the Attention of a Traveller. ONE Day we took a Walk into the Ager Damafee us, a long beautiful Meadow on the Weft Side of the City, divided in the Middle by the main Stream of the River Barrady. This Meadow is call'd the Meidan by the Turks, and is not only taken notice of on on account of its Pleafantnefs, being encompafs'd with delightful Gardens, but is remarkable for a Tradition current at Damafcus, that God made Adam of the Earth of this Field; and the very Spot where this was done is diftinguish'd by a little Fillar fix'd in the Ground. ADJOINING to this Meadow ftands the Moreftan, a large Hospital founded by Solyman the Second, for the Accommodation of poor Pilgrims of all Religions. Having enter'd it, we find ourselves in a pleasant fquare Court, on one Side whereof is a ftately Mofque, with a large Dome in the Middle of it, and a handfome Minaret at each End, all cover'd with Lead; as are likewife the Domes over its Portico, which are fupported by lofty Marble Pillars. On the Side of the Square oppofite to the Mofque are the Kitchens, and on each hand are Cloysters and Lodgings of no ordinary Structure. In our way homewards we pafs'd by a great House where they make vaft Quantities of Bifcuit for the Ufe of the Mabometan Pilgrims; two hundred Camels being annually loaded with it at Damafcus, and as many with Water, at the Expence of the Grand Signior, to be distributed among the Poor, as they have occafion for it, in their Journey from thence to Mecca. Soon after this we crofs'd the Horfe-Market, where there is a Stone about five Foot high, concerning which the Turks have a Tradition, that if ever it fhall be cover'd with Water, Damafcus will be taken; and this is no Impoffibility, for the Place is liable enough to Inundations. THE next thing that attracted our Sight was a very beautiful Bagnio, and not far from it a large Coffeehoufe, capable of entertaining four or five hundred People. One Part of it, defign'd for the Reception of Guests in the Summer, is a finall Inland, furrounded with a swift Stream, where they fit under the Shade of Trees and Matts, and regale themselves in a moft agreeable A 4 agreeable Manner. There are feveral other handfome Coffee-houses about Damafcus, but the Turks chiefly refort to fuch as are fhaded with Trees, and have little Streams or Canals near them; nothing delighting them more than Greens and Water, which, according to one of their Proverbs, with the Addition of a beautiful Face, are able to banish the most obftinate Me lancholy. THERE are feveral other Curiofities, real or fictitious, in the City of Damafcus and its Neighbourhood, which I must not forget to mention. One of them, to which Travellers are ufually firft conducted, is the House of Ananias, or the Place where he is faid to have liv'd, when God commanded him in a Vifion to go to Saul, as is related in the Acts of the Apoftles*. It is a Cell or Grotto, to which we defcend by thirteen or fourteen Steps, and is as light as can be expected for fuch a fubterraneous Manfion. There is nothing remarkable in it at prefent, except fome small Remains of a Mofaic Pavement, and an Altar that has continued there ever fince it was a Place of Christian Worship; near which there is now a Turkish Oratory. THE Street call'd Straight, in the Ast, ftills retains the fame Name at Damafcus. It is about half a Mile in Length, running through the City from Eaft to Weft, and is fo very narrow, with the Houses jutting over in feveral Places, that the greatest Part of it is dark and disagreeable, and one cannot fee diftinctly from one End of it to the other. In this Street they fhew us the Houfe of Judas, with whom St. Paul lodged, and where he was reftor'd to Sight by Ananiast; and in the fame House they pretend to have Ananias's Tomb, which is raised against the Wall, and cover'd with a green Cloth; but how he came to be *As ix. 10, 11, &c. ‡ Ibid. and ver. 17, 18. buried there, we could neither guefs, nor get any Information. However, the Turks have a great Veneration for this Tomb, and maintain a Lamp always burning over it; but perhaps their Refpect is founded in their Intereft, for they receive an Acknowledg ment from every Frank who visits thefe facred Apart ments. ABOUT half a Mile Eastward from the City, they fhew us the Place of St. Paul's Vision in his Way to Damafcus*, by which he was miraculously converted. And fomewhat nearer the Town we fee a small Timber Inclosure, with an Altar in the Middle of it, where we are told the Apostle refted after he had loft his Sight, and was led towards Damafcus by his Companions. They likewife fhew us a Gate, which is at prefent wall'd up, where it is faid St. Paul was let down in a Baskett, to avoid the Fury of the Jews who lay in wait for his Life. I know not whether the Turks have ftopp'd up this Gate on account of its Vicinity to the Eastern one, which renders it of little Ufe; or because of a Tradition they have, that the City will never be taken by any other Entrance. THE mention of St. Paul's Deliverance puts me in mind of a Place not far from the Walls of the City, where they tell us that the Jews ftoned to Death St. George the Porter, for having favour'd the Apoftle's Escape. Here we are fhewn the Tomb of this Saint, which stands in the Middle of a fort of Court, and is compos'd of Free-stone, having a little Pavilion erected over it in form of a Pyramid. The Chriftians commonly keep a Lamp burning at this Sepulchre, and vifit it with great Devotion; and even the Turks in fome measure imitate the Example, repairing thither, as well as the Chriftians, for the Cure of their • A&s ix. 3, & feqq. + Acts ix. 8. + Ibid. ver. 25. feveral feveral Diseases, which they acknowledge they oftentimes miraculously obtain. THE Weather being fair and pleasant, we fet out from our Convent one Morning to fpend a Day among the Gardens, where we met with a great deal of Pleafure and Entertainment. As we did not propofe to go above a Mile or two, we chose to walk on. Foot, rather than hire Affes to carry us; for fuch is the Infolence of the Turks at Damafcus, that they will not fuffer a Frank to ride on Horfeback, when he goes to fee the Gardens or other Curiofities without the City, but he muft either walk on Foot or ride upon an Afs; and accordingly there are always hackney Affes ftand ready equipp'd in the Streets, to be lett upon thefe Occafions. The Rider need not use either Whip or Spur; for when he is mounted, the Master of the Beaft, or his Servant, follows him wherever he goes, and forces him along with a Goad, fo that the poor Afs performs his Stage in lefs Time than could be expected from fo fluggish a Creature. . THE Place where we spent this Day afforded us a very agreeable Summer-houfe, with a plentiful Stream of Water running through the Garden, and form'd into feveral Fountains: The Garden was full of Fruittrees of various Kinds, particularly of the Plum that takes its Name from this City, being call'd a Damfon or Damafcene by the English, and Prunum Damafcenum in Latin. The Trees are planted without any Art or Order; and fuch are all the Gardens, or rather Orchards, hereabouts; only with this Difference, that fome of them have more elegant and fplendid Summer-houses than others, and are adorn'd with a greater Variety of Fountains and other Water-Works. HAVING hired Affes, we made another Excurfion to Sidonaia, a Greek Convent about four Hours Northward from Damafcus, fituate on the farther Side of a large Valley, and on a fteep Rock, wherein Steps are cut all the way up to it, without which it would be |