mit Pope, in genauen Verhältnissen. Doch dieser Bekanntschaft folgte bald eine bittere Feindschaft. Die eigentliche Veranlassung dazu ist nicht genau bekannt, und selbst Dallaway's Biographie, die übrigens nach Art vieler Englischen Lebensbeschreibungen, an mikrologischen Details sehr reich ist, giebt hierüber keine Auskunft; wahrscheinlich lag wohl ein Hauptgrund in Pope's kleinlicher, sehr reizbaren Eitelkeit, und in der Verschiedenheit der politischen Parteien, zu der sich beide bekannten (Lady Mary gehörte zu den Whigs).Übrigens enthält diese, mit vielen fac similes von den Handschriften berühmter Männer gezierte Ausgabe, auch mehrere Briefe von Pope, die aber, so wie überhaupt die Briefe dieses in anderer Hinsicht vorzüglichen Schriftstellers, tief unter denen unserer Lady stehen, welche die ihrigen gar nicht einmal zum Drucke bestimmt hatte. Dagegen sind die Gedichte der letztern, und alles das, was die andere Hälfte des 5ten Bandes in der neuen Sammlung ausmacht, von keiner Bedeutung.

To THE ABBOT OF

Tunis, July 31. 0.9. 1718*). I left Constantinople the sixth of the last month, and this

is the first post from whence I could send a letter, though I have often wished for the opportunity, that I might impart some of the pleasure I found in this voyage, through the most agreeable part of the world, where every scene presents me some poetical idea.

Warm'd with poetic transport, I survey

Th'immortal islands, and the well known sea;
For here so oft the muse her harp has strung,
That not a mountain rears its head unsung**).

I beg your pardon for this sally, and will, if I can, continue the rest of my account in plain prose. The second day after we set sail, we passed Gallipolis, a fair city, situated in the bay of Chersonesus, and much respected by the Turks, being the first town they took in Europe. At five the next morning, we anchored in the Hellespont, between the castles of Sestos

*) S. oben die Anmerkung zu Seite 30. **) Die beiden letzten Verse sind aus Addison's schöner Epistel an den Lord Halifax entlehnt; s. den zweiten Theil dieses Handbuchs.

and Abydos, now called the Dardanelli. These are now two little ancient castles, but of no strength, being commanded by a rising ground behind them, which I confess I should never have taken notice of, if I had not heard it observed by our captain and officers, my imagination being wholly employed by the tragic story, that you are well acquainted with:

The swimming lover, and the nigthly bride,
How Hero lov'd, and how Leander died.

Verse, again! I am certainly infected by the poetical air I have passed through. That of Abydos is indoubtedly very amorous since that soft passion betrayed the castle into the hands of the Turks who besieged it in the reign of Orchanes. The governour's daughter imagining to have seen her future husband in a dream (though I don't find she had either slept upon bride-cake, or kept St. Agnes's fast)*) fancied she saw the dear figure in the form of one of her besiegers; and, being willing to obey her destiny, tossed a note to him over the wall, with the offer of her person and the delivery of the castle. He shewed it to his general, who consented to try the sincerity of her intentions, and withdrew his army, ordering the young man to return with a select body of men at midnight. She admitted him at the appointed hour, he destroyed the garrison, took the father prisoner, and made her his wife. This town is in Asia, first founded by the Milesians. Sestos is in Europe, and was once the principal city of Chersonesus. Since I have seen this strait, I find nothing improbable in the adventure of Leander, or very wonderful in the bridge of boats of Xerxes. 'Tis so narrow, 'tis not surprising a young lover should attempt so swim, or an ambitious king try to pass his army over it. But then, 'tis so subject to storms, 'tis no wonder the lover perished, and the bridge was broken. From hence we had a full view of mount Ida,

Where Juno once caress'd her am'rous Jove,

And the world's master lay subdu'd by love.

*) slept upon bride-cake. Nach dem Volksglauben der Engländer sieht jemand, welcher sich auf ein, durch einen Trauring gezogenes, Stück vom Hochzeitkuchen mit dem Ohre legt, im Schlafe seinen künftigen Geliebten, oder seine dereinstige Geliebte. To keep St. Agnes's fast geht wahrscheinlich auf einen ähnlichen, uns über unbekannten, Volkswahn.

Not many leagues sail from hence, I saw the point of land where poor old Hecuba was buried, and about a league from that place is cape Janizary, the famous promontory of Sigæum, where we anchored. My curiosity supplied me with strength to climb to the top of it, to see the place where Achilles was buried, and where Alexander ran naked round 'his tomb, in honour of him, which, no doubt, was a great comfort to his ghost. I saw there the ruins of a very large city, and found a stone, on which Mr. Wy plainly distinguished the words of Sigan Polin. We ordered this on board the ship, but where shewed others much more curious, by a Greek priest, tho' a very ignorant fellow, that could give no tolerable account of any thing. On each side the door of this little church ly two large stones, about ten feet long each, five in breadth, and three in thickness. That on the right is a very fine white marble, the side of it beautifully carved in bas-relief; it represents a woman, who seems to be designed for some deity, sitting on a chair with a footstool, and before her another woman, weeping, and presenting to her a young child that she has in her arms, followed by a procession of women with children' in the same manner. This is certainly part of a very ancient tomb; but I dare not pretend to give the true explanation of it. On the stone, on the left side, is a very fair inscription; but the Greek is too ancient for Mr. W y's interpretation. I am very sorry not to have the original in my possession, which might have been purchased of the poor inhabitants for a small sum of money. But our captain assured us, that without having machines made on purpose, 'twas impossible to bear it to the sea- -side, and, when it was there, his longboat would not be large enough to hold it.

The ruins of this great city are now inhabited by poor Greek peasants, who wear the Sciote habit*), the women being in short petticoats, fastened by straps round their shoulders, and large smock sleeves of white linnen, with neat shoes and stockings, and on their heads a large piece of muslin, which falls in large folds on their shoulders. One of my countrymen, Mr. Sandys**) (whose book I doubt not you

*) Die Tracht der Scioten, der Bewohner von Chio oder Scio,. bekanntlich eine der gröfsten Inseln des Griechischen Archipelagus. **) George Sandys, one of the most valuable travellers into

have read, as one of the best of its kind) speaking of these ruins, supposes them to have been the foundation of a city begun by Constantine, before his building Byzantium; but I see no good reason for that imagination, and am apt to believe them much more ancient.

We saw very plainly from this promontory the river Simois rolling from mount Ida, and running through a very spacious valley. It is how a considerable river, and is called Simores; it is joined in the vale by the Scamander, which appeared a small stream half choked with mud, but is perhaps large in the winter. This was Xanthus amongst the gods, as Homer tells us; and 'tis by that heavenly name, they nymph Oenone*) invokes it, in her epistle to Paris. The Trojan virgins used to offer their first favours to it by the name of Scamander, till the adventure, which Monsieur de la Fontaine **) has told so agreeably, abolish'd that heather' nish ceremony. When the stream is mingled with the Simois, they run together to the sea.

All that is now left of Troy is the ground on which it stood; for, I am firmly persuaded, whatever pieces of antiquity may be found round it, are much more modern, and I think Strabo says the same thing. However, there is some pleasure in seeing the valley where I imagined the famous duel of Menelaus and Paris had been fought, and where the greatest city in the world was situated. 'Tis certainly the noblest situation that can be found for the head of a great empire, much to be preferred to that of Constantinople, the harbour here heing always convenient for ships from all parts of the world, and that of Constantinople inaccessible almost six months in the year, while the north-wind reigns.

North of the promontory of Sigæum we saw that of Rhæteum, famed for the sepulchre of Ajax. While I viewed these celebrated fields and rivers, I admired the exact geography of Homer, whom I had in my hand. Almost every epithet he gives to a mountain or plain, is still just for it; and I spent several hours here in as agreeable cogitations, as ever Don Quixote had on mount Montesinos ***). We

the Levant, whose work has reached four editions in the reign of Charles the first. *) Oenone, eine Nymphe, die erste Gemahlinn des Paris. **) Siche die Erzählung: le fleuve Scamandre in den Contes et Nouvelles en vers par M. de la Fontaine. ***) S. Leben und Thaten des scharfsinnigen Edlen Don Quixote de la Mancha

sailed next night to the shore, where 'tis vulgarly reported Troy stood; and, I took the pains of rising at two in the morning to view coolly those ruins which are commonly shewed to strangers, and which the Turks call Esky Stamboul, i. e. Old Constantinople. For that reason, as well as some others, I conjecture them to be the remains of that city begun by Constantine. I hired an ass (the only voiture to be had there) that I might go some miles into the country, and take a tour round the ancient walls, which are of a vast extent. We found the remains of a castle on a hill, and of another in a valley, several broken pillars and two pedestals.

I do not doubt but the remains of a temple near this place are the ruins of one dedicated to Augustus; and I know not why Mr. Sandys calls it a Christian temple, since the Romans certainly built hereabouts. Here are many tombs of fine marble, and vast pieces of granite, which are daily lessened by the prodigious balls that the Turks make from them for their cannon. We passed that evening the isle of Tenedos, once under the patronage of Apollo, as he gave it in, himself, in the particulars of his estate, when he courted Daphne*). It is but ten miles in circuit, but in those days very rich and well peopled, still famous for its excellent wine. I say nothing of Tenes, from whom it was called;**) but naming Mytilene, where we passed next, I cannot forbear mentioning Lesbos, where Sappho sung, and Pittacus reigned, famous for the birth of Alceus, Theophrastus and Arion, those masters in poetry, philosophy, and music. This was one of the last islands that remained in the Christian dominion after the

übersetzt von L. Tieck, 3ter B. S. 324.

-,,Nicht weifst Du es, Thörinn, Du weifst nicht, Welchen Du flichst; das macht Dich entfliehen. Mir huldiget Delfos,

Klaros und Tenedos mir, und die pataräische Hauptstadt !” \ Sagt Apollo beim Ovid (s, Metamorph. lib. I. v. 514—516) zur Daphne, als er sie um Gegenliebe anfleht. Die hier mitgetheilte Uebersetzung ist von V of s. **) Tenes, Sohn des Cycnus, Königs von Tenedos, wurde, weil seine Stiefmutter sich in ihn verliebt, und, da er ihre Liebe nicht erwiedern wollte, ihn bei seinem Vater einer unkeuschen Gesinnung gegen sie beschuldigt hatte, auf Befehl desselben ins Meer geworfen. Er entkam und wurde nachher König in Tenedos, wo er sehr gerecht regierte und nach seinem Tode göttlich verehrt wurde.