the inn was crowded, and that in such a cave the Redeemer was born, is a tradition of very high antiquity. It was commonly accepted as early as the time of Justin Martyr, about a hundred years after the facts occurred. But for the evidence for and against the authenticity of the Grotto as the place of our Lord's nativity, tourists must refer at their leisure to the numerous writers who have treated on the subject.

Of one ardent believer in the Grotto as his Saviour's birthplace, lasting memorials are seen in the Chapel and Tomb of St. Jerome. The chapel is the cell where that illustrious champion of the church spent the greater part of his life. The following eloquent passage, from Dean Stanley's Sinai and Palestine, graphically describes those long years of vigil and toil :

"If the traveller follows the windings of that long subterranean gallery, he will find himself, at its close, in a rough chamber hewn out of the rock; here sufficiently clear to need no proof of vindication. In this cell, in all probability, lived and died the most illustrious of all the pilgrims attracted to the cave of Bethlehem, the only one of the many hermits and monks, from the time of Constantine to the present day, sheltered within its rocky sides, whose name has travelled beyond the limits of the Holy Land. Here, for more than thirty years, beside what he believed to be literally the cradle of the Christian faith, Jerome fasted, prayed, dreamed, and studied; here he gathered round him his devoted followers in the small communities which formed the beginnings of conventual life in Palestine; here the fiery spirit which he had brought with him from his Dalmatian birthplace, and which had been first roused to religious fervour on the banks of the Moselle, vented itself in the flood of treatises, letters, and commentaries, which he poured forth from his retirement, to terrify, exasperate, and

enlighten the Western World; here also was composed the famous translation of the Scriptures which is still the "Biblia Vulgata" of the Latin Church; and here took place that pathetic scene, his last communion and death-at which all the world has been permitted to be present in the wonderful picture of Domenichino, which has represented in colours never to be surpassed, the attenuated frame of the weak and sinking flesh, the resignation and devotion of the spirit ready for its immediate departure."

Before leaving this wonderful group of buildings, comprehended under the general title of "The Church of the Nativity," the visitor should, after ascending the stairs of the Crypt, visit the Latin Church of St. Catherine, handsomely decorated, and then pass into the Franciscan Monastery, with very pleasant gardens. From the roof of the Armenian Monastery there is a fine view, as also from that of the Latin Monastery.

The Well of Bethlehem, or David's Well, may be visited on the way from Jerusalem, and before entering the town, or it is an easy and pleasant walk of about fifteen minutes. It is the traditional spot referred to in 2 Sam. Axiii. 13-17, and 1 Chron. xi. 15-19. When David and his men were in the Cave of Adullam, and Bethlehem was garrisoned by the Philistines, David expressed the longing desire, "Oh, that one would give me to drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, that is at the gate!" Three mighty men heard the wish, brake through the Philistine hosts, and brought their lord the cooling draught he had longed for. But David would not drink that for which the lives of his followers had been hazarded, and poured it out before the Lord.

A short distance south of the Church of the Nativity is the Milk Grotto, the traditional scene of the seclusion of

the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus before the flight into Egypt. It is alleged that a drop of the Virgin's milk having fallen upon the floor turned the whole cavern white, and that to this day the cavern has the curious property of increasing the milk of women who visit it in their need. Those who cannot visit it are supposed to derive benefit from eating a kind of biscuit in which the dust of the rock is mixed.

A short distance east of the Milk Grotto is the so-called House of Joseph, and beyond this the village of Beit Sâhûr, where the shepherds of Luke ii. are supposed to have resided. In about fifteen minutes, the Shepherds' Field is reached. A very ancient tradition makes this the spot where the shepherds were watching their flocks by night, and received "the good tidings of great joy." "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo! the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid. And the angel said, Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

A wall encloses this field, in which there are some fine olive trees. The Grotto of the Shepherds is in the field-a dark subterranean chapel belonging to the Greeks. When the eye becomes accustomed to the darkness, it will be found that the Grotto is fitted up as a church, and contains a few paintings. It is alleged that this is the identical

spot where the shepherds beheld the vision of the angel-a tradition which has no authority, and only dates from the time of the Crusaders.

It is not necessary to return by way of Beit Sâhûr to Bethlehem. That village should be passed on the left, and the easier slope (north-east) pursued to Bethlehem.

JERUSALEM TO THE POOLS OF SOLOMON, KHAREITÛN, THE FRANK MOUNTAIN,

AND BETHLEHEM.

This may be made an excursion of one day from Jerusalem, provided the start be made in good time in the morning. From Jerusalem to the Tomb of Rachel, one hour; thence to Pools of Solomon, two hours; to Khareitûn, two hours; the Frank Mountain, forty minutes; Bethlehem, one and a quarter hours.

From Jerusalem to the Pools of Solomon and Urtâs (p. 201).

Descending the valley, beyond the village of Urtâs, a somewhat circuitous journey of about an hour brings the traveller to the Spring of Khareitûn, in the village of the same name. The scenery here is about as wild as that in the neighbourhood of Mar Saba (p. 214). Heaps of fallen rock are strewn about the deep, precipitous gorge. On the right bank will be seen the ruins of Khareitûn, and below, the entrance to the cave which since the twelfth century has been identified as the Cave of Adullam.

The cavern is rather difficult of access, and the temperature is exceedingly high. The large chamber, which can only be reached by creeping uncomfortably along a serpentine gallery, is about 130 feet long and 40 broad. It is quite dark, and its arches and curious gables can only be seen to advantage when lighted by a magnesium torch or

From this hall several passages

some dozens of candles. diverge hither and thither. One passage is much longer than any of the others, and leads into another large cavern, which can only be reached by jumping or dropping a depth of ten feet; and from here another passage has to be crawled through in order to reach the third chamber, which is not worth the trouble of visiting, as it involves so much discomfort.

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In some of the passages, sarcophagi and funereal emblems have been found; also inscriptions now illegible. The principal thing for visitors to see is the great cave, as here according to tradition, David took refuge. David escaped to the cave Adullam : and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him. And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them and there were with him about four hundred men" (1 Sam. xxii. 1, 2).

It was from the Cave of Adullam that David's mighty men, breaking through the garrison of the Philistines, went to Bethlehem to satisfy the desire of their chief, when he cried, "Oh, that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!" (2 Sam. xxiii. 15—17) (p. 196). And it was from here that he went to plead with the King of Moab for protection for his parents, and afterwards took them from the cave through these winding glens, crossed the Jordan with them, and left them under the protection of the king. "And they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold" (1 Sam. xxii. 4).

In the quarterly statement of the Palestine Exploration Fund, July, 1875, there will be found an exhaustive statement by M. Clermont Ganneau, in which he seeks to prove