It was SECT. II. aftride over the mouth of the harbour, fo that the fhips CHAP. V. failed between his legs; on account of its vaft bulk, reckoned one of the seven wonders of the world. thrown down by an earthquake; and fome years after, the brass thereof was carried by the Saracens into Egypt, nine hundred camels being loaded therewith. The city of Rhodes was efteemed formerly one of the principal univerfities of the Roman empire, Rhodes, Marseilles, Tarfus, Athens, and Alexandria, being reckoned the old academies of that empire. 13. fails to Sailing from Rhodes, St. Paul touched next att Patara, a fea-port of Lycia, formerly beautified with a fair haven St. Paul and many temples, one of them dedicated to Apollo, with Patara. an oracle in it, for wealth and credit not much inferior to that of Delphi. Ptolemais. At Patara St. Paul and his companions finding a ship 14. bound for u Phoenicia, went aboard her, and leaving Thence to Cyprus on the left hand, they failed for Syria, and arrived at Tyre, where the fhip was to unlade. Having ftaid here a week, they took fhip again, and came to * Ptolemais, of which take the following account from Mr. Maundrelly. Acra had anciently the name of Accho, and is another of the places, out of which the children of Ifrael could not drive the primitive inhabitants, Judg. i. 31. Being in aftertimes enlarged by Ptolemy the first, it was called by him, from his own name, Ptolemais. But now fince it hath been in the poffeffion of the Turks, it has (according to the example of many other cities in Turkey) caft off its Greek, and recovered fome femblance of its old Hebrew name again, being called Acca, or Acra. This city was for a long time the theatre of contention between the Chriftians and Infidels, till at last, having t Acts xxi. 1. y Journey from Aleppo to Jerufalem, p. 52. PART II. divers times changed its mafters, it was by a long fiege finally taken by the Turks, and ruined by them in fuch a manner, as if they had thought they could never take a full revenge upon it for the blood it had coft them, or fufficiently prevent such flaughters for the future. As to its fituation, it enjoys all poffible advantages both of fea and land. On its north and east fides it is compaffed with a fpacious fertile plain; on the west it is washed by the Mediterranean sea, and on the south by a large bay extending from the city as far as mount Carmel. But notwithstanding all these advantages, it has never been able to recover itself fince its laft fatal overthrow, For befides a large kane, in which the French factors have taken up their quarters, and a mofque, and a few poor cottages, you fee nothing here, but a vast and spacious ruin. It is fuch a ruin, however, as fufficiently demonftrates the strength of the place in former times. It appears to have been encompaffed on the land fide by a double wall, defended with towers at small diftances; and without the walls are ditches, ramparts, and a kind of bastions, faced with hewn ftone. In the fields without these works we saw scattered up and down the ground several large balls of stone, of at least thirteen or fourteen inches diameter, which were part of the ammunition used in battering the city, guns being then unknown. Within' the walls there ftill appear feveral ruins, which feem to distinguish themselves from the general heap, by fome marks of a greater strength and magnificence. As firft, thofe of the cathedral church, dedicated to St. Andrew, which ftands not far from the fea-fide, more high and confpicuous than the other ruins. Secondly, the church of St. John, the tutelar faint of this city. Thirdly, the convent of the Knights Hofpitallers, a place whose remaining walls fufficiently testify its ancient strength. And not far from the convent, the palace of the grand master of that order, the SECT. II. magnificence of which may be gueffed from a large CHAP. V. ftair-cafe and part of a church still remaining in it. Fourthly, fome remains of a large church belonging to a nunnery, of which they tell us this memorable story. · The Turks having oppreffed this city with a long and furious fiege, at last entered it by storm, May 19, 1291. In which great extremity, the abbess of this nunnery, fearing left she and those under her care might be forced to fubmit to fuch beftialities as are ufual in cafes of that deplorable nature, ufed this cruel but generous means for fecuring both her and them: fhe fummoned all her flock together, and exhorted them to cut and mangle their faces, as the only way to preserve their virgin purity; and, to fhew how much fhe was in earnest, fhe immediately began before them all to make herself an example of her own counsel. The nuns were fo animated by this heroical refolution and pattern of the abbess, that they began instantly to follow her example, cutting off their nofes, and disfiguring their faces with such horrible gashes, as might excite horror rather than luftful defires in the beholders. The confequence of which was, that the foldiers breaking into the nunnery, and seeing, instead of those beautiful ladies they expected, fuch tragical spectacles, took a revenge for their disappointed lufts, by putting them all to the fword: thus restoring them, as in charity we may suppose, to a new and inviolable beauty. But to go on, many other ruins here are of churches, palaces, monafteries, forts, &c. extended for more than half a mile in length; in all which you may discern marks of so much ftrength, as if every building in the city had been contrived for war and defence. This is the present state of Ptolemais, given us by an ingenious perfon, who saw it in 1697. From hence, having ftaid one day, St. Paul with his z Acts xxi. 8. company PART II. company departed, and came to Cæfarea, where they were entertained by Philip the Evangelift, and one of the feven deacons. Having tarried here many days, they went up thence a to Jerufalem, where the brethren received them gladly. 15. St. Paul comes to Cæfarea, and thence to Jerufa lem. A. D. 56. a Acts xxi. 15. CHAP. CHAP. VI. Of St. Paul's Travels and Voyages, from his being fent a NOT long after his return to Jerufalem, St. Paul being 1. St. Paul is apprehend in the a Temple, was laid hold of by the Jews, as a man that taught all men every where against the people of the ed and fent Jews, and against the law, and that place. And fo great to Felix. a prifoner was their rage against the Apostle, that they went about A. D. 56. to kill him; and had done it, had they not been prevented by the chief captain's coming with some soldiers to quell the uproar, who took him out of their hands, and commanded him to be carried to the castle. After fome time the chief captain, Claudius Lyfias, being informed of a b confpiracy of the Jews to kill St. Paul, ordered fome foldiers to convey him to Felix, the then governor of Judea, who refided at Cæfarea. tris. 2. Accordingly the foldiers took St. Paul, and brought him by night to Antipatris, a place formerly called Ca- Of Antipa, pharfalama; but being rebuilt, or at least enlarged or beautified, by Herod, it was by him named Antipatris, in honour of his father Antipater. 3. On the morrow the foot-foldiers returning to the castle at Jerufalem, left the horsemen that were sent to go with St. Paul is St. Paul to Cæfarea. Where St. Paul being prefented to Cæfarea. brought to the governor, and kept in a place called Herod's Judg- A. D. 57. ment-hall, and having been often heard by Felix, and afterwards by Porcius Feftus, the fucceeding governor; and A. D. 58. at length, eing obliged to make his appeal to Cæfar 1 himself; it was after fome time c determined that he fhould be fent into Italy. Hereupon he, with certain 4. other prifoners, was delivered to a centurion of Auguftus's Being fent to Italy, ha band, named Julius; and they all went aboard a fhip of goes aboard a Acts xxi. 27, &c. Acts xxiii. 12-35. Acts xxvii. 1-5. Adra |