be no doubt that it is one of those places of public assemblage and amusement which Herod the Great introduced into his dominions. No mention is made by Josephus of the erection of such places in Samaria; but he speaks of the building of a theatre in Jerusalem, and of an amphitheatre in the plain, near that city, where gymnastic games were celebrated in honour of his great patron Augustus, and shows of wild beasts were exhibited.* We know, on the same authority, that Herod dedicated to him a magnificent temple, the remains of which, I presume, we have in the cluster of massive columns already described, "standing about the middle" of Samaria. Indeed, Samaria was rebuilt, and named Sebaste, in honour of that emperor; and we may safely presume that the great colonnade in the valley was either appropriated to the religious honours decreed to Cæsar by this impious flatterer, or to the games and festivities which he introduced into Judea in defiance of the laws and usages of the people. This colonnade may have been devoted to gymnastic and other games and shows, or possibly it was a hippodrome. The form of the surrounding hills suggests the probability that it may have been an amphitheatre, to which the ground is, indeed, well adapted, though I could discover no traces of seats, nor does the arrangement of the columns answer well to this object.

The origin and early history of Samaria is familiarly known to all readers of the Old Testament, in the historical details of which this city is second in importance only to Jerusalem. Omri, king of Israel, bought the Hill of Samaria of Shemer, who gave his name to the new capital, for two talents of silver, about 930 B.C. He was buried in Samaria, which continued to be the metropolis of this branch of the Jewish state till its dissolution by the captivity under Hosea, B.C. 721. It was during this interval that Samaria enjoyed its highest prosperity, and fills so many * Antiquities, book xv., chap. viii., sec. i.

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deeply-interesting and graphic pages of the Sacred History. It was the chief theatre of the prophetic missions of Elijah and Elisha. The city was repeopled by immigrants from Mesopotamia, and retained some importance, till it was taken and utterly destroyed by John Hyrcanus, nearly two centuries B.C., after a year's siege, when famine came to the aid of the invader. From its beautiful and advantageous situation, the Hill of Samaria was not likely long to remain unoccupied, and it was speedily repeopled by the Jews and its ancient inhabitants. Herod enlarged the city; fortified its naturally almost impregnable heights by a massive wall twenty stadia in circuit; adorned it, as we have seen, with many sumptuous constructions, such as had hitherto been unknown in Palestine; added six thousand inhabitants, partly military colonists, to its population, and gave it the name of Augustus (Sebastos), to whom he was indebted for this portion of his dominions, as well as for many other fa

vours.

The present wretched village, Sebaste, which still retains the Greek appellation in an Arabic dress, is all that remains of this splendid metropolis from the vicissitudes of two thousand years, and the decay which invariably attends upon Mohammedan conquest and misrule.

It was about eleven o'clock when I mounted my horse, which I found waiting for me in the road, above the colonnade. My company was considerably in advance, and, having already passed the deep valley on this side of the town, I immediately began to ascend the lofty ridge which bounds the noble basin of Sebaste on the north. Like the whole beautiful amphitheatre, this ascent, though generally steep, is not precipitous, and it is mostly covered with tillable soil. We passed one of the small villages, seated in the midst of olive plantations, which strike the eye of the spectator so favourably from the summit of Samaria. Many points in the ascent afford commanding and delightful views

VIEW FROM THE MOUNTAINS.

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of that matchless site and its majestic bulwark of encircling mountains. At twelve M. I had reached the highest part of this elevated region, and was surprised at the vast prospect which opened upon me on the north and west. The first object which attracted my gaze was a lofty mountain, capped with snow, and gloriously refulgent in the sun's meridian beams. It towered high above the whole immense region within the range of vision, and was situated at a great distance before me, in a direction a little east of north. By subsequent reference to a map, I found that this could be no other than Mount Hermon, the Jebel el Sheik of the Arabs. Much nearer, and in the same general direction, the outline of a considerable portion of the Sea of Tiberias was distinctly visible, with a narrow but glittering tract of water in its centre.

Far away on the left the Mediterranean was in full view, shining like a mirror, and seeming to swell into a vast undulating table-land, bounded by the distant horizon. Behind, and far below me, was Samaria and its superb basin, while just at the foot of the mountain, in front, a beautiful fertile valley stretched out from east to west, covered with fields of wheat, and environed with hills, which were studded with villages situated in the midst of luxuriant olive groves. It was altogether a glorious combination of natural magnificence and sublimity, with exquisite rural loveliness.

The descent of the mountain led us in a northeast direction, a course which we continued to pursue along its base, having the plain upon the left. We passed two villages, the latter and more considerable called Jibba, which we reached at one P.M. Like all the villages in this region, it is imbosomed in a forest of fruit-trees, which give to it, when seen at a little distance, an agreeable and flourishing aspect. We soon after entered another valley, or perhaps it would be more properly called a continuation of the first, with which it is connected by a narrow, shallow, and slight

ly-ascending wady. An hour and a half from Jibba we passed a ruinous, fortified village on our left. It occupies a high position, just at the termination of a spur of the mountain, which extends far into the plain from the northwest. This village is called Sannour, and seems to have been a place of great military strength, for which, indeed, its natural situation is highly favourable, as it is nearly surrounded by the plain, above which it is sufficiently elevated, while the ridge connecting it with the mountain-range on the northwest immediately declines into a line of low, broken ledges. It was regarded an important post in the wars carried on by the petty chieftains of these regions against each other, and with the Turkish government. The town and fortress are now only a heap of ruins.

Large tracts of this part of the plain were covered with wheat, which was uncommonly fine, while perhaps the largest portion had recently been ploughed, and not sown at all, or sown so lately that the grain had not sprung up. We passed two or three small villages on the northeastern side of the plain, which we left by an indirect, ascending route, that led imperceptibly to a summit of considerable elevation, from which we had a gratifying view of the great plain of Esdraelon and the mountains beyond. There were still some low ridges between us and the border of this beautiful region. We were in the midst of cultivation after descending from the mountain, and another large village, imbosomed in fruit-trees, and on the border of a small but fruitful plain, lay close to the road, which finally led us through a narrow, barren wady, bounded by low hills, to the large village or town of Jennin. Here we encamped, in a grassy field just upon the border of a grove—a sort of jungle, composed of thorn and many other small trees. I was reminded of our encampment upon the plain of Jericho. We had travelled a little less than seven hours.

We were joined at our camp by a party of gentlemen

who left Jerusalem the morning after our departure, and overtook us at Sebaste. With Professor Moore I had voyaged from Italy to Greece, and had met in Egypt and Jerusalem. Two Irish gentlemen from Belfast, whom we had also seen in the holy city, and one Englishman, constituted the residue of the party. We were now eight in all, with a suitable retinue of pack-horses, muleteers, &c.

A deputation from our company called upon the governor of Jennin, whose jurisdiction extends over the plain and bordering districts. We had the mortification of learning from that high source that Nazareth, the object of our journey on the morrow, was shut up, and the roads leading to it strictly guarded, on account of the plague, which had recently made its appearance there. In consequence of this information, we resolved to go directly to Tiberias, after visiting Mount Tabor in the way.

Jennin stands just before the mouth of the narrow wady by which we had passed the mountain border of the plain of Esdraelon, in which we were now encamped. The site is formed by a swell in the plain, and is elevated a few yards above the general level, which gives it a showy and handsome appearance. The houses are built of stone, and are more solid and respectable in their appearance than the ordinary habitations of the country. The population I conjectured to be 1500. They seemed all to be employed in agriculture; and the cultivated region which surrounds the village and stretches off into the plain is very extensive. I saw many goats and horned cattle in the environs. They were in good condition, and the low mountains in the vicinity, no less than the uncultivated tracts of the plain, seemed well adapted to pasturage. The ground just around Jennin is much occupied with fruit and other trees. I saw olives, pomegranates, fig, palm, and what I took to be cherry and pear trees. The small enclosures in which they chiefly grow are made of the prickly pear, which flourishes well