XXXVIII.] CUSTOM OF ENTERING TEMPLES BAREFOOт. 265 the present day, an oriental bestows the same mark of respect on every equal or superior in whose presence he may find himself, so that to take off the shoes in the east has almost the same meaning as to take off the hat has with us. The only Christian nation by whom, as far as I know, the ancient oriental and pagan custom, of entering the house of prayer barefoot, is still practised, is that of the Armenians 36; who also prostrate themselves to the ground in their adorations, much in the same manner as is done by the Mohammedans 37. 36 SMITH and DWIGHT, Missionary Researches in Armenia, Letter VII. p. 140. 37 The Armenian system of religion resembles the Greek in many of its absurdities. One of their authors defends the worship of "the God-bearing cross," on the ground that it is offered "not to the visible matter, but to the invisible God who is in it." More scrupulous, however, in some things, than the Greek, the Armenian extends not his profane iconolatry to the pictures of the saints, but holds that, "as neither a name nor an image, without the substance, is to be worshipped, and as the saints are not every where present to dwell in their images, as Christ is in his, their images are not to be worshipped." NERSES SHNORHALI, Unthanragan, pp. 132–133. quoted by SMITH and DWIGHT, I. c. Letter VII. p. 142. A MULE, ALONG THE GLEN. DIFFICULTY OF PASSING, EVEN WITH STRIKING PASS CALLED "THE GATES." A SITE CALLED "THE REFUGE OF THE HELLENES." CAENO. LOVES OF APOLLO AND ACACALLIS. CYPRESSES IN THE GLEN OF HAGHIA RUMELI. THE CRETAN AGRIMI IS THE WILDGOAT, AND NOT THE BOUQUETIN OR IBEX. DEPARTURE FROM SAMARIA. May 7, continued. AT half-past eight I left this sequestered village, intending to explore the inner recesses of the glen as far as Samaría. The path in some parts is so narrow, where it winds round the abrupt precipices, that no horse would be able to pass along it. At one spot it was necessary to take off the saddle from the mule on which I was mounted, during the greater part of the way, in order to avoid the likelihood of precipitating the animal into the river below. In the first half hour after leaving Haghía Ruméli, I crossed the river five or six times, and then arrived |