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74

THE CITY CORYCOS.

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geographers call it Corycos. We learn too from Pliny 45 that the islands of Grabúsa, which lie off this promontory, were called Corycae. Mannert 6 and Dr Cramer1 speak only of the promontory Corycos 48 and its mountain, and say nothing of a city of the same name which existed on it. Meletius mentions both the promontory and the city49; and I find in Golzius 50 a coin of the Corycians, the symbols on which are manifestly Cretan, being the same as are common on medals of the island, though perhaps this is the only independent single city in it on the coins of which they are found. To place the matter out of doubt, Ptolemy 51 speaks of Corycos as the name of the promontory and city; and there is a passage where Juvenal mentions a Corycian vessel which evidently belonged to this Cretan town 52.

51

Pococke 53 tells us that the Turkish garrison of Grabúsa "were such bad neighbours that the whole promontory was uninhabited ;" and he could not hear of any remains, "there being only a small ruined convent of Saint George and two churches on the promontory." Remains, however, do exist, or at all events did exist when the Florentine traveller Buondelmonti visited Crete in the year 1415. He speaks of them as situated on a small plain at the summit of the hill,

45 PLINY, N. H. IV. 20. "Reliquae circa eam ante Peloponnesum duae Corycae: totidem Mylae."

46 MANNERT, Geographie der Griechen und Roemer, Vol. VIII. p. 691. 47 CRAMER, Description of Ancient Greece, Vol. 111. p. 365.

48 Thus STEPHANUS OF BYZANTIUM, Καὶ ἀκρωτήριον Κρήτης Κωρυ Kin, and PLINY, IV. 12.

49 MELETIUS, Geograph. p. 409. Κώρυκος Ἄκρα, κοινῶς Κόρνικο, καὶ πόλις ποτὲ κατὰ τὸ δυτικὸν μέρος τῆς νήσου, ὅπου παράκεινται αἱ Κώρυ και Νήσοι, καὶ αἱ Μύλαι Νήσοι.

50 GOLZIUS, Graeciae et Asiae Minoris Nomismata, Tom. III. p. 221. (Tab. III. Insularum Nomismata,) ed. Antwerp, 1644.

51 PTOLEMY, Geogr. 111. p. 91. Kúpuкos åкpa Kai wóλis. He is referred to by Dr Cramer, who makes no mention of the city.

52 JUVENAL, XIV. 267.

Tu Corycia semper qui puppe morarisQui gaudes pingue antiquae de litore Cretae Passum, et municipes Jovis advexisse lagenas. 53 POCOCKE, Travels &c. Vol. 1. p. 246.

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BUONDELMONTI'S ACCOUNT OF CORYCOS. 75

and as consisting of walls still of a considerable height, and remains of buildings, with cellars and cisterns excavated out of the living rock 54. The words of this old Italian traveller "montem per immeabilem ascendo semitam," remind me of the expression of the Coastdescriber, and of the accounts of the people at Kutrí and elsewhere, when speaking of the road to Grabúsa, which they all described as one of the very worst and the most difficult to pass in the island.

After spending several hours in the examination of the remains of Phalasarna, we obtained some misíthra, brought us by a shepherd whose sheepfold was near, and with it and some bread we appeased the hunger excited by our long morning's work, and began to retrace our steps to the hamlet of Kutrí. Our host Gheorgákes Ligopsýkhes, who, along with some other villagers, had accompanied us as a guide and companion, tells me of the discovery, some years ago, of certain "statues 57" and "idols," a little below the village. The Greek who found them, afraid of the fact's becoming known, and thus perhaps producing a suspicion that he had also discovered a hidden treasure, hastened to conceal them all: he mentioned his good fortune to no one till he was lying at the point of death, when he disclosed it, and described the place where he had concealed them. Captain Maniás, whose antiquarian

54 CORNELIUS, Creta Sacra, I. p. 87. "Dum sic peragramur per longum iter aliquantisper sub radicibusque promontorii Coricis fessi recreamur, denique ad eundem montem per immeabilem ascendo semitam, in summitate cujus civitas cum plano exiguo eminebat, meniaque ejus non parum a terra elevata cernere poteramus. Mansiones insuper diligentissime fabricatas cum cellulis subterraneis clare videmus, et cisternas in lapide sculptas mire industrie collaudamus."

55 ANONYMI STADIASMUS, p. 497. ed. Gail. 'Aкρwτńριóv σTI TETPNμένου, κατάκρημνον τῆς Κρήτης.

56 Тewруάкns Aiyoúxns, Georgy Littlesoul, if literally translated. The class of names derived from moral qualities is not very extensive either in modern Greek or in English. We have Good, Best, Goodenough, Sly, Coward, Coy, Gallant, Humble, Keen, Sharp, Wise, Kenworthy, Wordsworth, and others.

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76

STORY OF BURIED WORKS OF ART. [CHAP.

zeal shews itself daily in the alacrity and indefatigableness with which he aids me in making inquiries for ancient remains, and for coins or other antiquities, is very anxious that I should not suffer all these hidden treasures to continue buried in the earth, and warmly seconds my host's wishes. At length, although the assertion that the "idols" are small and golden, makes me fear that it will end in nothing, for the form assumed by the story bears a slight resemblance to that of a buried treasure, which, of course, no European in his senses would ever search for; yet, the day being already very far advanced, I at length give way to the solicitations of the people, and agree to wait here till to-morrow at noon; the Greek undertaking to have the excavations finished by that time. Being unwilling, however, thus to stay, before I decide on doing so, I offer, but in vain, to give the man a written authority to excavate, which, on his own account, he would not have dared to do, and suggest that he may inform me afterwards of the result of his labours. His objection to doing any thing if I leave him is because the first finder died soon after making the discovery, and he believes my being present will avert from him a similar fate, which would assuredly await him, if he set to work after my departure.

April 25.

The excavations are commenced early this morning by half a dozen men, who continue their work six or seven hours without finding any thing. On this I became satisfied that nothing would be found, either within or outside the house, and, after recompensing the people for their trouble, I set off at three o'clock.

We soon commenced the ascent of the western slope of Mount Elías: the greater part of the olive-trees, amongst which our road lies, are uncultivated. This ascent lasts for forty minutes, and the descent by which it is succeeded is nearly as long, and at length brings us on a slope extending from the mountains to the

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ARRIVAL AT KAMPOSELORAKHOS.

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shore, and along which we pass for between four and five miles, always at a distance of about two miles from the sea. Its continuity is broken by three small

ravines in the winter there flow down them torrents, which are already reduced to mere streamlets. At the third ravine, near the extremity of the slope, the village of Sfinári is on our left. Hence, after a steep ascent of nearly half an hour, we arrive at the summit of the ridge, which ends in what may be called Cape Sfinári, and, descending into a fertile and well-cultivated valley. of corn-fields and olive-trees, we pursue it, in a southwardly direction, for about half an hour, when we arrive, at six o'clock, at the village of Kamposelórakhos 59. We are still only about two miles from the sea, which is visible through another valley in a west-north-west direction.

Although we arrived before sun-set, the villagers, unable as they were to imagine what could be the object of our rambles among their mountains, were considerably alarmed on seeing so extraordinary a sight as European travellers. I should add, that in the houses near which we dismounted, no male inhabitant was at the moment to be found. One of the women asked me, What our business was, and why and why we had come there. we had come there. I replied, laughing, "To see you to be sure." But her fears were too serious to be trifled with, and I could not at all quiet the suspicion with which she regarded us. We succeeded in finding a stable for our steeds, but since the good lady professed not to have the key of her house, we did not obtain a lodging for ourselves, but remained in the open air, till fortunately a man arrived in the village, and received us with the ready hospitality usually shewn. Our evening meal consisted

of milk and eggs.

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KAMPOSELORAKHO TO SKLAVOPULA. THE ANCIENT CITY DULOPOLIS. THE PRESENCE OF SLAVONIANS, IN THE CONTINENT OF GREECE, HAS NOT EXTENDED ΤΟ CRETE. SELINO-KASTELI. SFAKIAN DIALECT. SITE OF KALAMYDES. ANCIENT DORIAN INSTITUTIONS IN CRETE.

HAGHIO KYRKOS, THE SITE OF LISSOS. TWO SUPPOSED COINS OF LISSOS. A NIGHT'S LODGING AT HAGHIO KYRKO.

Kamposelórakho, April 26.

THIS village now contains only forty houses: it pays fifty-eight kharatjs. Kamposelórakhos and Kunoné are the two principal villages of the district called Enneákhoriá. The similarity of sound between Inakhorion and Enneá-khoriá, reminds us of the ancient city which formerly existed on the sea-coast at no great distance from this place. I am inclined to believe the name of the district to be a corruption of that of the ancient city'. I do not, however, hear of any remains of an

1 Thus, I suppose, Hippocoronion has become Apokorona: see Vol. 1.

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