he sees before him: after which he proceeds, during an equal space, across a naked plain strewed with loose stones. All at once, at the extremity of this plain, he perceives a line of Gothic walls flanked with square towers, and the tops of a few buildings peeping above them ;— he beholds Jerusalem, once the joy of the whole earth! It has been remarked that the vicinity of this capital must have appeared extremely beautiful when its hills were terraced after the manner of the East, and verdant with the olive, the fig-tree, and the vine; but that which was then its most captivating feature now adds to its deformity, and the bare and blasted rocks seem to say that Jehovah in his anger has passed by and cursed the city for its sins. There are rocks, but they have no sublimity; hills, but they have no beauty; fields and gardens, but they have no richness; valleys, but they have no fertility; a wide spreading lake, but it is the Dead Sea.* "I can now account," says M. Chateaubriand, "for the surprise expressed by the crusaders and pilgrims at the first sight of Jerusalem, according to the reports of historians and travellers. I can affirm that whoever has, like me, had the patience to read nearly two hundred modern accounts of the Holy Land, the Rabbinical compilations, and the passages in the ancient writers respecting Judea, still knows nothing at all about it. I paused with my eyes fixed on Jerusalem, measuring the height of its walls, reviewing at once all the recollections of history from the patriarch Abraham to Godfrey of Bouillon, reflecting on the total change accomplished in the world by the mission of the Son of Man, and in vain seeking that Temple, not one stone of which is left upon another. Were I to live a thousand years, never should I forget that desert, which yet seems to be pervaded by the greatness of Jehovah and the terrors of death."+ Notices of Holy Land, p. 183. + Itinéraire, tome ii. p. 385. The first view of Jerusalem from the Jaffa road is at by far the least imposing point from which it can be seen: I own I felt wofully disappointed. The approach is over On this occasion a camp of Turkish horse, with all the accompaniments of oriental pomp, was pitched under the walls. The tents in general were covered with black lamb-skins, while those belonging to persons of distinction were formed of striped cloth. The horses, saddled and bridled, were fastened to stakes. There were four pieces of horse-artillery, well mounted on carriages, which appeared to be of English manufacture. These fierce soldiers are stationed near the capital, as well for the purpose of checking the savage Bedouins, who acknowledge no master, as for enforcing the tribute demanded from all strangers who enter the holy city. The recollections of the Mussulman, no less than those of the Christian, inspire a reverential feeling for the town in which David dwelt; and accordingly, although the European pilgrim is oppressed by the present laws of Palestine, his motives are usually respected, and even praised. The reader, who has perused with attention some of the more recent works on Palestine, must have been struck with the diversity, and even the apparent contradiction, which prevail in their descriptions of Jerusalem. According to one, the magnificence of its buildings rivals the most splendid edifices of modern times, while another could perceive nothing but filth and ruins, surmounted by a gaudy mosque and a few glittering minarets. The greater number, it must be acknowledged, have drawn from their own imagination the tints in which they have been pleased to exhibit the metropolis of Judea; trusting more to the impressions conveyed by the brilliant delineations of poetry, than to a minute table land of some extent, and the wall on this side, standing on higher ground than the town itself, entirely conceals it: in fact nothing is visible but a battlemented wall with square towers at intervals. I had pushed on before the party, and upon arriving near the gate, dismounted and sat down upon a stone by the wayside to await their approach, ruminating upon the past, the present, and the future. I was quickly roused from my reverie by the whiz of a bullet close to my ear, which speedily put all my ideas to flight. Springing up with alacrity, I saw a Turkish soldier recovering his musket, and coolly walking off, no doubt esteeming it excellent sport to startle a giaour."-Three Weeks in Palestine, p. 20. inspection of what they might have seen with their own eyes.* Dr Clarke, for example, there is reason to suspect, has allowed his pen to be guided by the ardent muse of Tasso, rather than by the cool observation of an unbiassed traveller. "No sensation of fatigue or heat," says he, "could counterbalance the eagerness and zeal which animated all our party in the approach to Jerusalem; every individual pressed forward, hoping first to announce the joyful intelligence of its appearance. We passed some insignificant ruins, either of ancient buildings or of modern villages; but had they been of more importance they would have excited little notice at the time, so earnestly bent was every mind towards the main object of interest and curiosity. At length, after about two hours had been passed in this state of anxiety and suspense, ascending a hill towards the south-Hagiopolis! exclaimed a Greek in the van of our cavalcade; and, instantly throwing himself from his horse, was seen upon his knees, bareheaded, facing the prospect he surveyed. Suddenly the sight burst upon us all. The effect produced was that of total silence throughout the whole company. Many of our party, by an immediate impulse, took off their hats as if entering a church, without being sensible of so doing. The Greeks and Catholics shed torrents of tears; and, presently beginning to cross them The following reflections on the destruction of Jerusalem are natural and affecting. Alluding to the prediction of our Lord, Mr Hardy remarks, "We know from undisputed authority that the prophecy was literally fulfilled at the siege by Titus; and looking now at the city as it lies beneath our feet, we cannot point out one single building, or part of a building, not even so insignificant a ruin as two stones together, that the most zealous antiquarian can suppose to have existed at the time of Christ. Other cities have been sacked and partially destroyed, but the ruin has not been total. I have seen the Parthenon at Athens, the Colloseum at Rome, and there are temples still standing even at Thebes. Here rage hath done its worst; and there is no present edifice over which the Jews can weep and say our fathers reared these walls! The sepulchres alone have come down to our time, but they are hewn out of the rock and not built, and it is only with the stone that contains them they can perish."-Notices of Holy Land, p. 182. selves with unfeigned devotion, asked if they might be permitted to take off the covering from their feet, and proceed barefooted to the Holy Sepulchre. We had not been prepared for the grandeur of the spectacle which the city alone exhibited. Instead of a wretched and ruined town, by some described as the desolated remnant of Jerusalem, we beheld as it were a flourishing and stately metropolis, presenting a magnificent assemblage of domes, towers, palaces, churches, and monasteries; all of which, glittering in the sun's rays, shone with inconceivable splendour. As we drew nearer, our whole attention was engrossed by its noble and interesting appearance. The effect produced upon the Christian army when they obtained the first view of the holy city is beautifully described by the Italian poet, thereby supplying, as we have suggested, the model which has been so faithfully copied by the English tourist. "Now from the golden East the zephyrs borne, "With holy zeal their swelling hearts abound, "At first, transported with the pleasing sight, * Travels, vol. iv. p. 289. To account in some degree for this impression, it must be mentioned that Dr Clarke approached Jerusalem from the north, and entered by the gate of Damascus. On that side the view is really imposing. |