There are many rich
families; though they confine their magnificence to the inside of
their houses, to avoid the jealousy of the Turks, who have, a bassa
here: however, they enjoy a reasonable liberty, and indulge the
genius of their country:

_And eat, and sing, and dance away their time,
Fresh as their groves, and happy as their clime_.

Their chains hang lightly on them, tho' 'tis not long since they were
imposed, not being under the Turk till 1566. But perhaps 'tis as
easy to obey the grand signior as the state of Genoa, to whom they
were sold by the Greek emperor. But I forget myself in these
historical touches, which are very impertinent when I write to you.
Passing the strait between the islands of Andros and Achaia, now
Libadia, we saw the promontory of Lunium, now called Cape Colonna,
where are yet standing the vast pillars of a temple of Minerva. This
venerable sight made me think, with double regret, on a beautiful
temple of Theseus, which, I am assured, was almost entire at Athens,
till the last campaign in the Morea, that the Turks filled it with
powder, and it was accidentally blown up. You may believe I had a
great mind to land on the fam'd Peloponnesus, tho' it were only to
look on the rivers of Asopus, Peneus, Inachus and Eurotas, the fields
of Arcadia, and other scenes of ancient mythology. But instead of
demigods and heroes, I was credibly informed, 'tis now over-run by
robbers, and that I should run a great risque (sic) of falling into
their hands, by undertaking such a journey through a desert country,
for which, however, I have so much respect, that I have much ado to
hinder myself from troubling you with its whole history, from the
foundation of Nycana and Corinth, to the last campaign there; but I
check the inclination, as I did that of landing. We sailed quietly
by Cape Angelo, once Malea, where I saw no remains of the famous
temple of Apollo. We came that evening in sight of Candia: it is
very mountainous; we easily distinguished that of Ida.--We have
Virgil's authority, that here were a hundred cities--

_--Centum urbes habitant magnas--_

The chief of them--the scene of monstrous passions.--Metellus first
conquered this birth-place of his Jupiter; it fell afterwards into
the hands of ---- I am running on to the very siege of Candia; and I
am so angry with myself, that I will pass by all the other islands
with this general reflection, that 'tis impossib