of this chamber is buried Eleazar, son of the
illustrious Simeon.

These sepulchres are marked out upon the roof, outside of the chamber, by
a small pillar over each, with a hollow on the top of it for burning of
the votive offerings as above mentioned. Near the first entrance gate is
a similar pillar for lamps and offerings vowed to Rabbi Isaac, a
celebrated physician.

All these three saints still perform as many miracles as ever they did;
and the common people believe that any person forcing an entrance to the
shrines, without express permission of the living rabbis, will be
infallibly punished with sudden death. They cited instances of such
visitations having occurred.

We then went to the ruin of what the Jews assert to have been a
synagogue. It has been an oblong square building, one of its sides being
formed by the scarped surface of a rock, and its opposite (the north)
stands upon what is now the brink of a low precipice, probably from the
earth having given way below at the time of the earthquake; indeed it
must be so, for the one of the three portals at the east end, which was
there, is now missing. The floor is solid surface of rock, and now used
by the peasants for a thrashing-floor. The portals have been handsome,
with bold mouldings; but no floral embellishment or inscription now
remains.

[Picture: Possible synagogue]

The transverse lintels are each of one stone; the central one is at least
fifteen feet in length.

Persons still living remember this building very much more entire than it
now is. There is an abundance of large loose stones lying about, and
fragments of broken columns or moulded friezes. Upon the rock by its
side is a small tower that was erected by old Daher (Volney's hero of the
Report on Syria) in the eighteenth century.

The village population now consists of about thirty souls, friendly to
the Jews, from whom indeed they derive their principal subsistence, in
consideration of guarding the sanctuaries from spoliation. Other
sanctified rabbis are interred in sites about the village and the hill.
{121}

After a temperate luncheon upon the rocks among the noble scenery in the
open air, and consulting the Hebrew book of travels of R. Joseph
Schwartz, (who was still living in Jerusalem,) we parted from our rabbis,
and proceeded to visit Cuf'r Bera'am.

When we arrived close to _Sasa_, there was _Jish_ before us on the right.
We passed through a dist