Itinerarium totius Sacræ Scripturæ. Or, the trauels of the holy patriarchs, prophets, iudges, kings, our sauiour Christ, and his Apostles, as they are related in the Old and New Testaments. With a description of the townes and places to which they trauelled, and how many English miles they stood from Ierusalem. Also a short treatise of the weights, monies, and measures mentioned in the Scriptures, reduced to our English valuations, quantitie, and weight. Collected out of the workes of Henry Bunting, and done into English by R.B.

Of Corinthia.

COrinthus is a famous city in Grecia, scituated in Pelopones∣sus a pleasant countrey of Achaia, ioyning to the continent of Grecia like an Isthmus or Peninsula, distant from Ierusalem 760 miles towards the West, commonly called Corantha, built (as Eusebius saith) by Sisiphus sonne of Aeolus, at such time as Io∣shuah gouerned Israel; who was a mighty Pirat. At first it was but a castle, and called after his name Sisiphyus: but after, because of the strength of the place, and pleasant scituation, it became a faire towne, and called by the name of Corcyra, as Strabo faith; then Ephym, of Ephyra, who was a faire and goodly Nymph, and Queen of that place. Now although euen in those times it was held in great estimation, yet it became much wasted and decay∣ed through the continuance of time, vntill it was repaired by King Corinthus (who as some thinke was the sonne of Marathon

Suidas saith, the sonne of Pelops; others would haue him the sonne of Orestis: and after his name was called Corinth, that is, The floure of Maides.

It was a faire and goodly citie, very commodiously built, for it stood betweene the two seas of Ionium and Aegeum, so that there resorted thither great multitude of Merchants from all places, Close by the citie there stood a steepe mountaine, which was as it were a bulwarke for the defence thereof, being 560 feet high, and called Acrocorinthus, that is, the glory and strength of the Corinthians. It was also compassed about with strong walls, and beautified with many goodly buildings and temples, but aboue the rest, the Temple of Venus was had in great reputation, which (as Strabo saith) stood vpon the top of the mountaine Acrocorin∣thus, wherein there were aboue a thousand Maides prostituted euery yeare. This Temple was had in such great honour, and was so gloriously built, that aboue all the places of the world there was resort vnto it. Close by it stood the ancient castle cal∣led Sysyphius, built all of white Marble; and a little below that, the fountaine of Pyrene dedicated to the Muses.

There were many mightie Princes that ruled in this citie, as Alethes who was King thereof at such time as Samuel judged Is∣rael, which was 1103 yeares before Christ; hee bestowed great cost vpon it, set vp many faire and goodly buildings, and ruled ouer it thirtie and fiue yeares, as Eusebius saith. After him there succeeded many Kings, by whose worthinesse and prowesse it was so much inlarged, and made so famous, that it was little infe∣riour to the citie of Rome: for at such time as Embassadors were sent thence to intreate of some businesse concerning the state, the Corinthians did not let to giue them many reprochfull tearmes, as Strabo saith, lib. 8. because of which insolencie the Romans sent Lucius Mummus the Consul, into Graetia, who besieged Co∣rinth, and within a short time tooke it, and burnt it downe to the ground, in the yeare before Christ, 145, of which you may reade more in Florus, and in the second Decad of Lyuie. It was a mar∣uellous rich Towne, and abounded with gold, siluer, and costly brasse, also with plate, and curious pictures: so that although Mummius conquered Corinth, yet Corinth conquered Rome;

for the citizens thereof were so bewitched with the riches and glory of this towne, that they forgot their ancient seueritie, and with violence followed their vices, as Salust saith, lib. 1. So that as before Corinth abounded with luxurie and diuers other abho∣minable euils, as whoredome, adulterie, fornication, couetousnes, idolatry, rapine, and murther: so Rome in future ages became as bad or worse than it.

Thus it continued waste from that time till Iulius Caesar was Emperour of Rome, who hauing trauelled into those parts of the world, and seene the ruines of this citie, and the profitale scitua∣tion for traffique, caused it to be rebuilded: after which time it began to grow great & spacious, little inferiour to the former in glory, and no lesse corrupted with vices, hauing forgot the former miserie which it sustained by the hands of the Romans; and so continued from the yeare before Christ 44, vntill the yeare after Christ 41, at which time Paul came thither & preached the Gos∣pell, by whose diuine doctrine and godly life and conuersation, they were conuerted from their euill courses, and liued more ho∣lily and honestly, as appeareth by the two Epistles of Saint Paul wrote from Philippos to the inhabitants of this towne.

But after, they falling from their faith and forsaking their an∣cient integritie, the Lord punished them with a second desolati∣on; for at such time as Amurath Emperor of the Turkes grew to eminencie, and had conquered Thessalonica, Boaetia, and Attica, he came into this Isthums, and made all Peloponessus tributary to him. Then after him Mahomet the second (although the inha∣bitants of Corinth had fortified their citie with three walls, and made it so strong that it was thought to be almost inuincible) be∣sieged it and woon it, An. Dom. 1458. about six yeares after Con∣stantinople was conquered by the Turkes. But now it is in the command of the Venetians, and that, and all the countrey is cal∣led by the name of Morea, as it appeareth in the Turkish Histo∣rie, lib. 10.