THE PREFACE

IT is usual for those that publish their Writings, to give the World some account of them, by way of Preface; which is a custom, I have no reason to neglect, since I find my self obliged, not only to make an Apology, for putting forth this Discourse, but also for many things contained therein. I have reason, I say, to let the World know, what prevailed upon me, to expose both it and my self thereby to publick censure, in an Age of such Wit and Learning as this. For I am not ignorant of those ingenious men, who have already obliged our Nation and the World, by their Writings on great part of this subject, aided by parts and learning far excelling any thing I can pretend to. But I also as well as they, having by Gods assistance, had a prosperous Voy∣age, into those parts of the World, and made a considerable Collection of useful Observations, and other Curiosities, began to think, that both my time and labour spent thereon, would soon be inevitably lost, should I not take care to put them into some convenient method for their preservation. And really when I considered the many and eminent dangers and difficul∣ties I had by Gods wonderful Providence been delivered from; the many Obligations and signal Honours I received from several illustrious Socie∣ties, and generous Friends both at home and abroad; with the Happi∣ness, Peace, Freedom and Tranquillity, I was returned to, and we of these Countries enjoy, above any Nation in the World: I concluded it would misbecome me, to bury such Blessings in Oblivion, without erect∣ing the least Monument of Gratitude in remembrance of them. There∣fore enjoying some leisure in the Country solitudes, I chose to retire unto, after my return, I made This and my Books my divertisement; pur∣posing then only, to set my Observations in such an useful order, as might Page  [unnumbered]preserve them the better in my Memory: or at most, upon occasion, to entertain such of my friends with them, as were curious to know how I had employed my time in those parts; being conscious that my unpolished style, and manner of writing, would be unfit to appear in publick, were the matter contained therein never so deserving.

But whilest I entertained my self with these thoughts, Monsieur Spon, my Fellow Traveller, sent me over an account of our Voyage, which he with much Ingenuity and Learning had compiled, and Printed in French; wherein, he did me the Honour of placing my name with his in the Title, and for the most part throughout the Book. This with great satisfaction I read over; yet it did not so entirely answer my design as to make me desist from the purpose I had before entred upon, although it much furthered me in the performance of it.

Thus between his Book, and my own Papers, I with much satis∣faction diverted my self that Summer, which was 1678. fansying my self again in the enjoyment of that happy time I spent in those parts, and his ingenious Conversation. But when I had brought my design well near to a period, I heard, at my return to London, the following Winter, that somebody was about to translate Monsieur Spon's Book into Eng∣lish, and to print it.

Hereupon I thought my self concerned to find out the truth, and not to permit any thing to come out in English with my name, which was not in all points agreeable to my own sentiments. Which being a thing scarce possible in such variety of matter, without a joint consultation, I thought it better to publish my own sence in my own words, than to suffer his words and particular sence to pass in my name. And in short, comparing notes, I found I had many useful Observations omitted by him, which I thought very fit to be communicated to the curious among the rest of our Remarks, to make the account going under both our names, as much the Relation of both as I could.

As to the matter contained in this Book, I find no reason I have to be ashamed of it, although I do not expect it should escape censure. For I know some will say, why does he treat us with insipid descriptions of Weeds, and make us hobble after him over broken stones, decayed buildings, and old rubbish? But these being things their curiosity does not extend to, I should but trifle, in giving them a serious Answer. Others, perhaps, may not be pleased, that I have made Divine Reflections on the various events of things, and Phaenomena of nature. As to men of this irreli∣gious temper, I make no other answer, but that I design'd to write as a Christian Traveller and Philosopher; and if my Book be unacceptable to Page  [unnumbered]them, because it savours of my Religion, they may leave it, as they do their Bibles, to others, who will like it better upon that account.

As to the Title, not only Gratitude but Justice also requires that I should join Monsieur Spon's name with mine, since he did me the same respect in his, and we made the Voyage together. And in composing this Treatise, I have all along had an Eye to his, still comparing my notes with his, having for the greatest part seen the same things which he did.

What I find Monsieur Spon hath omitted, I have supplied; and on the other side, what material things I found I had neglected in my own Journal, I added out of his Book, if I well remembred them. When I met with any things to be mistakes, I have as freely corrected them, and in dubious Criticisms I have given my own Opinion and Reason.

The Observations which I made, and are not to be met with in Mon∣sieur Spon, are various and scattered throughout the whole Book: But the chiefest are, first the Plants I have described, on which subject he hath not at all concerned himself. My Map of Achaia also I have added, which I made out of my own particular Observations, I took on the places, for that purpose. Divers Medals and other Antiquities I have by me, since sent from Athens to me, and observed after we par∣ted from each other, as they lay in my method, and made for my purpose, I have inserted in this account.

As to the curious Plants I would have added more Cuts, most of them which I have described, being either unknown or very rare in our parts; but indeed the Bookseller was very unwilling to be burthened with them, the change of Graving being too great for his profit.

The Map of Achaia, I have spoken of, may need some things to be said in its behalf, since the Position of the whole Scheme of it, is so dif∣ferent from all the Maps of those parts we have extant; to answer for which I will give an account of my Delineation of it, being a way per∣haps unusual in describing of Land-Maps. The Observations I had made, being taken by the help of a Mariners Needle, from several sta∣tions on divers Mountains and eminent places of that Country, I thereby easily reduced their Positions into Triangles; and thereby could hardly miss of their natural situations, nor yet to have a proportionable distance from one another, according to a scale of parts proposed, from any one or two several known distances. Which though it be but an ordinary rule in surveighing, yet in those Countries, where from a Mountain, one may see twenty, thirty, forty, and fifty miles about, it may prove of more use and certainty than all the rest of the Geographical Art of Longitudes in Page  [unnumbered]the World. To this I had also the advantage of the Latitudes, Mr. Ver∣non had with all exactness taken, of the most eminent places contained therein, as of Patras, Delphus, Thebes, Chalcis or Egripo, Co∣rinth and Athens. By adding which to the Observations made with the Needle, I found I could not miss of much more exactness than ever could yet be arrived at, by conjectural Longitudes, whether of the an∣cient or modern Geographers. For the Bearing of two places of diffe∣rent Latitudes being given, one cannot miss of a proportionable distance, according to the scale of Latitude; if from the one you follow the Bear∣ing to the Latitude of the other. For there is but one individual point on a Plane, that can be the same Latitude, and the same Bearing from another Latitude. As for Example, Thebes is 38. D. 22. M. L. Chalcis is 38. D. 31. M. L. So there is nine Minutes difference in Latitude. But the Bearing from Chalcis to Thebes is W. S. W. So a Scale of Latitudes being described by Parallel Lines, and Chalcis being placed thereon in 38. D. 31. M. L. Draw a Line thence directly W. S. W. and wheresoever it cuts the line of Latitude 38. D. 22. M. there must be the point where Thebes must be situate. For any other point or distance but that, alters either the Latitude or Bearing, against the Hypothesis. When I had thus set down the places of principal note, especially those Cities, with the Mountains, Rivers, Promontories, and Harbours; the other places according to their Bearings, and reputed distances of Miles from the first, I regulated as well as I could. Which so near as their reputed distances come to the truth, so near must they be to the true Latitudes: For this Rule serves both ways. If you have the true Latitudes and the Bearings, you have the true situation; so if you have the true Latitude of one place, and the true Bearings and di∣stances thence to the places adjacent, you have also the true Lati∣tudes.

This Rule if it were well improved, might produce Maps more exact than any we have yet had, and make the much desired Longitude less valuable in Geography. For this would give a true proportionable di∣stance from place to place, which is the thing so much pretended to by Longitudes; but is more by chance, than Science, at any time, if ever, arrived to.

That this is practicable to particular Places and Countries, I have given a proof; and how it may be applicable to the general Geography of the World, I will propose in two or three words, and leave it to be im∣proved and considered by those of better parts and more leisure than my self. Suppose then only that two points of Position or Bearing were Page  [unnumbered]added to the two points of Latitude on the Globe, and place them in two eminent places on the Equinoctial Line, or on one only till we can come to the knowledge of its opposite point, by more experience: Let this be the Center of a Circle divided into 360. degrees, which will serve both for the degrees of Latitude and for the degrees of Bearing. From these Centers let Lines be drawn to every tenth degree, to distin∣guish the points of Bearing, and Parallel Lines to the Equator, from every tenth degree to tenth degree, to distinguish the Latitudes. And these are all the necessary Lines I can think on. As to the Colures, they will be of no further use; and the Tropicks, Ecliptick, Arctick and An∣tarctick Circles, they appertain rather to the Celestial Globe than the Terrestrial.

Thus as the Equator divides the World into two equal parts of Nor∣thern and Southern Latitude, so would this divide it into two equal parts of Bearing, Eastern and Western. Thus the Lines of Bearing, cutting the Lines of Latitude, all things might be placed on the Globe with the greatest ease imaginable, from the best and correctest Charts, Maps, and Observations of Travellers, either on the Globe or a Plain. Thus in time by diligence and correct Observations, the defects of the supposed Longitude would be taken away; and Tables of Bearing cor∣rectly collected and ordered in their stead: and the various contractions of the degrees of Longitude, according to the distance of the Parallels from the Equator, would likewise be taken away. Which is another incurable defect in the supposititious degrees of Longitude. For thus all the Circles would be equal, cutting the Globe into equal parts.

But to return to my Map of Achaia, I have inscribed the ancient names of the Provinces, Mountains, Rivers, Promontories, Ports and Bayes; but of the Towns only the present names; for had I had always room to do it, it would only have bred a confusion between them. I be∣gan indeed with Attica instead of the ancient names to mark them with Figures referring to a Catalogue of them; but finding it too tedious a work suddenly to go through with, I proceeded no further, but left it to another opportunity, to finish a Geographical Discourse of those parts, especially Attica, I long since began and designed in Latine; wherein I shall explain my Marble of the Tribes by giving an account of their division into 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, or Borough-Towns.

At present I have contented my self with making a Catalogue of those Observations I have, and placing it at the bottom of the Map, adorn∣ing it also about the margent with such figures of the principal places as I thought proper, thereby to make it an Ornament for a Study as well as Page  [unnumbered]to this Book. And this is the reason you will find some of the titles of the Figures in Latine and some in English, which missed my observation before they were printed off, otherwise they might have been al∣tered again.

There are other faults I find, some whereof are my own, and some the Printers. Those of the Printers most of them are happened I suppose, by reason of my distance from the Press, living in the Country; and for them I must refer you to the Errata.

As for those of my own, I have observed since the Printing, they are

First, Page 12. That a Sestertium or Sestertius is a piece of mo∣ney weighing about two pence half peny, in which it seems I trusted too much to my memory; for it weighs but two pence, as I weighed one I have, by two pence of our new mill'd money. But by Mr. Greaves his account of the Roman Denarius it should not be quite so much; for he makes a Denarius, of which this is the fourth part, to weigh but seven pence half peny farthing; however considering the fineness of the silver, in respect to the alloy of our Standard, we may well reckon it worth two pence, if not more. So that the whole cost was about five pounds five shillings of our money; by which may be judged the decrease of the value of silver since those dayes.

In the Figure of Zara, Page 8. the Bastions of the Walls of the Town ought to be round as I have described them, although I find in the Figure, both he that designed it from my Scetch, and the Engraver af∣ter him, have made them square.

Page 32.2. The Soil of Corfu, &c. to Vel hirsuto, is a transposition, and ought to follow after Wife and all. Page 34. Which is the fault of the Copyist I made use of, not observing the marks of interposition I gave him on my foul Copy.

Page 405. Speaking of the Images of Ceres, I have by me, I have said, she holdeth something round in her other hand; which, out of St. Aug. de Civitate Dei, Lib. 7. c. 24. I have since ob∣served to be a kind of Hand-Drum, he calls Tympanum, being an In∣strument they used to sound before her, as the Mother of the Gods. Under which name the Heathens did comprehend not only the Phrygian Cybele, but also Ceres, Proserpina, Vesta, and several others of the Goddesses. Aug. Lib. 7. c. 15. And as the Mother of the Gods, undoubtedly the Athenians took their ΔΗΜΗΤΗΡ: as appears, by all those marks of the Lyons, the tympanum, and the sacrificing Plate; only the Basket of Fruit on her Head, instead of the Towered Crown, di∣stinguisht her more peculiarly to be Ceres. I have two Basso-Relievos I Page  [unnumbered]designed at Rome, which exactly agree with the description St. Au∣gustine gives of the Mother of the Gods, which would be here too long to insist upon.

In reading over this Book I observe that several of the Medals de∣scribed therein, and cut on the Plates, have no reference marked in the Margent to find them as I ordered; therefore those that are curious to see them, may turn to the Plates and find them in their order.

I must tell you also that the account I have given you of the measures of things must be understood of the French foot which only I had by me, and is half an inch bigger than the English.

These are what I observed, and hope are the most considerable faults of this Book; what others have slipped by my notice, must be supported by those that will read this Treatise, and considered as Badges of hu∣manity, whose limited and frail nature is such, that it cannot be wise in all things; no more than were it so, it can be wise to all men. I am sure there is nothing in it so ill but it was meant well, therefore if ei∣ther what is well or ill meet with a candid construction, I shall neither think my time mispent that I employed thus, to divert my self in writing it, nor ill bestowed on those that shall reap any benefit or satisfaction by the publishing of it.