CHAP. V.

ROUTE FROM LARNIC TO NICOSIA.

HAVING proceeded northwards from Larnic to go to Nicofia, when I got to the distance of about a mile and a half, I left on my right a large village, which has changed its ancient name of Tridat into that of Livadia. It was formerly fur rounded by beautiful meadows of a vaft extent. Its riches confifted in flocks; the greater part of the inhabitants were fhepherds; and every thing breathed the delicious charms of the paftoral life. This new Arcadia is, however, now totally changed. Its meads are converted into infectious marshes, which corrupt the air; and, though fome of them have been drained and cultivated, one cannot fee without pain the defolate state of a country which tradition tells us was once fo pleasant. Fifty years ago, the fields in the neighbourhood were culti-, vated by upwards of two thousand hands, who manufactured abundance of cotton, with fome of the beft filk in the kingdom; but, except a few that produce corn, and a little cotton, they are now entirely neglected. About a dozen of huts, scattered here and there, afford fhelter to a few poor families. The culture of the mulberry is now totally abandoned, though there were formerly whole groves of it. The people destroyed them, and government took no care to prevent this lofs.

The

The environs were embellished with a great number of feats, to which the inhabitants of Larnic repaired, to enjoy the beauties of nature, and the pleasures of the country. None of them remain at prefent but that of Mr. Pory, which I have mentioned already; the reft are falling to decay: and not far from their ruins ftands the Greek church of Saint Parafceughi.

In my way I fell in with the village of Aradippe, the richest in the country. It contains a church, of which St. Luke is the patron. Every year, on his festival, a very brilliant fair is held, which is frequented by vaft crowds of people. I faw alfo the remains of an ancient temple, the walls of which were painted in fresco.

This is the only place in the island where people are permitted to breed hogs; but it must be allowed that the prohibition is no where very rigorous.

In the middle of a plain, at the distance of two leagues and a half from Larnic, ftands the village of Atene, which is tolerably 'well peopled. This, no doubt, is owing to the advantages of its fituation; for, being on the route from Larnic to. Nicofia, it is much reforted to by carriers and travellers. The fields around it produce wheat; and in fome of them there are a few clumps of mulberry trees. The country around Petrophanes, Palliocanut, St. George, and Margo, has every appearance of natural fecundity. But I beheld there the richest fields most shamefully neglected: they are beautiful defarts, which wait only for the hand of man to become real gardens.

In this place I had the pleasure of seeing a Cyprian hunting match, a fpectacle very common in the island; for, as I have already remarked, the Cypriots are remarkably fond of hunting. fportsman here feldom goes out alone, to purfue a feeble

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a feeble animal, with his fufee and a couple of dogs. The Cypriots love exercise; but they wish to enliven these excurfions with mirth and jollity; they therefore go out in large parties, mounted on horfes, and accompanied by whole packs of dogs. The hunting match at which I was prefent, was none of the leaft brilliant, as it was that of the governor. Having arrived at a spacious plain, interfperfed with clumps of mulberry trees, fome ruins, and thick bushes, the 'fportfman began to form a ring, in order to inclofe the enemy. The barrier confifted of guards on horseback, with dogs placed in the intervals. The ladies of the greatest distinction in Nicofia, with a multitude of other people, stood upon a little hill, which I af cended alfo; and from that eminence I enjoyed the amufement, without fharing in the fatigue. The governor and his fuite were pofted in different parts of the plain, and, as foon as the appointed moment arrived, the hunt was opened with the found of mufical inftruments. Part of the dogs were then let loofe; which, ranging through the bushes and underwood, sprung a great number of rails, partridges, and woodcocks. The governor began the fport, by bringing down one of these birds; his fuite followed his example; and the winged tribe, into whatever quarter they flew, were fure of meeting with inftant death. I was ftruck with the tranquillity of the stationary dogs; for, notwithstanding the inflinct by which they were fpurred on, not one of them quitted his poft; but the reft ran about in purfuit of the game, and the plain was clear in an inftant. The scene was now changed: a hare ftarted up from a bush; the dogs purfued; and while the latter made a thoufand turnings in order to efcape, fhe every where found an enemy. She however often defeated the greyhounds and I admired, in fuch

cafes,

cafes, the fagacity of these animals; which, difdaining the affiftance of those that were young and inexperienced, confequently liable to be deceived, waited until fome of the cunning old ones opened the way for them; and then the whole plain was foon in motion. During this fcene, the beauty of the season, the cheerfulness by which I was fur rounded, the barking of the dogs, repeated a thousand times by the echoes of the hills, the cries of the hunters, and the found of the horns, exalted my imagination; and kept me, as I may fay, in a kind of enchantment. When the poor animal was just ready to become a prey to its enemies, the governor rufhed forwards; and throwing a stick, which he held in his hand, before the dogs, they all ftopped, and not one of them ventured to pafs this fignal. One of those swift greyhounds, of which I have spoken in the first chapter, being then let loofe, purfued the hare; and having come up with it, carried it back, and jumping up on the neck of the governor's horfe, placed it before him. The governor took it in his arms; and, delivering it to one of his officers, gave him orders, if it continued alive, to fhut it up in his park, where he maintains a great many prifoners of the fame kind. I admired, above all, the discipline of the dogs, and the humanity of the governor, who thought it his duty to preferve an animal which had afforded him fo much pleasure.

Among the deferted villages above mentioned is that of Piroi, which has not the leaft refemblance to any of them. It is very populous, and the country around is fertile and well cultivated. This canton is indebted for part of its beauties to the industry of its inhabitants; it is interspersed with groves of mulberry trees, and produces abundance of cotton. In the neighbourhood there is a rivu

let,

let, the waters of which add greatly to the charms of this delightful spot.

After paffing this rivulet, you find in the earth. red jafper and agates, mixed with common ftones; and this for a confiderable distance. You meet alfo with a number of villages more or lefs populous; but to repeat their names (for little can be faid of them) would only take up the reader's time to no purpofe. I fhall content myself with obferving, that the greater part of them are ornamented with Greek churches, and groves of mulberry trees, which were formerly much more numerous in the island than they are at present.

The mulberries in Cyprus, as well as in all Syria, are planted at an equal distance from each other, in ftraight lines, and forming a fmall square grove compofed of two, three, and even five, thoufand plants. They are somewhat more than five feet in height, and about two feet in circumference. These trees grow naturally taller; but at Cyprus the people lop off the branches, that they may have the leaves to give to their filk worms. They are not suffered to grow old, nor does the pruning knife respect even their first shoots: care therefore is taken every year to plant new ones, in order to fupply a fufficiency of leaves. No other attention is bestowed upon them than to water them once or twice a-day in fummer. A fmall refervoir, made in the form of a vase, is dug around each tree; and the water being conveyed into it by 'fmall canals, ferves to refresh the roots.

CHAP.