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Pliny 3436. It is distant from Alexandria in Egypt 500 miles, from Crete 400, from Jaffa the port of Juda?a 200, from the Syrian Tripoli 100, from Satalia or Attalia, a town on the sea-eoast of Pamphylia, 60. It was known of old by many names, Aeantida, Acainantis, Cerasti*, Aspelia, Amathusia, Crypta or Crypton, Colonia, and Minois: sometimes Paphia, Salamina, Ceraunia and Cytherea, from its chief cities, and Macaria (or the Happy Island) from the fertility of .its soil, aud its many charms. In our day it is generally called Cyprus; in Holy Scripture Cothin, Chitiin or Chetim. Pomponius, Pliny and others make it comprise nine kingdoms, with these fifteen principal towns, Paphos, Palaipaphos, Cythera, Curias, Cithinm, Corinasum or Cerauuinm, Salamis or Salamina, Amathus, Lapithns, Soloe, Tamasus, Chytri, Arsinoe, Carpasium, and Golgoe or Colaë. Every one of these is either entirely destroyed and effaced, leaving nothing but a name, or has sunk into an obscure village. These brief notes on them will suffice. Paphos or Neapaphos, now Baffos, one of the fjmr cities which survived to the days of the last kings, is a small village on the south coast. It was founded by Agapenor, and was once famous for a temple of Venus, its harbours and royal palace. It is sixty stadia (so Strabo notes) from Palaipaphos. Here Paul and Barnabas preached the faith of Christ, and made Epaphras its bishop. Palrepaphos, founded by King Paphos, sou of Pygmalion, lies ou the south coast near the promontory Zephyrium. This city, so famous in poetry, was destroyed by frequent earth-quakes ; traces of ruins show what was its former greatness. Here was the celebrated temple of Venus in which persons of both sexes sacrificed naked to Venns : tradition holds that it fell at the prayer of the Apostle Barnabas. Heve too Holy "Writ says that Paul and Barnabas preached the Gospel of Christ, converted to the Faith the Proconsul Sergins Paulus, and struck the Jew Elymas, a sorcerer and false prophet, with blindness. The remains of an ancient church are still shown, and beneath it a vault where the Apostles were imprisoned. The natives say that diamonds are found on the adjacent shore. Cithera, also a city of Venus, from which she took the name Cytherea, is not far from Paphos on the same coast ; some say it was once called Porphirusa) : now it is a village, by name Couclia, whose well-watered fields abound in grain, cotton and sugar. Curium or Curias, a royal residence and famous for its temple of Venus Acrea, is now the village of Limissus, mentioned above; others however place Curium at the ninth mile-stone from Limissus, on the site of the modem village of Piscopia. Amathus, a very ancient town and royal residence, was built by the Assyrians in the reign of Xinus, and gave the name Amathusia to the island. It is levelled with the ground, and marked only by heaps of debris at the sixth milestone east of Limissus. Cithinm or Citto, the oldest town in the island, was founded, it is said, by Cithin or Cethin, the great-grandson of Xoah. It is situated on the south coast, eight miles from Salines, and now called Chiti. An old and half-ruined tower and some lowly buildings are all that can be seen. Zeno Cittieus the fonnder of the Stoic sect, and Apollonius the physician, are said by Strabo to have been bom here. Salamis or Sala mine was built by Tencer the son of Telamon, and was afterwards named Constantia from a king Costa. It is now a small village about two miles from Famagosta, and called Old Famagosta. It is said to have been the birthplace of Asclepiades, and of Solon the philosopher and Athenian legislator. Carpatium or Carpasium, a very ancient town, placed by Strabo near the promontory Sarpedon, is now an insignificant village, called by some Carpasso, by others S. John. Corina?um or Cerauuinm, built by Cyrus on a lofty rock on the north coast, once gave COTOVICUS. 193

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