HISTORY ETHNOGRAPHY NATURE WINE-MAKING SITE MAP
Selected and rare materials, excerpts and observations from ancient, medieval and contemporary authors, travelers and researchers about Cyprus.
 
 
 
 
uses Google technology and indexes only and selectively internet - libraries having books with free public access
 
  Previous Next  

CLAUDE DELAVAL COBHAM
Exerpta Cypria
page 456

View PDF version of this page

him to live with her. Meantime her rival met her this evening, and regaled her with her accustomed salutation. I forget who is the traveller (I believe it is Sonnini) that calls Turkey and Greece the land of chastity and conjugal decorum, November 2. Therm, 79e. I walked down to the Marina in the morning to look after an opportunity for Rhodes. I found there was only one ship going, a Turkish one, which is now loading corn in Famagosto, whence it will not return for some days, I therefore accepted an invitation 1 had from M. L. P. to accompany him and his wife on an excursion to Nicosia for a few days. At half past two I set off with them, attended by two of their servants. We rede over the same road as 1 passed before, and at six stopped at Athiainou, where we passed the night with tolerable comfort in a cottage, to whose tenants my companions had sent notice of our coming. In the evening we went to pay a visit to a Russian female pilgrim who by chance was passing the night in the same village: of her appearance the little that was human was more masculine than feminine, particularly as to dress and voice. She spoke scarcely intelligibly in French, and could not utter three words of English, which at first she pretended to know. We made out that after having lost 300,000 roubles by the burning of Moscow, in whose neighbourhood lay her estate, she resolved on making the pilgrimage of Jerusalem which she had just completed, having stopt there ten days, and being now on her return. November 3. Therm, 77°. We set off from Athiainou at foni- in the morning, and till the sun rose were intolerably chilled by damp and cold. At eight we entered Nicosia, where, as I had nothing new to see, and the female part of the party was veiy tired, we stopt indoors the rest of the day, except a visit we paid in the evening to the Archbishop, with whom we supped. We are lodged in tho house of an Italian, who has been a. soldier in the French army, and fought in the battles of Jena, Austerlitz, and Eylau. He now exercises in Nicosia his trade of a cabinet-maker, in which he is an excellent workman, and has to his great regret married a woman of Cyprus,—I must not say a Cyprian. November t. Thenn. S0°. In the morning we strolled .about and paid visits to two or throe Greeks. One of these was an old fellow who was very vain of his knowledge of Hellenick, and of some miserable rhymes in Romaick which he composed twenty years ago cm the marriage of a relation, and which, having had them printed at Venice, he has framed and hung up in his room. In the afternoon I strolled a little about the bazaars, which are most wretched, and passed the evening and supped chez nous. November 6. Thenn. S2\ At half past four we left Nicosia to sleep at a convent two hour* off. These two hours we rode over α fine plain, plentifully watered, wooded with numerous olive trees, and sown with com and cotton. We passed two villages, Strovilos and S. Themetissa, and at a quarter past six stopped at the convent of the Archangel Michael, a farm of Kikkos, in which while that monastery is undergoing repair is deposited that precious treasure the Panagia Ion Kikkoii, the picture of the Virgin painted by S. Lnke, of which there were said to be three in the world, one here, one, I believe, at Venice, and the third I forget where. Here.they gave ns tolerable good beds in one of which I deposited myself immediately, having felt symptoms of fever all day, which grew so streng towards evening that ί conld hardly sit my horse. November 7. Therm. 79°. In the morning we attended mass in the church, which though small is richly ornamented. In the centre of the wall, fronting the principal entrance, is fixed the picture, which the priests have wisely covered with gold, silver and precious stones, inlaid to represent the Virgin and Infant, and round it are hung pearls, sequins, etc., tho offerings of the devout, only a small hole being left in the middle for the people to kiss. The peasants have a great idea of the efficacy of this picture in devotion, and I remarked EXCERPTA CYPRIA.

View PDF version of this page


  Previous First Next