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see. This mountain is now called "Holy Cross," because S. Helena returning from Jerusalem was compelled by the weather to land where a little stream runs from this mountain, now called the river of S. Helena, because she slept on its bank, having placed under her head the holy Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, which she had brought from Jerusalem. But as she slept it befell that the Cross was miraculously withdrawn, and carried to the top of Mount Olympus. When she awoke, and saw herself defranded of the much loved relic which she had sought out with so great pains, she was sorely grieved, and knew not whom to accuse of the theft. And those of her company, seeing her distress, began to search everywhere, and at last the Cross was found on the top of the mountain. Then the good S. Helena, knowing that God would be worshipped there, caused a church to be built there which exists to-day; and in it she left a piece of the said Cross, after which the monntain is named. Before the Turks took Cyprus there were monks there, Creeks and Italians, bnt now the church is abandoned. Sailing along we saw a wide and fair plain", on which is the town of Chity. They say that Lazarus, whom our Lord restored to life, was Bishop there. But here I find a great contradict ion between the Creeks and ourselves, for Ave hold it certain that Lazarus was Bifdiop of *tarseille, and that he died there : while the Greeks say that he was Bishop of Chity, and of all the territory of Saline. And when we were on shore they showed us a veiy ancient church, which they affirm to have been built by S. Lazarus, whose name it still bears. It is really built in the antiqno style, getting little light but such as enters at the open doors. On the right as you enter you see an ancient sepulchre : to reach it you pass a little opening and go domi four steps, theu yon take a candle and approach the tomb, which is neatly made and ornamented with marble : in some parts it is two feet broad and three high. I was assured that it certainly is the tomb of >S. Lazarus, and that the Emperor lieo, siimamed the Philosopher, caused his body to be taken to Constantinople. Zonaras the historian in his third volume says as much. For my part I shall believe that there were two Lazarnses, one of whom may have been Bishop of Chity, and was buried in this church dedicated to him. But to say that this was he whom onr Saviour restored to life is, to my thinking, a manifest error. Jfor with all respect to Zonaras and other Greeks, we have his body as well as that of the Magdalen, in our own France. After doubling the Cape called also Chity we arrived about sunset at the port of Salines, fifty miles from Limassol, and after firing a salute of three guns our Captain sent a boat ashore with his clerk to advise the Cadi of our arrival. [The author explains how «être which -met him at Larnaca of the fury of the plagile at Trìpoli, where 130 persoti* icere dying daily, made him change hie vessel for one engaged to go dinvtly to Jaffa, and continues—] We landed and saw the church of S. Lazarus, and the fine salt-lake which yields abundance of salt in large and small blocks as white as alabaster. The plain around produces wheat and other grain plentifully; it stretches nearly all along the seashore, and is wanting in nothing but wood, and even that is supplied by the adjacent hills. There are some villages, the chief of them Larnaca, where there is a fine church turned by the Turks into a mosque. It was here that the Turkish force which conquered Cyprus first landed. Our Captain was buying salt at the lake to salt eighteen or twenty oxen and cows which he had bought to provision the ship, when two decent fellows, Cypriot Christians, who were arranging the sale, told us in good Italian of two strange things which had happened only six days ago at Fainagusta, where the plague had long been raging, and its inhabitants and those of the conntiy round were nearly all dead. One day about mid-day a Turk began VILLAMOXT. 175

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