Anemones of all colours. Many Afters and Arifarums. Ariftolochia Clematitis. Two Afphodils. Braffica frutefcens. Borago variegata Cretica. Cneorum Matth. & Clufii, five Thymelaa affinis facie externâ. Several Cifti. Facea Mofchata, with other knapweeds. Leontopetalum all over the plain of Athens. Oleander. Scilla. Scorzonera Cretica Afphodeli fiftulofi facie, Galocorta Gracorum, it is the womens Cofmetic, and Milk-plant. Siliqua Edulis or Carob. Two Thymelaa's, argentea & tomentofa. Tithymalus Spinofus. Equisetum frutefcens Aphyllon (perhaps a fort of Tithymal) Lychnis frutefcens : With many more, which we have either mention'd in other places, or elfe were doubtful of, as a kind of fmall filver-leaved Scabious. and a Dandelion or Hieracium, with Pilewort or fmall Colts-foot-leaves, with a root like fo many Scorpions following one another. A fort of Medica lunatâ filiqua, or Loto affinis filiquis hirfutis circinatis. Aftragalus argenteus or Syriacus.

Near Corinth and the Ifthmus, Pinus Maritima with fmall cones. Cedrus Lycia vel Sabina baccifera. Ceratia or Siliqua Arbor. Lentifcus. Olea Sylv. Scabiofa argentea petraa. Ariftolochia Clematitis fpecies. Linaria latifolia valentina Clufii, the flowers beautiful with three colours. Androfemum umbelliferum. Scorzonera bulbofa. Arbutus folio non ferrato, Comarea Diofcoridis Adrachne Theophrafti.

For these the reader may confult Mr Ray's Collection of Exotic Catalogues, especially the Oriental one, where the fynonymous names are added.

CHAP.

Hiftorical Obfervations relating to Conftantinople. By the reverend and learned Tho. Smith, D. D. Fellow of Magd. Coll. Oxon. and of the Royal Society.

Byzantium, was (a) by Conf

tantine the Great called fo after his own Name, who being mightily pleafed with the beautiful and advantageous fituation of the place between two feas, and defended by narrow ftreights on both fides, removed the feat of the Empire hither, and laid the foundation of it's future fplendor and greatness. It was alfo by a (b) fpecial Edict or Law of the fame Emperor, which he caused to be engraven on a marble pillar, placed near his own ftatue on horseback, in one of the piazza's of his new-built city called Strategium, where the Souldiers used to muster as in the Campas Martius, called Second or New Rome, in emulation of old Rome, which he defigned and endea voured this fhould equal in all things. Accordingly he endowed it with the fame Privileges and Immunities, and establish'd the fame number of Magiftrates, and Orders. of People, and divided the whole extent of it into fourteen Precincts or (c) Regions, according to the divifion of Rome. And the Greek writers were as elegant and extravagant in their commendations of it; but the ufual title in their ordinary discourses and writings, when they had occafion to mention it without any flourish, was ἡ βασιλεύσσα,

(α) Καλὰ τὰ ἐπωνομον ἡμῖν πόλιν. So the Emperor Confantine in a letter to Eufebius, de Vita Conftantini, lib. 4. cap. 39. & apud Theodoritum Hiftor. Ecclef. lib. 1. cap. 16. v. etiam Socrat. Scholaft. Hift. Ecclef. lib. 1. cap. 16. (b) V. Socratem ibidem. Et Theophanem in Chronographia XXV. anno Conftantini. (c) The Italian word Rione is a manifeft corruption of the Latin word,

Raonevrou, or Banis, that is, the imperial city, to the fame fenfe with that of (d) Sidonius Apollinaris.

Salve fcepturum columen, Regina orientis,

Orbis Roma tui.

The country about it was afterwards called Romania in a limitted and reftrained fenfe, (for that Romania was anciently the fame with Orbis Romanus, feems clear from (e) Epiphanius) and the people 'Paulo. But I fuppofe this was not done till about the middle times of the empire, when it began to decline. The Greeks ftill retain this name: For if you ask any of the Greeks born upon the continent of Thrace what countryman he is, he answers forthwith, 'Papa, Romios, for fo they pronounce it. The Turks in like manner called a Greek Chriftian Urum Gaour, or the Roman Infidel, as they will call fometimes the Emperor of Germany, Urumler Padifha, or Emperor of the Romans. Hence it was that the latter Gracian Emperors ftiled themfelves fanes Papaior, Kings of the Romans, that is, fuch as were born in Romania, and the other countries, which made up the eastern divifion of the empire. Though perchance by this flourishing title they pretended a right to the government of the weft; upon which vain prefumption they affumed alfo the title of Kuonogropes, or Emperors of the World, as if they had been true fucceffors of Auguftus, and the western Emperors, ufurpers, whom they called by way of contempt and indignation, 'Pifes, Reges, as (ƒ) Luitprandus informs us in the account of his embaffy to Nicephorus Phocas, and afforded the people of Italy no other title than that of (g) Longobards or Lombards. The prefent Greeks call all the western B b Chriftians

(d) In Panegyrico, quem Romadixit Anthenio Augufto, his confuli. (e) Hærefi lxix quæ eft Arianorum. Sect. 2. where he fays a fad dimal fre was kindled by Arius : πῦρ ἐ τὸ τυχὸν ἥ κατείλησε ώρα των Ρωμανίαν σχεδὸν, μάλιςα τῆς ἀναβιλες Ta pn, which feized almost upon all Romania, or Univerfum Romanorum Imperium, as Petavius 1enders it, but especially the eafterns parts of it.

(f) Pag. 144, 152, 155. (g) Pag. 139.

Chriftians Aaivot, or defyo, Latins or Franks, the Turks only making ufe of the latter, when they speak civilly of us, and calling Christendom Phrenkistan, in the prefent Greek elyia. The Turks now as proudly call Conftantinople, Alempena, or the refuge of the world; where indeed feems to be a medly of all or most nations of three parts of it, and of all religions, which are allowed to be publickly profest and exercised every where throughout the empire, except the Perfian. For they look upon it as a corruption of, and deviation from the rules and doctrine of Mahomet, their great falfe Prophet, and therefore abfolutely forbid it, as repugnant to, and deftructive of the doctrine of life and falvation, as they fpeak. And accordingly they condemn with all imaginable fury the profeffors of it, who pretend to follow Ali, as fectaries and apoftates, and entertain worfe opinions of them, than of Chriftians, or Jews, or Infidels. The Perfians are not behindhand with them in their hatred and disrespect, deriding them as grofs and ftupid, and looking upon them as little lefs than barbarous : Intereft and zeal for their feveral tenents heightening their differences fo much, that in time of war they deftroy one anothers mofques. I remember, that there was a great difcourfe in Conftantinople among the Turks, concerning an impudent hot-headed Perfian, who publickly in the new mofque, built by the mother of the present Emperor, afferted that Ali was equal to Mahomet. But it seems be very luckily made his escape out of their hands, at which the priests and the more zealous Turks were very much fcandalized.

The Greeks have twenty fix churches within the walls of the city, befides fix in Galata, of which I have given an account elsewhere. They have alfo two churches at Scutari, one at Kadikui or Chalcedon. So at Staurofis, Chingilkui, and feveral other villages upon the Afian fhore of the Bofphorus, as at Beshitash, Ortakui, Chorouch chefme, which church is dedicated to St Michael the Archangel, fenikui or Neochorion, Therapia, Bujukdere, and other villages on the European fide. They have alfo a church at Haskui, where is their burying-place, and another near the Bagno, dedicated to St Parafceve. And at Tatoula about a mile from Pera,

upon

upon a hill, which from the name of the church is thence called by the Greeks and Franks, St Demetrius's bill. Next to the holy Virgin, St Demetrius and St George have most churches dedicated to them.

The Armenians have not, if I remember aright, above feven churches, they being few in number in comparison of the Greeks.

The Jews may have in the city and places adjacent between twenty and thirty fynagogues, this being the greatest shelter of that accurfed and contemptible people in the Grand Signior's dominions, next to Caire and Saloniki; and I believe there may be about twenty or thirty thousand families of them. They are of great use and service to the Turks, upon account of their brokage and merchandise, and industry in several mechanical trades. All these I look upon as natives, or flaves rather, each paying money for his head every year. The Jews indeed very wifely collect this tax among themfelves, and according to an agreement made with the Tefterdar or Treasurer, pay a certain fum in grofs for their whole nation refiding there; by which piece of cunning they are great gainers, and fpare the poor among them lefs able to pay, by a contribution of the rich to make up the fum. The English and Dutch Embassadors have their chapels in their palaces common to their refpective nations. The churches and chapels of the western Christians of the Roman communion in Galata, are,

St Peter's, belonging to the Dominicans, where is the famous piece of Madonna di Conftantinopoli, as the Italians call it, or of the Bleffed Virgin holding the holy child Jefus in her arms; which they pretend to be drawn by the hand of St Luke, celebrated by fome of the later ecclefiaftical writers to have been a famous Painter. Out of respect to this idle tradition, the 'credulous and fuperftitious Latins and Greeks of the Roman communion fhew great veneration to it, which otherwife hath little in it of proportion, art, or beauty to derive any reputation upon the defigner, or upon his work.

St Francis, belonging to the Conventuali, Friers of the order of St Francis: The ground of this by the wife conduct and interceffion of Cavaliere Molino, the Venetian Bailo, after the furrendry of Candia, upon the

B b 2

peace