horses struggled with difficulty through the heavy clay and moving stones, while the tangled branches of the ilex and holly tore our faces and clothes, and compelled us to embrace our horses' necks most lovingly. We descended to the Neda, crossed it at a ford, and dismissing the Arcadian swain, again ascended till we reached Tragoge. The rain, which now began to fall heavily, did not allow us to stop and admire a pretty, but I suppose occasional, waterfall, not far from the village, the stream of which fell above thirty yards like a silver thread.

We went from hovel to hovel, seeking admission for the night, but in vain. I had a bad head-ache, and from that cause, as well as fatigue, could scarcely keep my seat, so that I was little inclined to put a favourable construction, if any could be found, on the inhospitality of Tragoge. I began to be a little less enthusiastic about Arcadia, and I muttered

TRAGOGE.

the rude Arcadian boor

Against the houseless stranger shuts the door.

335

But our guides at length persuaded one person to take us in, and, by that easy vicissitude of feeling to which travellers, as well as soldiers, are accustomed, we soon experienced something like comfort, ensconced on one side of a large fire-hearth, the other being occupied by the family, consisting of grandmother, husband and wife, wife's brothers and sisters, and the children of the house, in all about fifteen. The grandmother enacted the part of wet-nurse* to all the younger branches, when they were uproarious, from the age of five years downwards. I do not pretend to be able to

*There is a passage in Plutarch's Life which seems to show, that amongst the ancient Greeks children were suckled to later periods than amongst us. Speaking of a daughter of his, called Timoxena, who died young, the author says,-"When she was very young, she would frequently beg of her nurse to give the breast not only to the other children, but to her babies and dolls, which she considered as her dependents and under her protection." Plutarch's Life.

explain this phenomenon, but the fact is certain.

The eldest sister wore her long black hair down the back, interlaced with strings of pieces of silver. In addition to this and a long necklace, she had a silver band round her throat, which she allowed Mr. Newton to take off and examine, in gratitude for some little coins presented to the little squaller in her lap; it was curious and not inelegant. A very handsome zone of plates of embossed silver, overlapping each other, confined her waist. This was the only pretty Greek girl of the lower orders that it was our fortune to meet; they were generally, in our estimation, very plain, and seem to have resigned their share of beauty to the men, who are, I think I may say, the handsomest race I have ever seen their beauty is not of the countenance alone, but likewise of the figure, which exhibits proportions such as we admire in the works of their ancient

statuaries, and is endowed with the greatest suppleness and agility. It would really be almost as difficult to find a plain man as a pretty woman. There are many savage countenances, but still, in the ferocious expression may be traced the beauty of the fallen angel. Indeed, we saw reason to believe that the alleged beau ideal of Grecian sculpture was, after all, only a nearer approach to beautiful nature: amongst the moderns I suspect that ideality is often a mere excuse on the part of those who cannot attain the accuracy of reality.

338

CHAPTER XV.

PHIGALEIA-COLUMNS OF BASSE.-ANDRITZENA.-
OLYMPIA-PYRGO.-EMBARKATION.

[19TH, 20TH, 21st, and 22nd feBRUARY.]

AT Tragoge we were placed between two objects of curiosity, which it was our intention to visit the same day, and take up our quarters at Andritzena at night. These were the ruins of Phigaleia and the temple of Apollo Epicurios, at Bassæ. Sending, therefore, the baggage and servants by the direct route to Andritzena, we made the best of our way to Phigaleia, which is about an hour distant from Tragoge. On approaching, the walls look like those of Messene; but on nearer inspection they are seen to be very rude, and built of