Memoir and Diary of John Yeardley, Minister of the GospelYeardley, John
Religion
Memoir and Diary of John Yeardley, Minister of the Gospel
Yeardley, John
Clergy -- United States -- Biography; Quakers -- Biography; Yeardley, John, 1786-1858
could not but behold the hand of a gracious Providence which had led us to
this spot; had we attempted to go by Corinth to Athens, we should [as they
afterwards learned] have been stopped by the waters, and have missed
seeing this interesting people; but from hence the way was passable, and
only four days' journey by land.
After dinner we walked through the village up to the rock. We came to a
fountain where several women were washing; one of them, a young-looking
person, suddenly left her companions, and with hasty step and entreating
air advanced towards us, as we supposed to ask something; but she bowed
her head almost to the ground, and then kissed our hands; after which she
withdrew in a cheerful and diffident manner. The reason of this salutation
was, that the young woman had lately been married, and it was customary
for the last bride of the village to kiss the hands of strangers.
The temple of Apollo once occupied nearly half an acre of ground: a great
many of its marble pillars are still to be seen, half buried by the
plough, and corn growing over them. About a hundred yards from this temple
is the cave in the rock from whence the priestess pronounced the oracle.
Among the curiosities of this wonderful place, the tombs in the rocks are
not the least remarkable. They are built of the most beautiful white
marble; the entrance is by a large archway, and round the circle are
several recesses in the stone, one above another, where the dead had
evidently been deposited. They illustrate the history of the maniac
dwelling among the tombs (Mark v. 3.), for these caves formed a perfect
sort of house in which persons might dwell.
8_th_.--We were not able to leave Delphi on account of the high wind
with some rain. In the evening we again enjoyed our Scripture reading on
the hearth. We continued the book of Genesis, and our host inquired
whether those who died before the birth of the Saviour were lost. He was
informed they were saved through faith in the promise. He had supposed
they went into hell, and that when Christ came he released them. We asked
him if Enoch, who walked with God and was translated, could have been sent
to hell. Of this he knew nothing, never having read the Scriptures.
9_th_.--This morning we procured four mules and four men, and
proceeded on our pilgrimage towards Livadia, thirty-three miles from
Delphi. Our kind host recommended us to the special care of one of the
muleteers, who put his hand to his heart, and feelingly accepted the
trust. We were most of the day winding round Parnassus, whose height above
us was tremendous. The road was frightful; over rocks, waters, and swampy
ground; we could hardly have believed it possible to pass through the
places where our mules penetrated. The muleteer performed his trust
faithfully, rendering us all the assistance in his power. On parting we
presented him with some tracts; he could read, and was much gratified with
the gift.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account