The natives ordinarily call themselves _Romans_, and their province _Tzerra Romanesca_[115], being persuaded that they are descended of that original. And in favour of this opinion they may allege their language, which is a broken mixture of Latin and Italian, into which have been accidentally adopted some few Turkish and Sclavonic words. They write intirely the Cyrillian Sclavonic character, which seems to be a detortion from the Greek. And these properties of their language, as well as the character[116], they have in common with _Moldavia_; which two provinces, together with _Transylvania_, constituted the ancient _Dacia_, the two former _Ripensis_, and the last _Mediterranea_. The wines of this province, especially about _Tergovist_, are exquisite fine. The Valachian habit much resembles that of the Turks. Their religion is intirely that of the Greek church, and the government of it subject to the Patriarch of Constantinople. Their liturgic rites are performed either in the Greek or Sclavonian tongue; tho I was assured, that in some churches the Valachian was admitted, at least they have frequently the _Gospels_ and other offices in that language, but the liturgy itself more rarely. The churches of each parish, as well as chapels of the many monasteries, which are seen here, are usually very fair, well built, richly adorned, profanely painted, and for the most part furnished with bells; tho in some places I have observed the wooden plank, which is common to the Greeks in Turkey, where bells are not permitted. The νάρθηξ, or _porch_, is generally daubed with superstitious representations of the punishments of hell; and often the inward walls are profaned with some inconsistent corporeal image of _God the Father_, a thing here permitted against the professed principles and declarations of the Greek church. May vi.