Page:Travels from Aleppo, to the city of Jerusalem, and through the most remarkable parts of the Holy Land, in 1776.pdf/23

 we tarried till midnight, at which time there was a ship to depart, and some of us intended to embark and the rest took a boat like a Gravesend barge. We put our provisions of bread and wine aboard, and so put to sea, keeping always near the shore for fear of a storm. After three days sail we arrived at Acrica, fo merlyformerly [sic] Ptolemais once a famous city of Galilee, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, about 52 miles south of Tyre. Two days after we arrived at Tripoli, capital city of the kingdom of that name, situate on the Mediterranean Sea, 300 miles south east of Tunis, surrounded by a wall and fortifications. We lodged here again at the consul’s house for a great many days, who treated us like princes; but the plague being raging in Aleppo another gentleman and myself, took it in our heads to go and visit Loretto, a city of Italy, in the Pope’s territories, 15 miles south of Aacona, three miles west of the gulph of Venice, and 145 miles east of Rome. We met with nothing uncommon by the way, but shall here give as particular a description of this magnificent place as I can. Loretto is a small fortified town, consisting of one tree within the gate and another without. but the richest in the world. For, according to Catholic tradition, the chamber of the Blessed Virgin (in which she was born, and was saluted by the angel, and brought up her son Jesus till he was twelve years of age) was brought by angels into Dalmatia, on the east side of the gulph of Venice. in the year 921, or thereabouts, but the people of that country not expressing a due veneration for it, it was three or four years afterwards transported over the gulph into Italy, and at length fixed at Loretto and a magnificent church, the present cathedral, built over it, in the middle whereof it now remains, under the cupola. They also have erected four walls of white Parian marble to surround the holy chamber. half a foot distant from it. The chamber is 40 feet long, 20 br adbroad [sic], and 20 in height, without any roof or covering. In it is an image of the blessed Virgin. with a little Jesus in her arms and a triple crown on her bead; her whole person almost covered with diamonds and pearls, and round the statue is a kind of rainbow of precious stones, of various colours, the ornaments, altars, and utensil in this place, being inexpressibly rich. The gallery, in which the treasures are lodged, is filled with gold, jewels and vessels and ornaments more precious than gold, the votive donations of emperors, kings, popes, and prince, &c for many hundred years past. Silver work are not thought worthy to be admitted here. To this holy house, some years there have resorted five hundred thousand pilgrims, between Easter and Whitsuntide, and during the two days in September when they celebrate the feast of the Virgin's nativity. no less than two hundred thousand have been here, and none of those come empty handed, but contribute something to encrease the