From The Cornhill Magazine.
A VISIT TO DELPHI.

THE facilities for inland travelling in modern Greece are not great, nor is the aim of the explorer rendered easier by prompt and easy access to such information as is to be had concerning routes, methods, and safety of communication. At Athens, the necessary instruction is, after a little trouble, to be picked up; but it is not everybody who approaches Greece from its capital. My object was to pass leisurely from Corfu to the Ægean by the Isthmus of Corinth, halting on the way to visit some, at least, of the memorable places that lie to right and left of that famous track. One of the sacred spots I aspired to scan was Delphi, the cradle of Hellenic civilization, though now a mere magni nominis umbra. All, however, I could fascertain, after the most diligent inquiry at Corfu, was that I must post pone the gratification of my curiosity till I reached Patras. There, doubtless, I| should learn how best to wend my way to the Castalian Fountain and the ancient haunt of vanished oracles.

the suppressed importance of their country. But the Greeks, and the inhabitants of Corfu more especially, make little or no effort to maintain even the material advantages that have been bequeathed them. Nothing could well have been more costly than the barracks England erected at Corfu while the Ionian Islands yet belonged to us; and the solid walls and almost cyclopean masonry of the forts still remain. But what in them, and about them, can go to wreck and ruin, are gradually tending to that consummation. Not a shilling is spent to preserve buildings upon which untold sums were originally lavished. The barracks were crammed with troops, for the controversy was still going on concerning the GrecoTurkish frontier; and the dirt and neglect that surrounded and stamped the place are indescribable. The magnificent roads made during our occupation are left to the untender mercies of time and the seasons; and in driving from Corfu to Paleocastrizza, a distance of some sixteen miles, the journey is considerably lengthened by the necessity to which by no means fastidious drivers must defer of But though it is not possible in the steering perpetually from one side of the chief of the Ionian Islands to ascertain road to the other, in order to avoid the anything whatever concerning the roads, ruts, holes, and pitfalls with which a once conveyances, and security of the Grecian splendid highway is now seamed. Even mainland, no one can help feeling that as it was, my companion and I had to put Corfu is thoroughly Hellenic, in the mod- up with a considerable amount of jolting; ern sense of that word. The Greek of so that, in spite of the hoary olive-woods, to-day, as far as I have observed him, is carpeted with wild flowers, through which an inferior Italian with inferior tradi- the road for the most part passes, it was tions, inferior .aspirations, and inferior with some satisfaction we descried the character, yet recalling in his tastes, hab- convent-crowned crag of Paleocastrizza its, and manners the people of Magna soaring into the blue air from the blue Græcia. Save for the picturesque dresses sea, only another half hour in front of of the fellows from the opposite Albanian us. In a little land-locked bay at the foot coast, you might fancy that Corfu was one of the hill, sitting on the myrtle and arof the small seaboard cities of the "Reg- butus that grow stuntedly out of the very no." One observes the same familiar shingle, we ate our bread, figs, and ortalent for doing nothing inoffensively; anges, and concurred in believing that the same remarkable capacity for making here it was Nausicaa received Ulysses, a cup of coffee or a tumbler of lemonade, after washing the garments destined for supplemented by a small newspaper, con- her nuptials, and conducted him to the sisting mostly of advertisements, serve court of Alcinous. Here, too, we confor the occupation of a couple of hours; vinced ourselyes, all difficulties and authe same eager facility for talking about thorities to the contrary notwithstanding, nothing at all, and consuming as much the Phæacian galley which conveyed tobacco as a reasonable economy will Ulysses to Ithaca was on its return permit. Outside the town of Corfu you changed to stone, as described in the find yourself in a very inferior Italy in thirteenth book of the Odyssey, by the deed; for the Italians are genuinely proud vengeance of Neptune, just as it was enof their recovered greatness and acquired tering the port. If any one doubts it, let liberty, and have borne without a murmur him go to Paleocastrizza. There, sitting heavier taxation than is inflicted on anywhere we sat, he will see a rock as strongother European people, in order to far ly resembling a petrified galley as either figura, to cut a figure commensurate with nature or art could make it. Let him also

ascend to the convent, and learn how dull, ignorant, and abject, piety can become in unworthy hands. I never visited an Italian monastery, no matter how poor or how remote, without finding abundant intelligence and sympathy, if of a singular kind. But the sea-gulls lazily flapping over the Adriatic seemed more human than the two tonsured custodians of the convent of Paleocastrizza.

ness to the shore. My companion, with our effects, was to make for the Hôtel de la Grande-Bretagne as best he could, and I was to go straight to a certain consul, and learn from him, if still out of bed, how to get to Delphi.

Once face to face with this worthy person, all my schemes for performing the journey were dissipated. There was no earthly means of getting from Patras to Scala unless one took one's chance of tossing about several days in the gulf in a sailing boat. The winds, the currents, all were declared to be incalculable. I inquired if there was not a little steam-tug of some kind. Yes, there was, but it did not carry more coal than would take it across the gulf, and how was it to get back again? Suddenly this question was put to me, "But why did you not go on by the steamer you came by? It does not touch at Scala in going up the gulf, but it does in coming down, and you would thus be at Salona shortly after noon to-morrow."

On the following evening, an hour before sunset, we were on board the Austrian steamer, that was to convey us to the Gulf of Corinth. No one had been able to say when it would start, and in all such matters you must take your chance when you sail in Grecian seas. Once fairly started, however, one is amply rewarded for past uncertainty and confusion. No indolence of man can alter the highway of the sea. Its ruts are of its own making, and these it speedily repairs. It happened to be smoother on this occasion than macadam or asphalte, and in the color of the dying day the Albanian coast stood out, transfigured. "Suli's Matters would have been greatly simrock and Parga's shore" were within hail, plified had I been vouchsafed this inforwhile on the right towered the mountains mation at Corfu. We should not have of the island of Santa Maura, better quitted the steamer, and should willingly known to the stranger as Leucadia. have resigned ourselves to another night Shortly, all these, and more, were wrapped on board to achieve our object. Had the in night. But morning brought kindred steamer already left Patras? For it was sights, and long before we anchored off only to touch there, and then proceed on Zante we could scent the flowers for its journey, and of that we must take our which the island "Zante, Zante, Fior di chance. It was night, and pitch dark; Levante," is celebrated. For less than a and there were no signals in the harbor to shilling I bought a huge bouquet of the tell us whether the boat had gone or not. rarest flowers, for which in Covent Gar- I rushed off to the hotel as fast as illden one would have had to disburse three paved streets would let me, to find my guineas, to find half an hour later that travelling companion comfortably enmy travelling companion had got one still sconced in bed. I hurriedly explained larger and still more beautiful for six the situation, and that if we did not sucpence. It was well on into the afternoon ceed in getting aboard again before the before we lifted anchor, drawing ever steamer had started we should have to nearer to Ithaca, and seeming to pass wait another week before we could make among almost as many islands as form the for the abode of the Muses. A hand-bar. Cyclades. Long before we approached row for the reconveyance of our luggage Mesolonghi darkness again had descend was with difficulty obtained, and away we ed. We could descry it only by its lights, went stumbling through the dark streets and it was evident that it would be late of Patras down to the equally dark quay. before we reached Patras, where we pro"Had the boat gone? No;" and posed to disembark and pass the night. away we were pulled through the still Our notion was that we should be able to water by four urchins, who at once began get across from Patras to the Scala of quarrelling about the division of the spoil Salona somehow or other; and once at we had promised them in case we were Salona, Delphi would be accessible. We not too late. Presently we saw something knew that our steamer did not stop at black and big loom out of the water, and Scala, but from Patras made for the head then we knew it was all right. It was all of the gulf. So, as soon as Patras was right, however, only in one sense. Our reached, we dropped down with our bag- berths had gone, and it was plain we gage, amid a clamor of boatmen, strongly should have to spend the night on deck. recalling Naples, and were rowed in dark-In ordinary times this is no great hard

ship in such a climate as that of Greece, | smoking them, be talked to his rough' even at the end of March; but the vessel competent little horses, but never handled was crowded with Albanian volunteers, the whip or the reins. Amid clouds of and as soon as steam was up they poured dust-all roads in Greece are dustyinto the fore part of the vessel with their the animals galloped along,at about fourbeds, their rugs, and their malodorous teen miles an hour, twisting from side to selves, and made night hideous with un- side of the road, and only kept from leavsavory snoring. ing it by the charm that lurked in the It is not every night, however, that is mystic objurgations addressed to them at spent under the consciousness that with critical moments by our Hellenic Jehu. dawn the summits of Helicon and Par- Shortly before we reached Amphissa we nassus will tower into view on one side, were overtaken by another vehicle of exand Acro-Corinth will soar into the air on actly the same pattern, and urged along the other; and that all around will be in precisely the same manner, and by mountains and shores still peopled with dint of similar incantations. Then a reg the prehistoric fables and the human his- ular chariot race began, as to which should tory of a people who have left behind enter Amphissa first; and between rows them a matchless mass of myths and so- of olives we raised Olympian dust with cial records. We may soon expect to see axles that must indeed have glowed. We the Isthmus of Corinth disappear, and won by about two lengths, drawing up steamers will then proceed straight up the before a khan that scarcely boded either Gulf of Corinth to Athens. At present a warm welcome or goodly cheer. We they are brought up short at Lutràki; had fortified ourselves with a letter to a passengers and goods are conveyed across shopkeeper in the place, whom we found the neck of land in omnibuses and wag-doling out an infinitesimal quantity of ons to Kalamaki, and there they are put sugar to a barefooted, bareheaded maiden, upon another steamer and conveyed in a his only customer. He seemed delighted few hours through the Gulf of Salamis to to have an excuse for leaving his store Athens. There is nothing, therefore, to and accompanying us back to the khan. detain the steamers that traffic in the Co- As, however, he spoke no known language rinthian Gulf long at Lutràki ; and, intend- but his own, and as I found that what ing as we did to visit Corinth later, we there lingers with me of the Homeric were glad to be again descending the gulf speech of my schooldays is scant, and on our way to the Scala of Salona. was utterly unintelligible, we wandered about in search of a pundit who the worthy grocer and haberdasher had made us understand could talk Italian. In the course of the search we made acquaintance with several citizens of the place, dressed in the picturesque Albanian costume, who all offered us coffee and gum arabic sweetened with honey. The discovery of the interpreter seemed a matter of utter indifference as compared with this hospitable ceremonial. At last the linguistic go-between was unearthed, and then we were able to make known our wishes to visit Delphi, alias Castrì, the name by which it is now known to the natives of Greece. A bargain was soon struck, and two horses, with two guides, were to be outside the khan at six o'clock the following morning.

A big name, particularly in Greece, often does duty for a very small thing; and Scala is the "port " of Salona, the ancient Amphissa. Scala consists of a khan, a few houses, many boatmen, and half a dozen vehicles. One of these last we engaged to take us to Salona, or, as I will call it, Amphissa, a distance of about ten miles. This journey we were assured we must make if we wanted to visit Delphi; for at Amphissa, and from Amphissa alone, was there a good road thither, and at Amphissa we should procure horses or mules for the expedition. The information was utterly incorrect for there is a road from Scala to Delphi by Chryso, though from Chryso to Delphi it is only a mule-track, and it was unnecessary to go to Amphissa at all. The mistake, however, was immaterial, and, indeed, perhaps a fortunate one, for Amphissa is worth a visit. Such madcap driving as our charioteer indulged in from Scala to Amphissa I never elsewhere experienced. Indeed, it cannot properly be designated driving at all. Sitting with his legs dangling over the side of the driving-box, and twisting cigarettes or

Partly, no doubt, from a genuine wish to be polite and good-natured, but partly also from a deep-seated craving for human society, no matter how unentertaining, our newly made friends never deserted us for the rest of the day. Only one of them could really hold discourse with us; but that seemed immaterial. A Greek, like an Italian, cannot conceive

that any human being should wish to be | but there is nothing to help the imagina-
alone; and his notion of performing the tion to confirm it in the barren, stony, all
rites of hospitality is to give just as much but trackless mountain territory that sur-
of his presence as possible. One would rounds the former haunt of Apollo. In
gladly have exchanged this for some food going to Delphi, or, as I have said it is
that could be eaten, or for some bed that called by the country folk, Castrì, we left
could be slept upon. But there was Chryso below us, and so got nearer to the
neither; and we managed as best we home of the eagles. It goes without say-
could without them. Even had there ing that the ride abounded in charm
been anything to lie down upon but floors the charm of solitude; wild flowers,
of unutterable filth, and bundles of wrap- mountain outlines, blossoming scrub, and
pers that seemed to have been huddled recurrent glimpses of the lake-like Gulf
round the unwashed forms of many gen- of Corinth far below. But streams there
erations of the descendants of the Lo- are none, woods there are none, ruins
crians, sleep would have been out of the there are none, roads there are none. It
question. In Amphissa the day belongs is like riding through a primeval world,
to the children; the night belongs to the where nothing has ever happened save
dogs. Both are about equally noisy. All the periodical revolution of the unpeopled
through the darkness the dogs, a huge, seasons. It is almost impossible to be-
shaggy breed, howled, bayed, and battled. lieve, and wholly impossible to picture to
I doubt if any one could have turned on yourself, that you are journeying where
his pillow, supposing him to have pos- once tens of thousands of enthusiastic
sessed such a thing, without arousing the and highly civilized pilgrims annually
watchful ears and awakening the deep-journeyed to the seat of learning and reli-
mouthed throats of that canine chorus.
Amphissa was once a mighty town; it is
now an unnoticeable village; all that is
left of the greatness of old, mentioned by
Pausanias, being the ruins of the walls of
its Acropolis, and these had been so pulled
down and built up again for other pur-
poses, and again let go to ruin, that they
no longer possess any meaning or signifi-
cance, beyond affording a fresh text for
any one who wishes to preach upon the
vanity of human life and the mutability
of human greatness. The situation of
Amphissa is still beautiful, and that is
all that can be said of it. The mountains
are behind it, the Crissean plain and the
Gulf of Corinth below it; and its little
peddling trade is supported by the people
who till the olive-groves around it.

gion, the home of poetry and prophecy,
the centre of wealth, law-giving, and na-
tional aspiration. Delphi was the head-
quarters of Apollo; and Apollo was, as
Curtius says, the supreme Exegetes, the
ultimate source of legality.
"In all ques-
tions concerning the foundation of new
sanctuaries, and the institution of the
worship of gods, heroes, and the dead, he
sate as the native maker of the law to all
the world, on his throne in the centre of
the earth." Once, and once only, we met
some sheep, tended by a couple of shep-
herd lads, with an earthenware vessel at
their side. One of our guides, a young,
good-looking chap, as lithe and supple as
a chamois, darted off at the top of his
speed, raised the vessel to his lips, and
drained deeply. Water is sadly scarce in
I should think the whole world presents Greece, and the very name of it inspirits
Do such contrast between past greatness the Greek peasant as the mention of beer
and present nothingness as the site and or cider inspirits the English bucolic. So
neighborhood of Delphi. The Chryso excited was he by his pull at the cold
that has been spoken of is of course the water that he drew his pistol from his
ancient Crisa, founded by the Cretans on girdle, cocked it, made believe to aim at
an agreeable slope at the lower end of the an eagle that was flying overhead many
gorge of the Pleistus; and Delphi orig- hundred yards beyond range, exclaimed
inally was only a local Crissean sanctuary."Turchia!" and made the mountains ring
But when the Dorians settled at the foot
of Parnassus, Delphi was brought into
association with Tempe, and by degrees
was placed under the protection of the
Amphictyonic States, and became the
sacred centre of the Hellenic world, being Probably so much power, temporal and
withdrawn from the authority of its moth-spiritual, was never before or since con-
er city, though not without considerable centrated in one spot as once at Delphi.
resistance on the part of Crisa. All this Here Apollo announced to man the mind
one may read in many an erudite volume; and dictates of Zeus. Even the Greek

with patriotic laughter. It was his way of conveying to us that if Greece had to fight Turkey, Turkey would share the fate of the eagle when brought within reach of the sportsman.

calendar fell under the superintendence they got there. Round them are small,

of Delphi. It was under the sanction of primitive dwellings, tenanted by a simple Delphi that the Olympian festivals were and unlettered people. Nor are there established. It was Delphi that taught many of these. The place scarcely dethe great Hellenic doctrine of harmonious serves the name of a village. We had development. "Know thyself" and fortified ourselves with a line from our "Moderation in all things" were two of friend the grocer and haberdasher at the inscriptions to be read over the porch Amphissa to the head man of the place. of the temple. Though Apollo came to There was no difficulty in finding him. Delphi through trackless forests, it was He was a splendid fellow to look at, siximperative that roads not only secure but foot two in his buskins, with a head like commodious should lead to his sanctuary. St. Luke, a magnificent model for any one Hence the very width of the road to Del- in search of the picturesque. His general phi acquired sacred significance, and its appearance was savage enough, but his gauge of five feet four inches prevailed eyes had an unusual mildness in them: throughout the greater part of Greece. and after reading the letter, he was eviThus Delphi, both directly and indirectly, dently disposed to do anything he could helped to maintain the sentiment of com- for us. But again the difficulty of oral mon nationality, to regulate religious wor-communication arose. Again, however, ship, to determine chronology, to deepen it was settled by the appearance of a the moral consciousness of the people, to peasant who had been a sailor, who had advance colonization, and to spread a command of perhaps fifty Italian words, many-sided culture. Its influence upon most of them pertinent to common conart was equally strong. The Temple of versation. Every male denizen of the Apollo was the germ of the noblest archi- place mustered round us as soon as they tecture of Greece; and thence music and perceived that we were under the protecpoetry drew their most powerful inspira- tion of the head man of Castrì; and we tion, just as at the same time it remained were favored with their society for the a great political centre for the entire Hel- rest of our visit. They were keenly anxlenic world. But it was its political charious to know how much territory Greece acter that concealed the seeds of its ruin. The time came when, by reason of the fratricidal struggle between the States of Greece, and mainly between Athens and Sparta, Delphi had to take a side. For a season it strove craftily to hold the balance between the two; but when that operation became impossible, its influence declined, and its authority as a central umpire necessarily disappeared. Even by the time of the great Persian War it had fallen into discredit. Its oracles had proved cowardly and irresolute, and strove to keep back some of the Amphictyonic States from patriotic action. At last its original aim and purport vanished, and, in flagrant violation of its fundamental law and meaning, sanguinary victories won by Hellenes over Hellenes were commemorated by tablets at Delphi.

was to get from Turkey, and with the aid of a small map we were able to enlighten them. They understood all about the value of Epirus and the worth of Janina, and shook their heads gloomily when we said that all present hope of obtaining the latter must be abandoned. In the War of Independence Castri was attacked and plundered by the Turks, and the horrible traditions of the time still flourish among its dwellers.

In order to give any lengthened description of Delphi, as Delphi, or Castri, is now, one would have to indulge in some romancing. There is nothing to describe. Mountains, wild flowers, and silence- that is all. Our hosts for such they evidently considered themselves to be-trooped after us towards the Castalian Fountain, where their wives and daughters were washing the family linen. Their kirtles were tucked up, and it is needless to say that the young and pretty members of this classical laundry

The village or hamlet of Castri occupies the site of ancient Delphi. Some few excavations have been made by German enthusiasts; some small sections of fallen columns have been set on end; a narrow let out a reef or two as we approached, strip of marble pavement has been cleared while the old crones thought that operaof superincumbent rubbish, and on one tion superfluous. The Pythia bathes in side of the excavation Greek inscriptions the fountain and sits on her tripod no have been let into the earthen wall. They more. The oracles are dumb. We drank all seem utterly out of place; and despite of the sacred water above where it was the fact of remembering where one is muddied by the industrious vestals of tostanding, one cannot help wondering how | day, and chewed some of its cresses.