Visits to monasteries in the Levant . eat inte-rest while I told him that all women were not exactlylike the pictures he had seen, but I did not think itcharitable to carry on the conversation farther, althoughthe poor monk seemed to have a strong inclinationto know more of that interesting race of beings fromwhose society he had been so entirely debarred. Ioften thought afterwards of the singular lot of thismanly and noble-looking monk: whether he is still arecluse, either in the monastery or in his mountain-farm, with its little moss-grown chapel as ancient asthe days of Constantine; or whet
Visits to monasteries in the Levant . eat inte-rest while I told him that all women were not exactlylike the pictures he had seen, but I did not think itcharitable to carry on the conversation farther, althoughthe poor monk seemed to have a strong inclinationto know more of that interesting race of beings fromwhose society he had been so entirely debarred. Ioften thought afterwards of the singular lot of thismanly and noble-looking monk: whether he is still arecluse, either in the monastery or in his mountain-farm, with its little moss-grown chapel as ancient asthe days of Constantine; or whether he has gone outinto the world and mingled in its pleasures and itscares. I arranged with the captain of a small vessel whichwas lying off Xeropotamo taking in a cargo of wood,that he should give me a passage in two or three days,when he said he should be ready to sail; and in themean time I purposed to explore the metropolis ofMount Athos, the town of Cariez; and then to go toCaracalla, and remain there till the vessel was CIRCASSIAN LADV. Chap. XXVII. MONASTERY OF COUTLOUMOUSSI. 429 Accordingly, the next morning I set out, the Agou-menos supplying me with mules. The guide did notknow how far it was to Cariez, which is situated almostin the centre of the peninsula. I found it was onlydistant one hour and a half; but as I had not madearrangements to go on, I was obliged to remain thereall day. Close to the town is the great monastery of COUTLOUMOUSSI, the most regular building on Mount Athos. It con-tains a large square court with a cloister of stonearches all round it, out of which the cells and cham-bers open, as they do in a Roman Catholic church stands in the centre of this quadrangle,and glories in a famous picture of the Last Judgmenton the wall of the narthex, or porch, before the doorof entrance. The monastery was at this time nearlyuninhabited ; but, after some trouble, I found onemonk, who made great diflaculties as to showing methe library, for
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