Verse again!—­I am certainly infected by the poetical air I have passed through.  That of Abydos is undoubtedly very amorous, since that soft passion betrayed the castle into the hands of the Turks who besieged it in the reign of Orchanes.  The governor’s daughter, imagining to have seen her future husband in a dream, (though I don’t find she had either slept upon bride-cake, or kept St Agnes’s fast) fancied she saw the dear figure in the form of one of her besiegers; and, being willing to obey her destiny, tossed a note to him over the wall, with the offer of her person, and the delivery of the castle.  He shewed it to his general, who consented to try the sincerity of her intentions, and withdrew his army, ordering the young man to return with a select body of men at midnight.  She admitted him at the appointed hour; he destroyed the garrison, took the father prisoner, and made her his wife.  This town is in Asia, first founded by the Milesians.  Sestos is in Europe, and was once the principal city of Chersonesus.  Since I have seen this strait, I find nothing improbable in the adventure of Leander, or very wonderful in the bridge of boats of Xerxes.  ’Tis so narrow, ’tis not surprising a young lover should attempt to swim, or an ambitious king try to pass his army over it.  But then, ’tis so subject to storms, ’tis no wonder the lover perished, and the bridge was broken.  From hence we had a full view of mount Ida;

         Where Juno once caress’d her am’rous Jove,
          And the world’s master lay subdu’d by love.

Not many leagues sail from hence, I saw the point of land where poor old Hecuba was buried, and about a league from that place is Cape Janizary, the famous promontory of Sigaeum, where we anchored.  My curiosity supplied me with strength to climb to the top of it, to see the place where Achilles was buried, and where Alexander ran naked round his tomb, in honour of him, which, no doubt, was a great comfort to his ghost.  I saw there the ruins of a very large city, and found a stone, on which Mr W——­y plainly distinguished the words of Sigaen Polin.  We ordered this on board the ship; but were shewed others much more curious by a Greek priest, tho’ a very ignorant fellow, that could give no tolerable account of any thing.  On each side the door of this little church ly two large stones, about ten feet long each, five in breadth, and three in thickness.  That on the right is a very fine white marble, the side of it beautifully carved in bas-relief; it represents a woman, who seems to be designed for some deity, sitting on a chair with a footstool, and before her another woman, weeping, and presenting to her a young child that she has in her arms, followed by a procession of women with children in the same manner.  This is certainly part of a very ancient tomb; but I dare not pretend to give the true explanation of it.  On the stone, on the left side, is a very fair inscription; but the Greek is too ancient for Mr W——­y’s interpretation.  I am very sorry not to have the original in my possession, which might have been purchased of the poor inhabitants for a small sum of money.  But our captain assured us, that without having machines made on purpose, ’twas impossible to bear it to the sea-side; and, when it was there, his long-boat would not be large enough to hold it.