CHAP. I.]

ST. JOIIN OF JERUSALEM.

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cellent ports and abounded in fresh watersprings,and, to Yillaret’s surprise, showed a tolerable com-mercial town close to the ruins of a fine city. Calchiwas fertile, with a strong castle to keep off corsairs.Lero gloried in its quarries of marble. Thesoil of several of those islets was rich. Onewas splendidly wooded. Another famous forwines. Another drove a good trade in spongesbrought from the bottom of the sea by divers—nor could any youth be married, until he was ableto remain a certain number of minutes deep underwater. But chiefly one was prized for its ship-carpenters, who had the art of building light craftrenowned for swiftness all over the Levant, sail,oar, or both ways. One of the smallest islets, thoughdesignated as magisterial, because considered morepeculiarly assigned to the grand master, as formingpart of his private domain, St. Nicholas del Cardo,is by Bosio called Palma, and in another place, Pal-mosa, and that is Patmos . 1 ( u Patmos, now Palmosa,where St. John wrote his revelation. ”) 2 And ifit be so, however sterile, it is interesting to aChristian. Or are there two islands of thename of Patmos—one near Stanchio, and one

1 Bosio: par. ii., lib. i., anno 1314. His 'words are clear;“ Lisola del Patino, modemamente detta Palmosa.”

2 Comp. Gcogr., ii. 12.

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