(5*7)

This is themost Ancient Inscription I met with in Tadmor, the 314^Ycar from the Dtatb of Alexander the Great, preceding the Birtb vt ourSa-viour about 10 Teers. The other also is betwen 10 or 30 Ytars beforethe Reign of Hadrian, and conftquently before the Romans got Footinghere. And from theseSumptuous Structures, and these ColUy Mausolxa,we may reasonably Conclude, they were a Potent and Opulent People, be-fore they became Subject to the Romans, and were not Oblig’d to diemfor their Greatmß.

After 4 Days stay we Return’d, not the Way that we came, but pro-ceeding Eastward towards the River Euphrates. In our way to which, the3 d Day, palllng through a Village call'd Terne, upon a Stone sct WrorgEnd Upwards, in the Midst of the Wall of the A/osque, we met with thefollowing Inscription.

Ali MerlCT« KePATNI« rrr€P CVTHPIACTPA : AAPIANOr C6D_TOT

KTPIOT ArA 0 ANT€AOC ABlAHNOC THC A€KAnOA€OCTHN KAMA.pAN*,KOAOMHC€N KAI THN KAINH....6S IAI*,N AN£0H!C€N £TQTC ^ M, TMHNOC AbOT.

And under this was another in the lawe Language and Chardter wehad fcen at Tadmor ; I was Surpriz’d to find such an Inscription in thisPlace, norcan any way guess howthey (hould come by it.: and the mentionof Decapolü, makes me still more in the Dark. If one rmght Extend theBoundsof Decapolü, assomeare faid to havedone, as far as Cadofyria, andcomprize under this Name again all Syria, Phoenicia only excepted, ebennetd it not be brought from elsewhere, but first fet up in this Village.But this will not be Allow’d by those who make Decapolü only a part ofPalesttne. The matter of Fact it camains, is only an Account of theMagnificence of this Agathangelus Abilenus, whoever he was, who sor theSasety of the Emperor Hadnan, Erected at bis own Charge?, and DedirCated to Jupiter the Thunderer, a Royal Baneyuetting-House , (for; so I takeKAMAPA to signifyj and. a Bed of State-, sor alter kaINH there is doubt-lesi a Letter Otnitted, and it ought to be KaJNHN. The Pate 445. agreesto the Year of our Lord 123. which was the 7 th of the Reign, of Ha-drian. And the Month A«OC is our August.

The next Day we past by the Ruins 0£ a Large Monaßery , of tbe Ma-ronites, as I guess it to have been, by an Inscription we met w.sth upon, tbeCapitals of ftveral Marhle PtUars , which soppoxsed the Mjddle Isle of aHandsbme Churcb, which. was to this ESect :

f.rni EEPri* eiiieko. t» etneent map»nIbJ t*. XLPEMEKo.

From thence we past on, and carne the seme Night ty Euphrates, andhaving Travell’d 2 Days on the Banks of that. Fanious River, we carne tothe Tents of the King of the Arabs, who had. sorrjjlh’d m with a Guidefor our Voyage. With him we Remain’d 2 Nighrs, and in, 2 Days Tra-

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