old woman came out upon a sort of wooden balcony over our heads; another
woman followed her, and they began to talk and scream at us both
together, so that we could not understand what they said. At last, one
of them screaming louder than the other, we found that the monks were
all out, and that these two ladies being the only garrison of the place
declined the honour of our visit, and would not let down the rope
ladder, which was drawn half way up. We used all the arguments we could
think of, and told the old gentlewomen that they were the most beautiful
creatures in the world, but all to no purpose; they were not to be
overcome by our soft speeches, and would not let down the ladder an
inch. Finding there were no hopes of getting in, we told them they were
the ugliest old wretches in the country, and that we would not come near
them if they asked us upon their knees; upon which they screamed and
chattered louder than ever, and we walked off in high indignation.

CHAPTER XX.

The great Monastery of Meteora--The Church--Ugliness of the
Portraits of Greek Saints--Greek Mode of Washing the Hands--A
Monastic Supper--Morning View from the Monastery--The
Library--Beautiful MSS.--Their Purchase--The Kitchen--Discussion
among the Monks as to the Purchase Money for the MSS.--The MSS.
reclaimed--A last Look at their Beauties--Proposed Assault of the
Monastery by the Robber Escort.

As the day was drawing to a close we turned our steps towards the great
monastery of Meteora, where we arrived just before dark. The vast rock
upon which it is built is separated from the end of a projecting line of
mountains by a widish chasm, at the bottom of which we found ourselves,
after scrambling up a path which wound among masses of rock and huge
stones which at some remote period had fallen from above.

Having reached the foot of the precipice under the monastery, we stopped
in the middle of this dark chasm and fired a gun, as we had done at the
monastery of Barlaam. Presently, after a careful reconnoitring from
several long-bearded monks, a rope with a net at the end of it came
slowly down to us, a distance of about twenty-five fathoms; and being
bundled into the net, I was slowly drawn up into the monastery, where I
was lugged in at the window by two of the strongest of the brethren, and
after having been dragged along the floor and unpacked, I was presented
to the admiring gaze of the whole