plicated details of this
mighty coeenobium,--over all these, and numberless other important
matters, the thin secretary had full control.

Some of the young monks, demure fat youths, came into the library every
now and then, and wondered what I could be doing there, looking over so
many books; and they would take a volume out of my hand when I had done
with it, and, glancing their eyes over its ancient vellum leaves, would
look up inquiringly into my face, saying, "[Greek: ti ene]?--what
is it?--what can be the use of looking at such old books as these?" They
were rather in awe of the secretary, who was evidently, in their
opinion, a prodigy of learning and erudition. Some, in a low voice, that
they might not be overheard by the wise man, asked me where I came from,
how old I was, and whether my father was with me; but they soon all went
away, and I turned to, in right good earnest, to look for uncial
manuscripts and unknown classic authors. Of these last there was not
one on vellum, but on paper there was an octavo manuscript of Sophocles,
and a Coptic Psaltery with an Arabic translation--a curious book to meet
with on Mount Athos. Of printed books there were, I should think, about
five thousand--of manuscripts on paper, about two thousand; but all
religious works of various kinds. There were nearly a thousand
manuscripts on vellum, and these I looked over more carefully than the
rest. About one hundred of them were in the Iberian language: they were
mostly immense thick quartos, some of them not less than eighteen inches
square, and from four to six inches thick. One of these, bound in wooden
boards, and written in large uncial letters, was a magnificent old
volume. Indeed all these Iberian or Georgian manuscripts were superb
specimens of ancient books. I was unable to read them, and therefore
cannot say what they were; but I should imagine that they were church
books, and probably of high antiquity. Among the Greek manuscripts,
which were principally of the eleventh and twelfth centuries--works of
St. Chrysostom, St. Basil, and books for the services of the ritual--I
discovered the following, which are deserving of especial mention:--A
large folio Evangelistarium bound in red velvet, about eighteen inches
high and three thick, written in magnificent uncial letters half an inch
long, or even more. Three of the illuminations were the whole size of
the page, and might almost be termed pictures from their large
proportio