The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-07-29

The aim that Pausanias had before him in
writing his Description OF Greece Is nowhere
clearly stated by him. From a number Of
passages, however. 1t may be Inferred that he
intended TO describe all the most notable OBJ
jects. and narrate all the most memorable
traditions which he found existing in the Greece
Of his own m II was q vast undertaking.
and we need not wonder that, ut the outset
he should have felt himself oppressed by tho
magnitude OF II, and that, consequently. in
his first book dealing with Attica, his selection
Of interesting objects should have been scant-
Ter and his description Of them sllahter than
In the later books. A. yet he was grooming after
a method. A the work proceeded he Seem.
to have felt himself more at ease. and the ar
rangement Of his matter becomes more eyvten-
attic. When he comes to his account OF the
Sacred Way which led from Athens 10 Eleusi.
he grasps once for all the Typographical thread
az the best clue to guide him and his reader,
through the labyrinth. Throughout the rest of his
book the general principle on which he proceeds,
Is this: After narratins in outline the history
Of the district he Ia about to describe. be poos
from the frontier TO the capital by the nearest
road. noting anything Of interest that strikes
him BY the way. Arriving at the capital. be
goes straight TO tho centre Of II, generally n
the market-plaoe. describes the chief buildinys
and monuments there. and then follows tho
streets. one after another. that radiate from
tho centre In all directions, recording tbe most
remarkable objects In each Of them. aavino
finished his account Of the capital. he de-
scribes the surrounding district on the ,ama
principle. Manifestly. the method was adopted
for the sake Of lucidity, because in no other
way could the writer convey to hi, reader an
clear a notion OF the relative positions OF thu
places and things described.
Why was Pausanias at such pains to present
everything TO his readers In its exact p~osi,ion,
The only probable answer ia that he wished 10
hclp them 10 find their own way from one obIoct
OF interest 10 another: In other words. that ba
intended his Description OF Greece 10 serve asa
guidebook TO travellers. II his ain had been
merely. to amuse and entertain his readers M
home. ne could hardly have lighted on a worse
method OF doing 40; for the persons who find
Typographical directions amusing and can
extract. entertainment from reading that
this place is 30 many furlonRs from that
must be few In number: We may take il. then.
e eosI Va rSps ~ oSsr m woIS WE Eo.s s the the nBcIent
ker's. The need for such a guidebook would
be felt by the many travellers who visited
Greece. for whom the garrulous BIZ. TO-
nornnt, rtce-oni did not always provide the
an authors innocent ambition, Pausanias may
have. hoped that hs book would prove not
wholly uninterastinR 10 others than travellers
The digressions on historical subjects, on
natural curiosities and on the strange features
Of different countries with. which he so often
breaks the thread Of his descriptions NAV be-
regarded as 40 many lures held out TO the reader
to beguile him on hi way.