In which M. Lamartine
mentioned her in his book, for in a letter which she wrote to me
after my return to England she says, "Although neglected, as
Monsieur le M." (referring, as I believe, to M. Lamartine)
"describes, and without books, yet my head is organised to supply
the want of them as well as acquired knowledge."
{22} I have been recently told that this Italian's pretensions to
the healing art were thoroughly unfounded. My informant is a
gentleman who enjoyed during many years the esteem and confidence
of Lady Hester Stanhope: his adventures in the Levant were most
curious and interesting.
{23} The Greek Church does not recognise this as the true
sanctuary, and many Protestants look upon all the traditions by
which it is attempted to ascertain the holy places of Palestine as
utterly fabulous. For myself, I do not mean either to affirm or
deny the correctness of the opinion which has fixed upon this as
the true site, but merely to mention it as a belief entertained
without question by my brethren of the Latin Church, whose guest I
was at the time. It would be a great aggravation of the trouble of
writing about these matters if I were to stop in the midst of every
sentence for the purpose of saying "so called" or "so it is said,"
and would besides sound very ungraciously:
