HELICON, is the ancient name of a mountain in Bceotia, near the Gulf of Corinth, sacred to Apollo and the Muses, who thence received the name of Heliconides. Its modern name is Sagara, pronounced Sacra, an obvious corruption, as Dr Clarke has stated, of ?iscra, a town upon Helicon, and the birth-place of Hesiod. Dr Clarke, who visited this mountain, has favoured the public with a very interesting description of it. Instead of proceeding to Lebadea, by the usual circuitous route along the level country, he ascended the mountain from Neocorio, passed by the monastery of St Nichol() to Sagara, and afterwards descended by the mo nastery of St George to Lebadea. He ascendedin a north west direction above the village of Neocorio, and passed a chapel in ruins. On his right hand, there was a rivulet flowing from Helicon towards the plain of Neocorio, or Thespia ; and beyond this, on the opposite side of the din gle through which this rivulet fell, he saw from an emi nence a village called Panaja. After travelling along the north-east side of the mountain, he reached in about an hour the little monastery of St Nicholo, situated within a sheltered recess of Helicon. The mountain surrounded it on all sides, a ruined tower belonging to Panaja appearing in front through a small opening. The aromatic plants filled the air with their spicy odours. A perennial foun tain threw its limpid waters into the rivulet below ; and the monastery was almost concealed amid trees, no less remark able for their variety than for their beauty and luxuriance. The fountain was covered with moss and with creeping plants, forming a pendant foliage over all the fabric con structed around it. In a church near the monastery, Dr Clarke found a long inscription on the shaft of one of the pillars, distinctly mentioning that the MOYZEIA, or games sacred to the Muses, according to Pausanias, were cele brated near a grove upon Mount Helicon. This inscrip tion, and other evidence, convinced Dr Clarke that he had now discovered the fountain Aganippe, and the Grove of the Muses. Hence it followed, that the rivulet below was the Permessus, parent of Aganippe, called Termessus by Pausanias, and flowing, as he describes it, in a circuitous course from Mount Helicon.
A path winding through the grove, conducts from the monastery to the spot where, upon the left hand, the water gushes forth in a clear and continued stream. " The work about the fountain," says Dr Clarke," was until lately very ancient, and not long ago there was an antique cistern in front of it ; but the present monks, finding the work in a ruined state, undertook to repair it, and thus destroyed much of its original and venerable appearance. In its state of restoration, however, it is not without picturesque beau ty ; for they have merely erected an arcade of stone, whence the water issues, and this is already adorned by moss and creeping plants. The walks about the fountain, winding into the deep solitude of Helicon, are in the highest de gree beautiful. All above is grand and striking, and every declivity of the mountain is covered with luxuriant shrubs, or tenanted by browzing flocks. Higher up the mountain, at the distance of two miles and a half from this grove and from the fountaiu Aganippe, was the fountain Hippocrene, fabled to have sprung from the earth when struck by the hoof of Pegasus."
From the Grove of the Muses, Dr Clarke descended to the Permessus, and crossing that rivulet, he ascended in a north-west direction towards the higher parts of Helicon. Wherever the surface was laid bare, he found the rocks to consist of primary limestone. By proceeding with dif ficulty along a craggy narrow path, he reached the heights of Sagara, where he observed part of the ancient paved causeway, which formerly led from Thespia to Ascra and to Lebadea. From this point, which was two hours jour ney from Neocorio, the whole of Bceotia was seen. The road now extended south-east and north-west, and another hour was necessary to descend into the deep valley in which Sagara is situated. This valley is entirely surround ed by high rocks, and by the towering summits of helicon. A level plain is seen below, having its woods and cornfields almost buried in the deep bosom of the moun tain. A steep and rugged descent now conducted Dr Clarke to the village of Zagara, which is divided into two parts by a river flowing across this valley, one part of the village, being high above the other. The lower part stretches into the level plain ; and above the upper part a small white edifice, the monastery of Panaja, appears embosomed among trees. Dr Clarke has shewn, we think very satisfactorily, that this village is the Ason4 of the ancients, the place of Hesiod's nativity.
After passing Zagara, Dr Clarke advanced among the boldest rocks, and ascending by a narrow, steep, and stony path, he reached the highest of this road over Heli con, " commanding a prospect," as he remarks, " which, in the grandeur of its objects, and in all the affecting cir cumstances of history thereby suggested, cannot b equal led in the whole world. The eye ranges over all the plains of Lebadea, Chxronea, and Orchomenus, looking down upon the numerous villages now occupying the sites of those and of other illustrious cities. From the spot where the spectator is placed, the most amazing undula tions of mountain scenery descends in vast waves, like the swellings of an ocean, towards Parnassus, whose snowy bosom, dazzling by its brightness, was expanded before us with incomparable grandeur." After passing another fountain, and travelling a quar ter of a mile over an ancient paved way, Dr Clarke reach ed a magnificent terrace, elevated as it were above all Greece, and continuing to descend, the monastery of St George appeared in view, bearing north and by west. He then arrived at the village of Kotumala, about I hour from Zagara, and commanding the most sublime views. After passing the remains of an aqueduct, and the ruins of a city upon a hill, he reached Panori, two hours dis tant from Kotumala. He then passed two bridges, and came in sight of LEBADEA, which will he described under that article.
We have thus given our readers a very brief account of Dr Clarke's most interesting examination of the antiqui ties of Mount Helicon. They will naturally turn to the original work for an ampler account of his journey. The' classical reader will feel himself inspired at every step, and will share the fine sentiments which the sight of ancient Greece awakened in the first of modern poets.
See Clarke's Travels, Part ii. Sect. iii. p. 92-118.