The life and work of St. Paul

564 THE LIFE AND WOBK OP ST. PAUL.
by the aid of land-breezes and westward currents right across the sea which
washes the coasts of Cilicia and Pamphylia, until they dropped anchor in the
mouth of the river Andriacus, opposite to a hill crowned with the magnificent
buildings of Myra, the former capital of Lycia. 1
Here they were fortunate or, as it turned out, unfortunate enough to
find a large Alexandrian wheat-ship, 2 which had undergone the common fate
of being driven out of the direct course by the same winds which had baffled
the Adramyttian vessel, and which now intended to follow the usual alter-
native of creeping across the JEgean from island to island, northward of
Crete, and so to the south of Cythera, and across to Syracuse. 3 This
vessel, built for the purposes of the trade which supplied to all Italy the staff
of life, could easily provide room for the centurion with his soldiers and
prisoners, and such passengers as chose to accompany them. They were,
therefore, shifted into this vessel, and sailed for Cnidus, the last point at
which they could hope for any help from the protection of the shore with its
breezes and currents. The distance between the two spots is only one hundred
and thirty miles, and under favourable circumstances they might have got
to their destination in twenty-four hours. But the baffling Etesians still
continued with unseasonable steadiness, and to reach oven to Cnidus occupied
many weary and uncomfortable days. And when they got off the beautiful
and commodious harbour they were destined to a fresh and bitter disappoint*
ment, for they could not enter it. Had they been able to do so the season
was by this time so far advanced, and the wind was so steadily adverse, that
we can hardly doubt that, unless they continued their journey by land, they
would either have waited there for a more favourable breeze, or decided to
winter in a port where there was every pleasant requisite at hand for the
convenience of so large a vessel, and its numerous crew. Since, however,
the wind would neither suffer them to put in at Cnidus,* nor to continue
their direct voyage, which would have passed north of Crete, the only alter-
native left them was to make for Cape Salmone, at the eastern end of the
island, and there sail under its lee. To get to Salmone was comparatively
easy ; but when they had rounded it they had the utmost difficulty in creeping
along the weather shore until they came to a place called Fair Havens, a little
to the east of Cape Matala, and not far from an obscure town of the name
of Lasaea. While the wind remained in its present quarter it was useless to
continue their voyage, for beyond Cape Matala the shore trends sharply to
the north, and they would have been exposed to the whole force of the Etesians,
i Cf. Thuo. viii. 35.
3 The Emperor Titus (Suet. Vit. 5) did the same on his return from Palestine (cf. Jos.
]'.. J. vii. 2, 1 ; Tac. U. iv. 81). At this period that part of the Mediterranean is almost
always stormy (Falconer, Dissert., p. 16).
3 It will, of course, be borne in mind that (1) they had no compass ; and (2) could not
work to windward. The Cilician land breeze, which had helped the Adramyttian vessel
to Myra, was quite local. Compare Socr. IT. E. ii. 24 ; Sozomen, vi. 25 (speaking of the
voyage of Athanasius from Alexandria to Home). Wetst.
4 xxvii. 7, pi) flvxxrewi/n* TOV oi-e/iov.
It is not said that they got to Cnidus, but only thai
they got "opposite to " or " off " it, and that with difficulty.