Sir R. Ker Porter's: Travels.in Georgia, Persia, Armenia, &c. 
b] 9 Sy 
on the walls; while.one,of the oldest 
antiquity, engraved) ou a, slab of white 
marble, 1s let into the wall itself. The 
priest.assured me; it, had.beenreseued 
from).the ruins. ofthe, first edifice, at,its 
demolition, by, the | Tartars;, and,..with 
the, sarcophagi,, themselves,.,,was.\ pre- 
served, onthe same consecrated spot. 
Hebrew-Inseription.of .« Marble Slab in 
the Sepulchre of Esther and Mordecai. 
Mordecai, -beloved and.honoured 
by anking, was great.and good. His 
garments were. as those of a sovereign, 
Ahasuerus, covered him) with this rich 
dress; and also, placed a golden chain 
around bis neck, |. 'Fhe.city of Susa re- 
joiecd. at. his| honours, and his high for- 
tune became the glory of the Jews.” 
The inscription which, encompasses 
the sarcopliagus.of Mordecai, is to this 
effect : x 
“Tt is said by.Dayid, preserve me, 
O,.God! I am now.,in thy presence, 
Lhaye.cried at the gate of Heaven, that 
thou. art my God; and what goodness 
I, have received: came from, thee, O 
Lord !, 
Those whose bodies are now beneath 
in. this,.earth, when animated by thy 
merey, were great; and whatever hap- 
piness was, bestowed upon them in this 
world, came. from thee, O God! 
» ‘Dheir grief.and sufferings were many, 
at.the first; ;but they became happy, 
beeause,they always called upon thy 
holy (name, in, their, miseries... Thou 
liftedst. me. up, and I became powerful. 
Thine enemies songht to destroy me, in 
the early times of my life; but the sha- 
dow. of thy hand was upon me, and 
covered me, asa tent, from their wicked 
purposes !—Mordecai.” 
The following is,a translation of the 
inseription carved round the . sarco- 
phagus of Esther, the queen. 
“1. praise thee, O. God, that. thou 
hast created me!, I know that my sins 
merit punishment, yet I hepe for merey 
at, thy hands; for whenever I call, upow 
thee, thou art, with me; thy holy.pre- 
sence secures me from all evil. 1 
. My heart is at.case, and my fear, of 
thee increases, My life became, through 
thy goodness, at the last full of peace, 
_0O,God! do not, shut my soul..ont 
from thy,diyine presence! Those whom 
thou loyest, never. feel ihe torments of 
hell. Lead me, O merciful, Vather, to 
the life of life ; that may be filled. wiih 
the heayenly fruits of paradise!— Esther,” 
, KANDAVAR. 
Kandavar, the ancient KoyzeGae, re- 
duced to a village, maintains something 
Montuty Maa, No, 370, ~ 
585 
of, prolonged.existence, by| preserving a 
name so. nearoin sound to its venerable 
appellation ,of ,antiquity,,.and shewing 
a few human; habitations, still mingling 
with the ruins of the past. The village 
consists/of about :three hundred: houses, 
most. of which occupy. the lofty emi- 
nence; so. long celebrated as having been 
the site, of a superb temple of Diana. 
That. the great goddess’ of Ephesus 
would find a host. of worshippers in 
Persia, besides its conquerors who built 
the temple, is very probable; since the 
Diana of the Greeks was the same sup- 
posed intelligence whom the Sabian cor- 
rupters of the Mitbratic faith deified 
under. the: name <Astarté, queen. of 
Heaven. The spot on which the temple 
stood, commands the whole vale, and, 
doubtless, was originally surrounded by 
a citadel. 
As soon.as [had settled my people in 
their quarters, I took Sedak Beg with 
me; and, accompanied by our host asa 
guide, set forth to minutely examine the 
ruins. The greatest part of the site of 
the ancient edifice is totally concealed 
from observation, by the modern houses, 
and hovels, built of its materials, and 
over its former platform. Some of thesé 
habitations, from the inequalities of their 
situations, are evidently erected on 
earth-covered heaps of the fallen temple, 
and others are crushed in between 
broken fragments of the causeway-like 
walls; but enough of the fine stone 
foundations are every where discernible 
to enable an investigating eye to trace 
the original form of the building. It 
must. have been quadrangular, and each 
face measures three - hundred. yards. 
The front, to the westward, is the most 
perfect; there, a considerable. part of 
the wall rises above the accumulated 
rubbish at its base ; the thickness of the 
fabric, towards its foundation, appearing 
not less than. thirty, feet ;\ a, structure; 
certainly, to. stand, the shock .of; time. 
I could not compass the eleyation ex- 
actly, but I should deem it to be nearly 
twenty feet. It,is built, of-large stones 
eut,in, regular; proportions ; and, not far 
from the edge-of. this magnificent, wall, 
runs: a, beautifully, executed’ cornice, 
which, formerly, ata foot’s height.above 
it, sustained) "a noble;.colonnade, cach 
column) being, distant; from each other 
ten feet. .The pedestals, of eight, are 
still surmounted by the ebief, part: of 
their/shafts; in.good preservation. The 
sonthem front (stood almost on the very 
verge of a, nearly, perpendicuiar ascent, 
which is. now . entirely. covered | with 
4h broken 
