Permanent Colours of Opake Bodies. 153 



which Norden has given of the extenfive and 

 magnificent remains of Thebes, in the Upper 

 Egypt, which was the capital of the Eaftern 

 "World. That traveller, in a letter to the Baron 

 de Stofch, thus relates his obfervations. 



" I hope to get the author you tell me of, but 

 ** as he treats only of the paintings upon the cafes 

 *' of the Mummies, he will be of no great ufe to 

 " me in explaining thofe wonderful ones, than 

 " I have feen upon an infinite number of ancient 

 *' buildings, or in giving the leaft idea of them, 

 " Imagine to yourfelf, in the extent of an Italian 

 league, palaces with columns thirty-two French ' 

 feet in circumference, cafed with fandy ftones 

 cut in fquares, and all over covered, within 

 and without, with paintings, reprefenting the 

 worlhip of the deities of the country, the 

 ceremonies and cuftoms of the inhabitantSj 

 ** their manner of making war and failing, 

 ** together with love devices intermixed. Con- 

 *' fider likev;ife, that the manner of painting is 

 ** fo totally difi^erent from any thing in praflice 

 *^ at this time, as to make it necelTary for me 

 *' to give you fome flight idea of it, A painting 

 " eighty feet high, and proportionably broad, 

 '^ is divided into two ranges of gigantic figures 

 *' in bafs relief, and covered with mod exquifite 

 «' colours, fuited to the drapery and naked parts 

 ♦* of the figure. But what is ftill more wondcr- 

 «* ful is this, that the azure,, the )-elkzv, the green^ 



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