eS9 



and steals insensibly from the eye, and must 

 of course be less angular than a square build- 

 ing, the most usual form of ancient temples. 

 Then being surrounded by columns in the 

 same circular direction, and detached from 

 the main body, it has a remarkable appear- 

 ance of lightness, ahiness and delicacy, as 

 opposed to what is solid, massy, and com- 

 pact. All these qualities and circumstances 

 of beauty have still an effect on the eye 

 £ven in its present mutilated state ; but the 

 beauty of tint and surface would now be 

 lost had it been built with stone of the finest 

 colour and grain, and had the whole been 

 as highly finished as many ancient temples 

 of a much larger size were finished. It was 

 built indeed, as I have learnt from an autho- 

 rity I cannot doubt, of a rough and dingy 

 stone of the country, which I may venture 

 to say must have arisen from motives of 

 convenience and economy, not of choice : 

 for I am very sure that no person who in- 

 tended to build such a temple, and had a 

 .c^uarry of light free-stone, and another of 



