ARCHITECTURE. 



were afterwards constructed in conformi- 

 ty with the wooden mode], and under- 

 went at different periods of time, such 

 additional arrangement as their genius 

 and taste suggested. 



The Greeks, untaught by their more 

 rich neighbours, abounding in granite, 

 porphyry, and marble, with a variety of 

 other local advantages, established a per- 

 fect school of architecture, by the inven- 

 tion of three complete orders, each having 

 a peculiar and separate character, calcu- 

 lated for all kinds of structures, ascending 

 from the most simple and robust, to those 

 of a more delicate susceptibility of orna- 

 ment ; completing a perfect system in 

 the art, that defies all human attempts to 

 surpass or amend. 



The most magnificent temple at Athens, 

 and one which exhibits the perfection of 

 Greek taste, is that dedicated to Minerva 

 Parthenon. It is situated on the summit 

 of the rock of the citadel, within the 

 Acropolis, which appears as though na- 

 ture had formed it as a pedestal, express- 

 ly for the purpose of supporting the beau- 

 tiful edifices upon its crown. It was ex- 

 ecuted under the direction of Phidias, by 

 Callicrates and Ictinus ; and from the de- 

 scription of Mr. Stuart, who spent seven 

 years, in the faithful delineation of the 

 works of art in that once splendid city, 

 is a perfect specimen of the Doric order. 

 Its extreme length is 225 feet, and breadth 

 100 feet, surrounded by 46 columns, sup- 

 porting an entablature of 12 feet in height, 

 upon which is sculptured, in the finest 

 alto relievo, the wars between the Lapi- 

 thx and the Centaurs. The frize which 

 surrounds the cell, contains the Panathe- 

 naic procession of charioteers, horsemen, 

 and the coronation of a youthful victor in 

 the chariot races. On the eastern pedi- 

 ment is represented a convention of the 

 gods, consisting of five and twenty figures: 

 Jupiter presides, and is in the act of re- 

 ceiving his daughter Minerva. 



The blocks of stone, with which the 

 columns are formed, being six feet in 

 diameter, are so nicely and accurately 

 wrought, that the most strict scrutiny is 

 required to discover the joints, being no 

 thicker than the finest hair. In order to 

 attain this perfection, the marble is re- 

 duced to the proper size by the chisel, 

 after which two pieces are rubbed one 

 upon the other, with sand and water 

 placed between them as a cutting medi- 

 um, until the top and bottom beds come 

 so closely in contact, as to exclude the 

 atmosphere, and bed themselves together. 

 After which process, thev were regulated 



VOL. I. 



by a square pivot of olive wood with as- 

 tonishing accuracy; so much so, as to 

 give the whole pillar the effect of having 

 passed through a lathe. 



Chauteaubriand, seated on a fragment 

 at the summit of the Acropolis, describes 

 the ruins of the Parthenon with all the 

 enthusiasm of a poet and artist: "From 

 the summit of the Acropolis, I beheld 

 the sun rise between the two peaks of 

 mount Hymettus. The crows, which 

 build their nests around the citadel, but 

 never soar to its summit, hovered below 

 us ; their black and polished wings were 

 tinged with roseate hues by the first ra- 

 diant beams of Aurora. Columns of light 

 blue smoke ascended in the shade along 

 the sides of the Hymettus. Athens, the 

 Acropolis, and the ruins of the Parthenon, 

 were coloured with the most beautiful 

 tints of peach blossom. The sculptures 

 of Phidias, struck horizontally by a ray 

 of gold, started into life, and seemed to 

 move upon the marble, from the mobility 

 of the shadows of relief." 



Athens abounds with numerous and 

 prodigious relics of the works of art. 

 Adjacent to the Parthenon stands the 

 temples of Neptune and Minerva Polias, 

 the temples of Theseus, Propylea, and 

 Jupiter Olympus, which was composed of 

 128 columns, sixty feet in height ; the 

 distance round this temple is said to be 

 half a mile. The walls of the city ex- 

 tended over a space of nine leagues, and. 

 broad enough to admit of two chariots to 

 run abreast, being equal to the huge for- 

 tified walls of the Romans. 



Many of these masterpieces of antiqui- 

 ty, which excite the veneration of the 

 modern world, 120 years ago were per- 

 fect, and had suffered but little dilapida- 

 tion from the attacks of time, until some 

 penetrative and investigating travellers 

 paid them a visit, more from curiosity 

 than information, and, not unlike children 

 with a new toy, broke off the pretty parts, 

 in order to discover how it was made, 

 and, like Ulysses with his presents from 

 the Phoenicians, return home with large 

 chests full of stones, to enrich museums, 

 and tickle connoisseurs. 



The most daring outrage of this kind 

 was committed by Lord Elgin, who em- 

 ployed the Turks to break off and throw 

 down part of the frize and pediment of 

 the Parthenon. His sole object in bear- 

 ing off the works of Phidias was, merely 

 to show the British nation the wonderful 

 degree of perfection the Greeks had ar- 

 rived to in the art of sculpture ; and, as a 

 further extenuation of his conduct, Jo 



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