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with tfie termination of the hill, whence ft is evident that the 

 whole ground of the courts has been artificially raifcd. Such 

 was the former ilate of this editice ; but the foutlicrn fide 

 of tlie grand temple was afterwards blocked up to build a 

 fmaller one, the pciillyle and wall of which are fliU remain- 

 ing. This temple, fitvnted iome feet lower than the other, 

 prcfents a fide of thirteen columns, by eight in front (in all 

 thirty-four), which arc likewife of the Corinthian ordtr ; 

 their (hafts are fifteen feet eight inches in circumference, 

 and forty-four in height. The building they furround is an 

 oblong fquare, the front of which, facing the eaft, is out of 

 the line of the left wing of tlic great court. To reach it 

 you mull crofs trunks of columns, heaps of Hone, and a 

 ruinous wall by which it is now hid. After furmounting 

 thefe obllacles, you arrive at the gate, where you may fur- 

 vey the inclofure which was once the habitation of a god ; 

 but inllead of the awful fcene of a proflrate people, and 

 fecrifices offering by a multitude of priefts, the (ley, which 

 is open from the falling in of the roof, only lets in light to 

 fhew a chaos of ruins, covered with dull and weeds. The 

 walls, formerly enriched with all the ornaments of the Co- 

 rinthian order, now prefent nothing but pediments of niches, 

 and tabernacles of which almoft all the fupporters are fallen 

 to the ground. Between thefe niches is a range of fluted 

 pilafters, wliofe capitals uipport a broken eirtablatuve ; but 

 what remains of itjdifplays a rich frieze of foliage relling on 

 the heads of fatyrs, horfes, bulls, &c. Over this entabla- 

 ture was the ancient roof, which was fifty-feven feet wide, 

 and no in length. The walls wh'ch lupportcd it are 

 thirty-one feet high, and witliout a window. It is impof- 

 fible to form any idea of the ornaments of this roof, except 

 from the fragments lying on the ground ; but it could not 

 have been richer than the gallery i f the perirtyle : the 

 principal remaining parts contain tablets in the form of 

 lozenges, on which are reprtfente-d Jupiter fcated on his 

 eagle ; Leda carelTed by the fwan ; Diana with her bow 

 and crefcent, and feveral bufts which feem to be figures of 

 emperors and empreffes. It would lead us too far, to en- 

 ter more minutely into the dcfcription of this aftoni(hing 

 edifice. The lovers of the arts will find it defcribed with 

 the greatell truth and accuracy in a work publi(hed at 

 London in 1 75 7, u 'der the title of " Ruins of Balbec." 

 This work, co npiled by Mr- Robert Wood, the world 

 owes to the attention and libe-rality of Mr. Dawkins, who, 

 in 1751, vifited Balbec and Palmyra. It is impoflible to 

 add any thing to the fidelity of their dcfcription. 



Several changes, however, have taken place fince their 

 journey : for example, they found !iine large columns 

 (landing; and, in 1784, there were bi't fix. They reckoned 

 nine and twenty at the leffer temple, but there now re- 

 main but twenty ; the others h ive been overthrown by the 

 earthquake of 1759. It has likewife fo Ihakcn the walls 

 of the Icffer temple, that the (lone of the foffit of the gate 

 has (lid between the two adjoining ones, and delcended 

 eight inches ; by which means the body of the bird, 

 fculptured on that ftone, is fafpended, detached from its 

 wings, and the two garlands, which hung from its beak and 

 terminated in two genii. Nature alone has not effefted 

 this devaftation ; the Turks have had their (hare in the 

 deilrudion of the columns. Their motive is to procure the 

 iron cramps, which ferve to join the feveral blocks of which 

 each column is con>polcd. Thefe cramps anfwer la well 

 the end intended, that feveral of the columns are not even 

 disjointed by their fall ; one, among others, as Mr. Wood 

 obfcrves, has penetrated a (lone of the temple wall without 

 giving way. Nothing can Curpafs the woi-kmanlhip ot 

 thefe coliunns ; they are joined without any cement, yet 



8 



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there is not room for the blade of a knife between their in- 

 terllices. After fo many ages, they in general ftill retain 

 their original whitenefs. But, what is ftill more aftonifhing 

 is, t!ie enormous ftones which compofe the (loping wall. 

 1 o the wed, the fccond layer is formed of (lones which are 

 from twenty-eight to thirty-five feet long, by about nine 

 in height. Over this layer, at the north-well angle, there 

 are three I'oncs, which alone occupy a fpacc of 175 feet 

 and one half; viz. the firll, fifty-eight feet fevcn inches; 

 the fecond, fifty-eight feet eleven ; and the third, exactly 

 fifty-eight feet ; and each of thefe arc twelve feet thick, 

 'llrefe Hones are of a white granite, with large Ihining fl.ikes, 

 like gypfe ; there is a q'jari-y of this kind of (lone under 

 the whole city, and in the adjacent mountain, which is open 

 in feveral places, and, among others, on the right, as wc 

 approach the city. There is llill lying there a (tone, hewn 

 on three fides, which is fixty-nine feet two inches long, 

 twelve feet ten inches broad, and thirteen feet three in thick- 

 nefs. By what means could the ancients move thefe cnor- 

 mo'.'s tnalfes ? This is doubtlcfs a problem in mechanics 

 curious to refolve. The inhabitants of Balbec have a very 

 commodious manner of explaining it, by fuppofing thcfc 

 edifices to have been conllruiled by Djenoun, or Genii, 

 who obeyed the orders of king Solomon ; adding, that th« 

 motive ot luch immeiife works was to conceal, in fubterra- 

 neou', cavems, vail treafures, which dill remain there. To 

 dilcovcr ihcfe, many have defcended into the vaults which 

 range under the whole ed fice ; but the inutility of their 

 refearches, added to the opprcflions and extortions of the 

 governors, who have made their fuppofed difcovcries a pre- 

 text, have at length difhcartened them ; but they imagiirc 

 the Europeans will be more fuccefs-ful ; nor would it be 

 poffiWc to perfuade them, but what we are polfeffed of the 

 magic art of dedioying Talifmans. It is in vam to oppolc 

 realon to ignorance and prejudice : and it would be no Icfs 

 ridiculous to attempt to prove to them that Solomon never 

 was acquainted with the Corinthian order, which was only 

 in ufe under the Roman emperors. The tradition which 

 afcribes the buildings at Balbec, and alfo at Palmyra, t» 

 Solomon, and on which the inhabitants of the country con- 

 fidently rely, is founded on an opinion generally prevalent, 

 of his wifdom and love of ph.afnre, with both which the 

 magnificence, beauty, and difpofition, of thefe buildings 

 perfectly apee ; and on the mention of " Tadraor in the 

 wilderne(s, and the tower of Lebanon looking towards 

 Damafcus," which are fail in the Old Tcftament to have 

 been built by his direction. Some have fnppoled that 

 thefe are the ruins of a temple of the lun, built by the 

 P ocnicians, hecaufe it is certain that the fun was worlhip-- 

 ped at this place when the Phoenicians were in their moll 

 ffourifhing (late. Others have thought, that thefe build- 

 ings were erected by the Greeks, who fucceeded the Pho;- 

 nicians in the podefTion of this country, becaufc they are of 

 the Corinthian and Ionic order; but as they are not men- 

 tioned from the lime of Alexander's conqueft to that of 

 Pompey, there is great reafoii to fuppofe that they- are of 

 later date. 



When we confider the extraordinary magnificence of the 

 temple of Balbec, we cannot but be ail«ni(hed at the filencc 

 of the Greek and Roman authors. Mr. Wood, who has 

 carefully examined all the ancient writers, has found no 

 mention of it, excejrt in a fragment of John ot Antioch, 

 furnamed Mal.ila, wlio attributes the building of this edifice 

 to Antoninus Pius. He fays that this emperor " built a 

 great temple to Jupiter at Hehopolis, near Libanus, in 

 Phanicia, which was one of the wonders of thi^world." 

 This is llie only hillwical authoHty that haj yet been dif- 



covcrcd • 



