322 
The name of the queen's palace has been constantly 
preserved and transmitted by tradition. Consistently 
with the distant period in which it was built, if a man 
had directed the execution of it, he would without 
doubt have made a fortress of it, and have confined 
himself to adding an habitation simply for his own use; 
but the luxury and taste which reigns in that part, 
which I have named the hall of reception or of the 
court, make me presume that it is the work of a wo- 
man, This part is composed of four square apart- 
ments, placed in a straight line, one after the other, with 
large windows to the north and south in each; # so that a 
view over almost the whole island may be enjoyed on 
both sides. The doors, which are very large and placed 
in the middle, enable the eye to command a look through 
the whole suite of rooms, and thus produce a very fine 
effect. 
It cannot be imagined that this apartment was destin- 
ed to serve as a place of defence, since its construction 
is not adapted to that end, and its site presents no ad- 
vantage, nor can it be considered as having been a place 
of constant residence, for the large windows descend- 
ing to the ground, and open to every wind, repel this 
opinion: moreover, its not being surrounded with that 
mysterious obscurity which characterizes the ancient 
temples, leads one to imagine it could not have served 
as a place of worship (except indeed for the goddess of 
the graces). In short, I cannot explain the use these 
apartments were put to, if they were not appropriated, 
as I said before, to the reception of the court, or as a 
gallery. The taste and elegance of construction denote 
the female artist, and the name of the queen's palace. 
