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by stones which have fallen from the cliffs above, has been 
partially restored through the skill and industry of French 
savants and lantern slides shewing the Doric pillars, the 
metopes representing the labours of Hercules and the 
bright colouring of its stones were thrown upon the screen ; 
the other example — the Treasury of Cnidus — was of rather 
different style and in its richness of sculptural decoration 
displayed the taste of the Asiatic Greeks rather than that 
of the Athenians. 
The temple was next described and illustrated in detail. 
Within the portico were inscribed wise sayings of the Greeks 
(“ It is hard to be good,” “ Water is best,” “ Know thyself,” 
“ Go bail and be sorry for it ”), while over the inner doorway 
was the mysterious symbol, E, the precise significance of 
which has never been satisfactorily explained. One theory 
interprets it as equivalent to “ if ” as though questioning 
the presence of the god, while another construes it as “ thou 
art ” thus definitely asserting the god’s existence. Beyond 
this portal lay the main hall of the temple containing the 
“ seat of Pindar ” and beyond it an inner chamber of the 
priests containing the venerable “ omphalos ” or central stone 
of the world. Below this chamber was the rift in the rock — the 
reputed cause of the existence of the oracle. The lecturer 
stated that, though search had been made in the rock under- 
neath the building, no trace of any rift had been discovered. 
Literary evidence is so strong however, that one cannot 
doubt its former presence and it must be presumed that some 
seismic disturbance has since obliterated all trace of it. 
The subsequent portion of the lecture was devoted to the 
manner in which the oracle was delivered. On certain days 
of the month the enquirers gathered and handed in their 
questions to the priests of the sanctuary. Deep down below 
the floor level sat the priestess — an unlettered peasant — 
who, having prepared herself by the drinking of water and 
by chewing the leaves of the laurel, sat over the rift in the 
rock until the fumes and vapours which rose therefrom 
produced a kind of intoxication. The priests then pro- 
pounded to her the questions submitted and from her inco- 
herent cries culled answers which were delivered by them 
in hexameter verse to the anxious seekers. It is noteworthy 
that none were sent away unanswered through the practical 
value of the answers varied very considerably. Some conveyed 
really valuable advice, some were ambiguous or purposely 
misleading or mysterious, others were tragically ironic. In 
conclusion the lecturer dwelt for a time upon the influence of 
