ATHENS. 233 
Christians*, the barbarism of the Turks, or to 
the explosions which took place when the 
temple was used as a powder magazine," but 
to the decomposition of the stone itself, in con- 
sequence of the action of the atmosphere during 
so many ages. The mischief has originated in 
the sort of marble which was used for the 
building ; this, not being entirely homogeneous, 
is characterized by a tendency to exfoliate 
when long exposed to air and moisture* Any 
person may be convinced of this, who will exa- 
mine the specimens of sculpture which have 
been since removed to this country from the 
Parthenon; although, being expressly selected 
as the most perfect examples of the work, they 
do not exhibit this decomposition so visibly as 
the remaining parts of the building. But 
(2) In the little Tract which the author puhlished in 1803, con- 
taining the " Testimonies of different Authors respecting the Statue 
of Ceres," p. 4, and also in his Account of the " Cambridge Marbles" 
published in 1809, p. 15. he attributed to " the zealof the early Chris- 
tians" a part of the injury done to the Temple at Eleusis. He has 
since been much amused by finding the same expression adopted by 
the writer of the Earl of Elgin's "Memorandum" above cited, where 
the "early Christians" are made also responsible for the injury done 
to the metopes of the Parthenon (See Memorandum, p. ll). Now, 
abating the lung arms, or the long ladders, which the said Christians 
must have called into action to reach the entablature of this building, 
it does not appear highly probable that the very people who conse- 
crated the Parthenon, v&Wheler says, ''TO SERVE GOD IN," would 
take so much pains to disfigure and to destroy their place of worship. 
