HISTORICAL SKETCH OF VAULTS.

37

Pliny mentions, that the architect of the Temple of Diana at Ephesus , despairing of being able toraise the stone to be placed over the entrance, fromits extraordinary size (about 16 feet in length) offeredup a prayer to the goddess for assistance ; she, anxiousfor his life, or her own temple, fixed the stone her-self in its place. Perrault, remarking on this stone,observes it would have puzzled, not only the architect,but Diana herself, to have accomplished the platebande of the Louvre, 25 feet 7 inches long, suspendedbetween the columns of the great portico in thatbuilding, and the cimatium of the pediment 53 feet6 inches long, and contrasts them with the stone atEphesus . See Blondel’s Cours d’Arch. Page 164.Edit. 1777- Perrault, perhaps, had not heard of thesoffites at the north and south ends, or the archi-trave of the great door of the Temple of the Sunat Palmyra. See Wood’s Ruins of Palmyra . , Elates19 and 27 -

The dome of the choragic monument of Lysicratesat Athens , six feet diameter, is of one stone. Of thecupola of the octagon tower of Andronicus Cyrhestesat Athens , about 23 feet diameter, M.LeRoy observes,“ Nous n’aurions tire aucunes lumieres sur la manieredont les anciens construisoient leurs temples ronds,qui avoient une certaine etendue, si la tour des ventsne nous en offroit pas un exemple. Les pierres qui com-posent la voute, portent par un bout sur les murs de latour, et elle se reunissent par l’autre en diminuant, aune pierre ronde qui est an centre, et leur sert de clef.”Dr. Pococke gives nearly a similar description. Stuartmerely says, that the roof is of marble, cut into theform of tiles ; as if this subject were not interesting

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