uiry and
investigation been spurred on by the difficulty of comprehending their
exact meaning. [Illustration: TEMPLE OF JUPITER OLYMPUS.]

[Illustration: ANOTHER VIEW OF THE TEMPLE OF JUPITER OLYMPUS.]

Of two views of the temple of Jupiter Olympus, Mr. Cook chose that in
which the Acropolis is seen in the distance. The three lofty Corinthian
columns in the other engraving are diminished to the scale of the arch,
while the Acropolis, from its greater complexity of parts, adds,
perhaps, something of a quality in which the subject is rather wanting.
"I am not sure," says Mr. Cook, "that the remains of the temple of
Jupiter Olympus are not the most impressive which Athens offers to the
eye and heart of the traveller, partly from their abstract grandeur--a
grandeur derived from every element which could contribute to such an
end--and partly from a position than which it would be impossible to
conceive any thing more magnificent. The gigantic columns struck me with
a sense of awe and bewilderment, almost oppressive; they consist, as may
be seen by the engraving, of sixteen, the sole representatives of the
one hundred and twenty which once formed this mightiest of Athenian
temples. The least thoughtful person could scarcely avoid the question
of where and how the remaining one hundred and four of these enormous
masses can have vanished; and assisted by the fullest information which
is to be acquired on the subject, it remains a matter of wonder to all.
That time itself has had but little to answer for, the almost perfect
preservation of portions is sufficient to prove; in some cases the
flutings are as sharp and clean as when the hand of the sculptor left
them, while, more generally, they bear disgraceful evidence of ill-usage
of every kind, from that of the cannon ball to the petty mischief of
wanton idleness. The proportion of these columns is quite perfect, and
the mind is lost in charmed wonder, as wandering from part to part of
the vast platform, it is presented at every step with combinations
perpetually changing, yet always beautiful. So difficult do I find it to
determine from what point of view these ruins are seen to the greatest
advantage, that I have appended two engravings, from which the reader
may select that which best conveys to him the magnificence of the
structure which has been thus slightly described." The temple of Jupiter
Olympus was one of the first conceived, and the last executed of the
sacred monum