accommodate
one hundred thousand spectators. The present circumference of the
structure is about one-third of a mile. From the arena rise the tiers of
seats, one above another, indicated by partially preserved steps and
passage-ways. In its prime it was doubtless elegantly ornamented; and
some evidences of fine art still remain upon the crumbling and lofty
walls. The material is a kind of freestone. The style of architecture
embraces four orders, imposed one upon another: the lower one is Tuscan
or Doric; the second, Roman-Ionic; and the third and fourth, Corinthian
or Composite.

The Pantheon is the only entirely preserved edifice of Greek
architecture in Rome. This grand and marvellous structure was originally
dedicated to the Pagan gods, but is now a Christian church. It is the
largest building of ancient times, and whose splendid Corinthian columns
fill the eye with pleasure at the first glance. The diameter of the
structure is one hundred and fifty feet, and the summit of the upper
cornice over one hundred feet from the base, the entire height being one
hundred and fifty feet. The interior effect is one of true majesty, and
that of the combined whole is deemed the acme of architectural
perfection of the ancient buildings of Rome. The plates of gilded bronze
which once covered the roof, the bronze ornaments of the pediment, and
the silver that adorned the interior of the dome, it is said, were
carried off by Constans II. more than a thousand years ago.

St. Peter's is considered to be the most magnificent church of Italian
or classical architecture in the world. Its extreme length within the
walls is a trifle over six hundred feet, while its greatest width is
about four hundred and fifty feet. The height, from the pavement to the
cross at the apex, is four hundred and fifty-eight feet. By comparing
these dimensions with familiar objects, we can gain some general idea of
the immensity of this structure, the largest ever reared by Christians
in honor of the Supreme Being; but only by frequent and long-continued
visits do we finally come fully to realize its unequalled beauty and
grandeur.

As Florence only dates from three or four hundred years before Christ,
it is not considered very ancient in the Old World. It sprang,
undoubtedly, from Fiesole, at the foot of which it now lies. The Fiesole
of the ancients was perched upon an almost inaccessible height, in
accordance with the style in which they used to build in