gus for a trough,
and adjoining to it a spacious paved reservoir.

Here began a series of highly ornamental public edifices and sepulchral
monuments. We went first to the farthest; and there it was greatly to be
regretted that there was not with us an artist able to do justice to the
exceeding beauty of the remains.

It was a large oblong building, placed east and west, an ornamental
moulding running round the whole at four feet from the ground; the roof
fallen in. At the eastern extremity have been three portals, of which
the middle one was by far the largest; each of these decorated richly by
a bead and scroll moulding. The lintel of the principal gate has fallen
from its place, and now stands perpendicular, leaning against one of the
uprights: this is one stone of fifteen feet in length, beautifully
sculptured. Some broken pillars are lying about, and several magnificent
Corinthian capitals of square pilasters, which had been alongside of the
principal portal. I have never seen anywhere in Palestine any relic of
so pure a Grecian taste as this temple. {110}

Nearer to the town is a Roman erection of large well-cut stones, which
have acquired from the effects of time the fine yellow tinge which is
remarkable on the relic of the Church of St John Baptist at Sebustieh.
{111}

This was a smaller building than the other, and is nearly entire, except
that the roof is fallen in. It is in a square form: at each corner is a
solid square of masonry thirty feet high, and these are connected with
each other by semi-circular arches, two of which are fallen, and the
other two have their keystones dangling almost in the air, so slight is
the hold of their voussoirs to keep them from falling. The walls rise
half way up these abutments; the doorway is to the south, and has the
ports and lintel richly decorated. Of the use of this erection I could
form no judgment.

Between the two edifices was a mass of solid masonry, supporting a
sarcophagus nearly ten feet long, with a double sarcophagus of the same
dimensions at each side of it: not only the middle single one, but each
double sarcophagus, was formed of one stone each. Can we doubt of the
relation which the persons buried in the double ones bore to each other?
The sides of these stone coffins are highly adorned with floral garlands,
and the lids are lying broken across beside them.

Oh! vain expectation, to preserve the human frame from violation, by
elaborate and d