They
are all fluted, and have an aspect of severe and massive grandeur
that is unequalled in any other temple. Above these columns rise
an enormous Doric frieze and cornice, the height of which is equal
to half the height of the columns; and these proportions give such
vastness to the mass above, that it heightens the sublime effect.
The columns, which extend round the Temple, are thirty feet high,
and seven feet in diameter at the base. Inside, the pavement is
well preserved; and, though the altar is gone, yet the place where
it stood can easily be seen. There is no roof above, and probably
never was any; for many of the vast edifices of antiquity were open
to the sky--a circumstance which made the task of the architect
much easier, since it relieved him of the necessity of sustaining
a vast weight in the air, and also of the equal difficulty of
lighting the interiors of his buildings. From within the temple
enclosures, as from within the theatres and amphitheatres, the blue
sky could be seen overhead, while the too fervid rays of a
midsummer sun, or the storms of winter, could be warded off from
those within by means of an awning thrown over the open roof,
and stretched on cables.

Near the Temple of Neptune is another, which is called the Temple
of Ceres. It is neither so large nor so grand as the former, but
it possesses more elegance and beauty. It is about a hundred feet
long and fifty feet wide. Like its companion, it is surrounded
on all sides by a colonnade, six pillars being in the front, six
in the rear, and twelve on either side. The altar here is gone,
but its foundations remain. Various signs show a greater degree
of splendor in the interior adornment of this temple, especially
the fact that the pavement was mosaic work. There is reason to
suppose that this temple was turned into a Christian church some
time in the fourth century. Such a transformation as this was
common enough throughout the Roman empire during that great
triumph of Christianity which took place under Constantine, and
after him, so that in this, case there need be little room for
doubt as to the truth of the statement.

Not far from this is the third of the great edifices of Paestum.
It is about as large as the Temple of Neptune, being nearly two
hundred feet long, and about eighty feet wide. Like the others, it
is surrounded by a colonnade, but the architecture is less massive
than that of the first temple. Of these columns, nine ar