copiously from among the
rocks, in a grove of laurels. This fountain gives rise to a stream,
which, after bounding over the rocks, and meandering between mossy banks
for a long distance down the mountain glens, becomes a quiet lowland
stream, and flows gently through a fertile and undulating country to the
sea. This fountain was the famous Castalian spring. It was, as the
ancient Greek legends said, the favorite resort and residence of Apollo
and the Muses, and its waters became, accordingly, the symbol and the
emblem of poetical inspiration.

The city of Delphi was built upon the lower declivities of the
Parnassian ranges, and yet high above the surrounding country. It was
built in the form of an amphitheater, in a sort of _lap_ in the hill
where it stood, with steep precipices descending to a great depth on
either side. It was thus a position of difficult access, and was
considered almost impregnable in respect to its military strength.
Besides its natural defenses, it was considered as under the special
protection of Apollo.

Delphi was celebrated throughout the world, in ancient times, not only
for the oracle itself, but for the magnificence of the architectural
structures, the boundless profusion of the works of art, and the immense
value of the treasures which, in process of time, had been accumulated
there. The various powers and potentates that had resorted to it to
obtain the responses of the oracle, had brought rich presents, or made
costly contributions in some way, to the service of the shrine. Some had
built temples, others had constructed porches or colonnades. Some had
adorned the streets of the city with architectural embellishments;
others had caused statues to be erected; and others had made splendid
donations of vessels of gold and silver, until at length the wealth and
magnificence of Delphi was the wonder of the world. All nations resorted
to it, some to see its splendors, and others to obtain the counsel and
direction of the oracle in emergencies of difficulty or danger.

In the time of Xerxes, Delphi had been for several hundred years in the
enjoyment of its fame as a place of divine inspiration. It was said to
have been originally discovered in the following manner. Some herdsmen
on the mountains, watching their flocks, observed one day a number of
goats performing very strange and unaccountable antics among some
crevices in the rocks, and, going to the place, they found that a
mysterious win