teles. Behind Minerva was a- female figure, without a head,
fitting, with an infant in-Her lap-; >and in this angle of the
pediment was the emperor Hadrian with his arm round Sabina,
both reclining, and feeming to'regard Minerva with pleafure.
On the left fide of Jupiter were five or fix' other trunks to complete
the affembly o f deities, into which he received her. Thefe
figures were all wonderfully carved, and appeared as big as life.
Hadrian and his con fort, it is likely, Were complimented by the
Athenians with places among the marble gods in the pediment,
as benefa&ors. Both of them may be confidered as intruders
on the original company, and poflibly their heads were placed
on trunks, which before had other owners. They^ fiill
poffefs their corner, and are eafy to be. recognized, though not
unimpaired. The reft of the ftatues are defaced, removed, or
fallen. Morofini was ambitious to enrich Venice with the fpoils
o f Athens, and by an attempt to take down the principal group
haftened their ruin. In the other pediment is- a head or two of
fea-horfes finely executed, with fome mutilated1 figures^ and on
the architrave beneath them are marks of the fixtures of votive
offerings, perhaps o f the golden fliields, or of feftoons fufp.ended-
on folemn occafions, when the temple was dreffed out to receive
the votaries of the goddefs.
I t is to be regretted that fo much admirable .fculpturé as is
ftill extant about this fabric fhóuld be all likely, to pèriïh;' al it
were immaturely, from ignorant contempt and-brutal violence.
Numerous carved ftories have difappeared j and many,| lying in
the «ruinous heaps, moved our indignation at the barbarifm daily
exercifed in defacing them. Befides the two pediments, all die
metopes were decorated with large figures in alto relievo, óf which
fieveral'are almoft entire on the fide next Hymettus. Thefe are exceedingly
ftriking, èfpecially when viewed with a due ^proportion
of light and (hade, thé fun riling behind the mountain. • Their
fubjedt is the fame as was chófen for the fandals o f Miherva, or the
battle of the Centaurs and Lapithae. On the freeze of the cell
was carved in baffo relievo, the folemnity of a facrifice to Minerva;
and
and of this One hundred and feventy feet are Handing, the greater
part in good prefervation; containing a proceffion on horfeback.
On,two ftones, which have fallen, are oxen led as vidtims. On
another, fourteen feet'long, are thé virgins called -Canephori,
which affifted at the rites, bearing the facred canifters on their
heads, and in their hands each a taper; with other figures, one
a venerable' 'perfon with a- befrd ^reading in a large volume,
which is partly fupported- by a boy. I T h is ’ pieee, now inferred
in—the {wall-'of 'th’è -fortrefsj’ is. fuppofed to have ranged in the
centre of the back front of the cell-. . The facrifice defined to
be reprefented was probably that performed at ftated times by
t h e Aibêtóan 'Cavah^fr-andf ipeThalEs fthfe sfiguretlaft mentioned is
the »herald praying for' the ^(ffpërity i óif ^the Athenians, and
Platseenfians, as was ufual, in- commemoration of their united
bravery-hi Marathon. We-purchafed two fine fragments^the
freezè; - which we found inferted over door-ways in the "town ;
and i Were* fpreftnted With a beautiful? tfiiilk,«which had jj fallen
from the metopes, and lay négïc&ed in the garden‘of a Turk^ • ‘
T he marquis de Nointell, ambaffador- ffom France fo the'
Porte^ih the’ year róyz; employed'a painter tmdelinfeate the
freeze ; but his .Iketches, the labour Of a coüple -Of?months,
muft- -havé been&vfefy "imperfedt,’ being ‘ triade from beneath*5
Wrthöütdfeftbldïrigi /^Ki s**dylesr'mpWri rl t s# Mr. Pars'
'devoted a much longer time to this work, which' executed
with diligence, fidelity; arid courage. His poft was generally
on the architrave of thecolonnade, mahy' feet- from' the ground,
where he Was cxpofed to >gufts -of ■ windy and' to1 acéiderits in
paffingTb arid fro. * ‘Si^raL&f ■ the Turks murmrifédy anjifcme
I threatened, becattfe he overlooked their hóUfes-jf-Obliging them
to confine or removè ibe woriieri, to pr’évfent their -beirig feen*
from that exalted ftatioh. Befides views and other fculpturesy
he defigned one hundred riintety- in «the
acropplis.
H 2 C H A P .