to it in its measures; so that the entire altitude of the temple was a hundred and twenty cubits. Its front was to the east. As to the porch, they built it before the temple. Its length was twenty cubits, and it was so ordered that it might agree with the breadth of the house; and it had twelve cubits in latitude, and its height was raised as high as a hundred and twenty cubits. He also built round about the temple thirty small rooms, which might include the whole temple by their closeness one to another, and by their number and outward position round it. He also made passages through them, that they might come into one through another. Every one of these rooms had five cubits in breadth and the same in length, but in height twenty. Above these were other rooms, and others above them, equal both in their measures and number; so that these reached to a height equal to the lower part of the house, for the upper part had no buildings about it. The roof that was over the house was of cedar, and truly every one of these rooms had a roof of their own that was not connected with the other rooms; but for the other parts there was a covered roof common to them all, and built with very long beams that passed through the rest and through the whole building, that so the middle walls, being strengthened by the same beams of timber, might be thereby made firmer; but, as for that part of the roof that was under the beams, it was made of the same materials, and was all made smooth, and had ornaments proper for roofs, and plates of gold nailed upon them; and as he enclosed the walls with boards of cedar, so he fixed on them plates of gold which had sculptures upon them; so that the whole

temple shined, and dazzled the eyes of such as entered by the splendor of the gold that was on every side of them. Now, the whole structure of the temple was made, with great skill, of polished stones, and those laid together so very harmoniously and smoothly that there appeared to the spectators no sign of any hammer or other instrument of architecture, but as if, without any use of them, the entire materials had naturally united themselves together, that the agreement of one part with another seemed rather to have been natural than to have arisen from the force of tools upon them. The king also had a fine contrivance for an ascent to the upper room over the temple, and that was by steps in the thickness of its wall; for it had no large door on the east end, as the lower house had, but the entrances were by the sides, through very small doors. He also overlaid the temple, both within and without, with boards of cedar, that were kept close together by thick chains, so that this contrivance was in the nature of a support and a strength to the building.

Now, when the king had divided the temple into two parts, he made the inner house of twenty cubits [every way], to be the most secret chamber, but he appointed that of forty cubits to be the sanctuary; and when he had cut a door-place out of the wall, he put therein doors of cedar and overlaid them with a great deal of gold that had sculptures upon it. He also had veils of blue and purple and scarlet and the brightest and softest of linen, with the most curious flowers wrought upon them, which were to be drawn before those doors. He also dedicated for the most. secret place, whose breadth was twenty cubits and the length the same, two cherubims of

solid gold; the height of each of them was five cubits. They had each of them two wings stretched out as far as five cubits; wherefore Solomon set them up not far from each other, that with one wing they might touch the southern wall of the secret place, and with another the northern. Their other wings, which joined to each other, were a covering to the ark, which was set between them; but nobody can tell, or even conjecture, what was the shape of these cherubims. He also laid the floor of the temple with plates of gold, and he added doors to the gate of the temple agreeable to the measure of the height of the wall, but in breadth twenty cubits, and on them he glued gold plates; and, to say all in one word, he left no part of the temple, neither internal nor external, but what was covered with gold. He also had curtains drawn over these doors, in like manner as they were drawn over the inner doors of the most holy place; but the porch of the temple had nothing of that

sort.

Now, Solomon sent for an artificer out of Tyre whose name was Hiram. He was by birth of the tribe of Naphtali, on the mother's side (for she was of that tribe), but his father was Ur, of the stock of the Israelites. This man was skilful in all sorts of work, but his chief skill lay in working in gold, in silver and brass; by whom were made all the mechanical works about the temple, according to the will of Solomon. Moreover, this Hiram made two [hollow] pillars, whose outsides were of brass, and the thickness of the brass was four fingers' breadth, and the height of the pillars was eighteen cubits,

The sacred cubit of the Hebrews was twenty-one inches; the ordinary cubit is but eighteen inches.

and their circumference twelve cubits; but there was cast with each of their chapiters lily-work that stood upon the pillar, and it was elevated five cubits, round about which there was network interwoven with small palms made of brass and covered with lilywork. To this also were hung two hundred pomegranates in two rows. The one of these pillars he set at the entrance of the porch on the right hand, and called it Jachin; and the other at the left hand, and called it Boaz.

Solomon also cast a brazen sea, the figure of which was that of an hemisphere. This brazen vessel was called a sea for its largeness, for the laver was ten feet in diameter and cast of the thickness of a palm. Its middle part rested on a short pillar that had ten spirals round it, and that pillar was ten cubits in diameter. There stood round about it twelve oxen that looked to the four winds of heavens, three to each wind, having their hinder parts depressed, so that the hemispherical vessel might rest upon them, which itself was also depressed round about inwardly. Now, this sea contained three thousand baths.

He also made ten brazen bases for so many quadrangular lavers; quadrangular lavers; the length of every one of these bases was five cubits, and the breadth four cubits, and the height six cubits. This vessel was partly turned, and was thus contrived: There were four small quadrangular pillars that stood one at each corner; these had the sides of the base fitted to them on each quarter; they were parted into three parts; every interval had a border fitted to support [the laver], upon which was engraven, in one place a lion, and in another place a bull and an eagle. The small pillars had

the same animals engraven that were engraven on the sides. The whole work was elevated and stood upon four wheels, which were also cast, which had also naves and felloes and were a foot and a half in diameter. Any one who saw the spokes of the wheels-how exactly they were turned and united to the sides of the bases, and with what harmony they agreed to the felloes -would wonder at them. However, their structure was this: Certain shoulders of hands stretched out held the corners above, upon which rested a short spiral pillar, that lay under the hollow part of the laver, resting upon the fore part of the eagle and the lion, which were adapted to them, insomuch that those who viewed them would think they were of one piece; between these were engravings of palm trees. This was the construction of the ten bases. He also made ten large round brass vessels, which were the lavers themselves, each of which contained forty baths; for it had its height four cubits, and its edges were as much distant from each other. He also placed these lavers upon the ten bases that were called Mechonoth, and he set five of the lavers on the left side of the temple, which was that side toward the north wind, and as many on the right side, toward the south, but looking toward the east; the same [eastern] way he also set the sea. Now, he appointed the sea to be for washing the hands and the feet of the priests when they entered into the temple and were to ascend the altar, but the lavers to cleanse the entrails of the beasts that were to be burnt-offerings, with their feet also.

He also made a brazen altar, whose length was twenty cubits, and its breadth the same, and its height ten, for the burnt offerings.

He also made all its vessels of brass; the pots and the shovels and the basins, and besides these the snuffers and the tongs, and all its other vessels, he made of brass, and such brass as was in splendor and beauty like gold. The king also dedicated a great number of tables, but one that was large and made of gold, upon which they set the loaves of God; and he made ten thousand more that resembled them, but were done after another manner, upon which lay the vials and the cups. Those of gold were twenty thousand; those of silver were forty thousand. He also made ten thousand candlesticks, according to the command of Moses, one of which he dedicated for the temple, that it might burn in the daytime, according to the law; and one table with loaves upon it, on the north side of the temple, over against the candlestick; for this he set on the south side, but the golden altar stood between them. All these vessels were contained in that part of the holy house which was forty cubits long, and were before the veil of that most secret place wherein the ark was to be set.

The king also made pouring-vessels, in number eighty thousand, and a hundred thousand golden vials, and twice as many silver vials; of golden dishes, in order therein to offer kneaded fine flour at the altar, there were eighty thousand, and twice as many of silver. Of large basins also, wherein they mixed fine flour with oil, sixty thousand of gold, and twice as many of silver. Of the measures like those which Moses called the hin and the assaron (a tenth deal) there were twenty thousand of gold and twice as many of silver. The golden censers, in which they carried the incense to the altar, were twenty thousand; the other censers, in