Plate XX - Temple of Fortune
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The view of the Temple of Fortune, in its present
state, seems scarcely intelligible without the
following plate. The steps, the iron railing, and the
altar in the lower part of the front are
distinguishable. On the platform of the portico, the
yet existing capitals of the antes and columns
point out the site of the front and lateral
pillars. |
On the left of the cell, on entering, may be seen the niche of a statue. The whole must have been cased with marble. Many of the trees have been cut down, in the progress of the excavation, since this view was taken. On the stone pier, on the right of the arch, was painted a galley, larger and in greater detail than any yet seen, but it was effaced by the rain before the author was permitted to draw it. The triumphal arch opens into the street now called that of Mercury ; and the window-like holes in it afford a sight of water-pipes of which the use is not apparent.