罗马帝国消亡史经典英文版 (19).docxVIP

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经典英文巨著、宝贵学习参考资料

经典英文巨著、宝贵学习参考资料

Part4.

Inthegeneralcalamitiesofmankind,thedeathofanindividual,howeverexalted,theruinofanedifice,howeverfamous,arepassedoverwithcarelessinattention.YetwecannotforgetthatthetempleofDianaatEphesus,afterhavingrisenwithincreasingsplendorfromsevenrepeatedmisfortunes,^128wasfinallyburntbytheGothsintheirthirdnavalinvasion.TheartsofGreece,andthewealthofAsia,hadconspiredtoerectthatsacredandmagnificentstructure.Itwassupportedbyahundredandtwenty-sevenmarblecolumnsoftheIonicorder.Theywerethegiftsofdevoutmonarchs,andeachwassixtyfeethigh.ThealtarwasadornedwiththemasterlysculpturesofPraxiteles,whohad,perhaps,selectedfromthefavoritelegendsoftheplacethebirthofthedivinechildrenofLatona,theconcealmentofApolloaftertheslaughteroftheCyclops,andtheclemencyofBacchustothevanquishedAmazons.^129YetthelengthofthetempleofEphesuswasonlyfourhundredandtwenty-fivefeet,abouttwothirdsofthemeasureofthechurchofSt.PetersatRome.^130Intheotherdimensions,itwasstillmoreinferiortothatsublimeproductionofmodernarchitecture.ThespreadingarmsofaChristiancrossrequireamuchgreaterbreadththantheoblongtemplesofthePagans;andtheboldestartistsofantiquitywouldhavebeenstartledattheproposalofraisingintheairadomeofthesizeandproportionsofthePantheon.ThetempleofDianawas,however,admiredasoneofthewondersoftheworld.Successiveempires,thePersian,theMacedonian,andtheRoman,hadrevereditssanctityandenricheditssplendor.^131ButtherudesavagesoftheBalticweredestituteofatastefortheelegantarts,andtheydespisedtheidealterrorsofaforeignsuperstition.^132

[Footnote128:Hist.Aug.p.178.Jornandes,c.20.]

[Footnote129:Strabo,l.xiv.p.640.Vitruvius,l.i.c.i.praefatlvii.TacitAnnal.iii.61.Plin