Page:Arrian's Voyage Round the Euxine Sea Translated.djvu/165

164 The length of the area of the Panatheæan tadium is yet ditinguihable. It was accurately meaured by Mr. Vernon, who accompanied Sir George Wheeler to that place, A. D. 1676, and was determined by him to be 630 Englih feet; and with this account both Dr. Chandler and Mr. Stuart agree. If we conider that the racers in the Radium, in the coure called, returned in the ame direction in which they et out, we may allow 25 feet for the turn at the end round the meta; and if o, the length of the coure will be 600 Greek feet, or 605 Englih feet; which, from this meaurement, I think more than probable.

In the nineteenth volume of the French Memoirs of Literature, including from the year 1744 to 1746, there are ome diertations on the length of the tadium, by Mr. De la Barré. That gentleman had conceived a notion, that the Radium of Herodotus was only ⅜ of the length of the one employed by Pliny; and this poition, which abridges the length of the Radium more than any which, I have een, is upported by him with much learning and ingenuity, though not altogether with candour and impartial repreentation.

He founds his argument on the length of the Pythic tadium, which, Cenorinus tells us, contited of 1000 feet; whilt the Italic contained only 025, and the Olympic but 600 feet.

Mr. Barré thinks, that the Romans adopted the Pythic tadium from the intercoure which they had with Greece, when they feat, as they often did in early times, to conult, the Pythian of Delphic oracle.