Page:Jerusalem's captivities lamented, or, The history of Jerusalem.pdf/4

 curious pillars, and many pleasant walks, with all manner of trees and fountains, which spouted up water, with cisterns and brazen statues, from which ran water continually.

The temple was built upon a rocky mountain, and the place at the top, was not at first big enough for the temple and court, the hill being very steep, but the people every day brought earth thither, and they at last made it plain and large enough, with wonderful curiosity and labour, inclosed with three walls which were many days labour, with the cost of all the holy treasure offered to God from all parts; the foundation of the temple was laid three hundred cubits deep; the porches were double supported by many pillars twenty cubits high, all of one piece of marble, the tops of cyder so exactly wrought, as astonished beholders, the porches were thirty cabits broad, and the compass of the temple was six furlongs; the courts were curiously paved and wrought with all sorts of stones, and the gates were covered with weighty plates of gold, only one with Corinthian brass, which for beauty excelled the other, dazzling the eyes of the spectator.

Then the Holy of Holies, or Sanctum Sanctorum, situate in the midst, had twelve stairs to get up to it, the fore part of it was an hundred cubits high, and as many broad, and backwards it was forty cubits on each side. It had as it were two shoulders twenty cubits high, and twenty five wide, and had no doors to shew that heaven was always open. All the fore parts were gilded within and covered with fine gold, the inner part was divided into two rooms, whereof the first only might be seen, which was in height ninety cubits, in length forty, and in breadth twenty. Round about the wall was golden vine, whereon hung grapes in clusters, being six foot long; it had golden gates fifty five cubits high, and sixteen broad,