Freemasonry > Free-masons pocket-companion

25
Chap. III. of MASONRY.
marble, twilled, fculptured, and voluted, with
2906 pilafters, decorated with magnificent capi¬
tals, and about double that number of windows,
befides thole in the curious pavement. The ora¬
cle and fanttuary was lined with mafiy gold, ad¬
orned with all the embellilhments of fculpture,
and fet with numerous, moll gorgeous, and daz¬
zling decorations, of diamonds and all kinds of
precious Hones.
No llrudlure was ever to be compared with the
temple for its exaftly-proportioned and beautiful
dimenfions, from the magnificent portico on the
call, to the glorious and venerable Santtum Sanfto-
rum on the well; with the numerous apartments
for the kings, princes, fanhedrim, priells, Levites,
and people of Ifrael; and the outer court for the
Gentiles, it being an houfe of prayer for all na¬
tions. The prolpett of it highly tranlcended all
that we are now capable to imagine, and has ever
been elteemed the finell piece of mafonry upoa
earth, before or fince.
The old conllitutions aver. That Year of the flood
feme Ihort time before the confe- I356. Before
cration of the temple. King Hiram “ 99Z'
came from Tyre, to take a view of that edifice#
and to infpeft the different parts thereof, in which
he was accompanied by King Solomon, and the de¬
puty grand mailer, Hiram AUf; and, after his
view thereof, declared the temple to be the utmofl
ftretch of human art. Solomon here again renewed
D the