Volume 2

The Pagan Temple
347
of the spider, of the active industry of the ant and wasp,
and placed before them as a contrast the beautifully ordered
work of the bee. The viands of the entertainment,
at which Abigail assisted in person, reclining at the table,
were for the most part distributed at Jesus' request to the
poor. There were also on this day great solemnities in the
pagan temple, a very magnificent building with large
open porticos on five sides through which was afforded a
view into the interior. It was capped by a high cupola.
There were many idols in the different halls of the temple,
the principal one being named Dagon. The upper
part of its body was like a human being, the lower part
like a fish. There were others in the form of animals, but
none so beautiful as the idols of the Greeks and Ronlans.
I saw young maidens hanging wreaths on and around the
idols, then singing and dancing before them, while the
pagan priests burnt incense on a little three-legged table.
On the cupola was a very wonderful and ingenious piece
of mechanism which revolved the whole night. It was a
brilliant globe covered with stars. As it slowly revolved,
it could be seen from the interior of the temple as well as
from without. It represented something connected with
the course of the stars and the new moon, or the new
year. The globe revolved slowly. When it had reached
one of the extrelne points in its orbit, the songs and rejoicings
in the temple ceased on the opposite side, to be
taken up on that to which the globe had turned.
Not far from the festive scene where Jesus had been
entertained was a large pleasure garden, and in it were
the young girls amusing themselves at various games.
Their robes were slightly raised and their lower limbs
strapped with bands. They were armed with bows, arrows,
and little spears wreathed with flowers. A kind of
race course had been ingeniously formed of branches,
flowers, and decorations of all kinds, along which the
girls ran, shooting their arrows at the same time after the