[
410]
Now in the western quarters of the enclosure of the temple there
were four gates; the first led to the king's palace, and went to a passage
over the intermediate valley; two more led to the suburbs of the city;
and the last led to the other city, where the road descended down into
the valley by a great number of steps, and thence up again by the ascent
for the city lay over against the temple in the manner of a theater, and
was encompassed with a deep valley along the entire south quarter; but
the fourth front of the temple, which was southward, had indeed itself
gates in its middle, as also it had the royal cloisters, with three walks,
which reached in length from the east valley unto that on the west, for
it was impossible it should reach any farther: and this cloister deserves
to be mentioned better than any other under the sun; for while the valley
was very deep, and its bottom could not be seen, if you looked from above
into the depth, this further vastly high elevation of the cloister stood
upon that height, insomuch that if any one looked down from the top of
the battlements, or down both those altitudes, he would be giddy, while
his sight could not reach to such an immense depth. This cloister had pillars
that stood in four rows one over against the other all along, for the fourth
row was interwoven into the wall, which [also was built of stone]; and
the thickness of each pillar was such, that three men might, with their
arms extended, fathom it round, and join their hands again, while its length
was twenty-seven feet, with a double spiral at its basis; and the number
of all the pillars [in that court] was a hundred and sixty-two. Their chapiters
were made with sculptures after the Corinthian order, and caused an amazement
[to the spectators], by reason of the grandeur of the whole. These four
rows of pillars included three intervals for walking in the middle of this
cloister; two of which walks were made parallel to each other, and were
contrived after the same manner; the breadth of each of them was thirty
feet, the length was a furlong, and the height fifty feet; but the breadth
of the middle part of the cloister was one and a half of the other, and
the height was double, for it was much higher than those on each side;
but the roofs were adorned with deep sculptures in wood, representing many
sorts of figures. The middle was much higher than the rest, and the wall
of the front was adorned with beams, resting upon pillars, that were interwoven
into it, and that front was all of polished stone, insomuch that its fineness,
to such as had not seen it, was incredible, and to such as had seen it,
was greatly amazing. Thus was the first enclosure. In the midst of which,
and not far from it, was the second, to be gone up to by a few steps: this
was encompassed by a stone wall for a partition, with an inscription, which
forbade any foreigner to go in under pain of death. Now this inner enclosure
had on its southern and northern quarters three gates [equally] distant
one from another; but on the east quarter, towards the sun-rising, there
was one large gate, through which such as were pure came in, together with
their wives; but the temple further inward in that gate was not allowed
to the women; but still more inward was there a third [court of the] temple,
whereinto it was not lawful for any but the priests alone to enter. The
temple itself was within this; and before that temple was the altar, upon
which we offer our sacrifices and burnt-offerings to God. Into none of
these three did king Herod enter,
1
for he was forbidden, because he was not a priest. However, he took care
of the cloisters and the outer enclosures, and these he built in eight
years.