d with stucco and terra-cotta ornaments, of which,
however, little remains at present; but the simple bricks,
particularly in the upper stripes, where the insertion of the vault
becomes visible, look, perhaps, quite as beautiful as the original
coating. The whole cylinder of masonry is divided into three stripes
by means of cornices, which break the heaviness of the outline, the
divisions of the inner space corresponding to those of the outer
surface. The first of these stripes is about forty feet high, and
rests on a base of Travertine freestone. It consists of simple
horizontal slabs of stone, broken only by doors which lead to chambers
built in the thickness of the wall between the niches. It corresponds
to the columns forming the first story of the interior, the two
cornices, in and outside, being on a level. The second stripe, about
thirty feet in height, answers to the second story of the interior,
where the semicircular arches of the niches are situated. The
horizontal stone layers outside are accordingly broken by large double
arches, destined to balance the vaults in the interior. They alternate
with smaller arches, thus forming a decoration of the exterior at once
dignified and in harmony with the general design of the building. The
two cornices in and outside are again on a level. The third stripe
corresponds to the cupola, the tension of which is equal to 140 feet.
The outer masonry reaches up to about a third of its height, from
which point the cupola proper begins to rise in seven mighty steps.

[Illustration: THE PANTHEON AT ROME.]

[Illustration: HALF-SECTION OF THE PANTHEON.]

The height of the dome is equal to the diameter of the cylindrical
building, 132 feet, which adds to the sober and harmonious impression
of the whole building. The lower of the above-mentioned interior
stories is adorned with columns and pilasters, the latter of which
enclosed the niches. Eight of these columns, over thirty-two feet in
height, are monoliths of _giallo antico_--a yellow kind of marble
beautifully veined, and belonging to the most valuable materials used
by ancient architects. Six other columns are made of a kind of marble
known as _pavonazzetto_; by an ingenious mode of coloring these
columns are made to harmonize with those consisting of the rarer
material. Above the first lies a second lower story, the architectural
arrangements of which may be recognized from Adler's ingenious attempt
at reconstructio