Lettre de Joseph Williams à Jean-François Séguier,1777-08-25

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Marseille Aug. 25 1777 Dear Sir, The benevolence of a true Christian excites in you the dispositions, classical knowledge gives you the means of doing justice to those valuable objects of antiquity which have escaped the tyranny of ignorance. That ennemy to human glory, wich for space of eight hundred years, maintaind its dominion in the world. Those beauties which the illiterate hand of barbarians had effaced your scientific power has restored; those losses roman grandeur has formerly suffer’d by this cruel ennemy. Your sympathetic spirit of learning has repared. I may truely say on the behat of those respectable men, you act the faithful past of an interprete, a genius, a friend, & the refined pleasure of the understanding, a parent. Permit me, Sir, with all difference due to such a character, to offer my crumbs of observations. More to express [fol. 3] my desire to approache your harn’d repository than vainly I expect to add to your fund of litterary sentiment. Dividing antiquity into the movable, suche status and pictures and immovable, such a temple and other public buldings at Nîmes, Arles & Orange, there are more objects, still retaining their original form, than Imperial Rome herself at this day possesses. Of all the fragments of religious structure, the temple of Diane, the inquired, is the most perfect. That call’d the Maison Qaurée is almost in a state of compleat repair without much modern assistance Evidely differing in this respect from the temple describdly Mister Dawkins architect, who has given the description of those fragments, still contain’d in Palmyra. Yet this tell your profond knowledge had explain’d the characteristical circumstances of these buildings at Nîmes. A great part of this history & design lay conceal’d. By your assistance we not only attain the excellence of each epocha, but discours and nature of an hist. worship. however faithful [fol. 4] I ressassing the other day on your liberality, when I had the honor of seing you. I left Nîmes with some doubts, reveal’d at the light of your informative response. Tho’ Iplainly convinced how and within was headest to the altar and how the sacrifice was performed in the temple of Diane. Yet I am at a loss to discover how a sufficient light was convey’d into that building. My worthy friend Doctor Astruc was of opinion that there was no other light, than that wich came from the fire of the altar. I am also at at a toss to discover how and what part of the temple the priests deliver their oracles. I don’t remember I have seen any remains of seats in this edifice. Neither can I conjecture where the musick was placed. Doctor Chandler in his able description of the temple of Ionia, has confined his knowledge to architecture [fol. 4v] he has not gone minutely into the parts of that temple, so as so discover the difference of worship, which was used by the people of that time. You see by comparing the thru magnificent buildings, that of Palmyra, that of Ionia and that of Nîmes, may shew different circumstances of worship, which characterised the different periods of time, as when these three noble temples were erected. If human art was attain’d as late of perfection, the Maison Carrée is a striking instant of such excellence. The solid sense, exquisite taste and sublimity of grandeur comprised in that object, announced a most respectable idea of that sacred purpose, it was almost to execute. The steps, the vestibule, the expansive door, indicats that no animals were introduced in that temple. Reason at the approach of Revelation began to inculcate notions of assurer religion, then that exerciced in darker times. [fol. 5] All temples at present are communly call pagan, very intempestly. For the antients themselves by way of call’d those pagans, who followed their fancy in the fields. The refined part worshop’d in temples. The building without ciment is one of the most shiking instances of antient art. In using stones of an immense size, they preserv’d a nice symmetry & most just equilibrism. The art produced variety, ad other things. No storms, however violent, no ravage of time, however severe, not war itself, the most dreadful of all calamity, has destroy’d these buildings. The perishable quality of mortar is well known to justify at least an attempt in we moderns to build in the same solid style. The celebrated port of Athens is as this day very entire. The platform is compound of stones without cement [fol. 5v] To this circumstance I attribute the durability of that antient rendez-vous of commerce and from the same, I am of opinion the Roman borrow’d tatt idea of building from the greeks. These great founders of taste, learning and elegance have been very unfortunate, since their decadence. The Romans have had friends to preserve their works from destruction and the constancy sultan ignorance has occupy’d Attic ground and the archives capable of giving informations are inaccessibles. It is a little incumbent of the friends of learning, had justice to the true inventions of this exquisit taste of building without cement. Tho’ I’m willing to give to the Romans all the applaus the merit, yet I am at a loss to discover the reason of their erecting acqueducs at so greater expanse, carrying the water at great distance of places which always abounded well water such of Lyons. [fol. 6] I am the most surprised as they had any idea of hydrolistic. The theater at Arles is very differently designed from yhe amphiteatre at Nîmes. The former was allotted to sheers and plays, the other to warlike achievments. The apartments amounting to thirteen under the theater are very different from the apartments destined to hole the combattants and beasts in the amphitheater. There was in that the arena to such use the blood of the unhappy victims. Humanity always characterised the brave. The theater on the contrary had a fragment in the mosaic style. I have seen such fragments in little house now occupying the middle of this theater. Most certainly, the grand son of the great Constantin carried many greeks with him to Arles Graecans tombs winer this in the Esyscian fields. [fol. 6v] They executed a great number of Marble piliards in this edifice and all of the Corinthian order. I have remark’d on the top of the arches, that there are many greeks characters on the stones. All these circumstances shew the power of taste of the Graecian who residede at Arles & who did not pay a strictly regrd to the Roman law of building, lately with stone. Pompeus promulged this law after the terrible fall of a theater at Fiden, where twenty thousand people were killed. The Emperors at last gave to shew and ostentation prevailed over solidity. Time has brows’d both and the test and the intrinsic value of one has triumph’d over the perishable splendor of the other. When I first began this instructive correspondance, I little thougt to have been so scoliars but the powerfull charms of venerable antiquity, have [fol. 7r] prevail’d over my wishes to observ brievity. Sir, the request of such a motive and assure yourself had lately reky’d on your liberality, and should not have exceeded a legitimate ceremonie and as such as I fale short in this is compensed by that real esteem & regard with I have de honor to be Your most obedient most humble servant J. Williams I shall certainly execute your promise with pleasure in regard the Junius letters which your obligengly engaged your acceptance of: but I must beg the favor of you to give me the name & place of residence of your friends at Paris – to a whose care I may adress this book – be pleased to direct him at the most instance at Marseille. [fol. 7v] Pardon the liberty, I have take to write in English. As you understand that much better than the french, I have for thate reason choosen that language. Pardon, Sir, the unsteady state of my nerves, search furnit me my free after a long journey quiet from .