Metellus was one of the first Romans to favor magnificent architecture in his home capitol, and with the booty gathered in his Macedonian campaigns he erected two temples in Rome, said to have been the first temples built of marble in that city, one of which was dedicated to Jupiter Stator, and the other to the white-armed Juno. The interiors were profusely ornamented with the works of the great Grecian masters, Praxiteles, Polycletus and Dionysius figuring largely. The names of the architects which Metellus brought or imported from Greece for this work were Saurus and Batrachus, who may possibly have been Ionians, inasmuch as they employed the Ionic order. These temples were restored in the Corinthian style, under Augustus, two hundred years later, by Hermodorus of Salamis, who was also the architect of the temple of Mars in the Flaminian Circus. It is told of Saurus and Batrachus that they were so much pleased with their work that they asked for no reward other than the privilege of having their names inscribed on the temples. But as this honor was denied them, they resorted to expedient to effect the same end. As the name Saurus stood for lizard and Batrachus for frog, they carved lizards and frogs on the temples, and were comparatively satisfied. A rather absurd mistake occurred in respect to these two temples after they were completed. It seems that nothing remained to be done but to add the statues of Jupiter and Juno to each respectively; but by some strange oversight the figure of Jupiter was erected in the house of Juno, and that of Juno before the shrine of Jupiter. However, as the two deities were rather closely connected by marriage, the mistake was conveniently attributed to a whim of the gods and was not remedied. [Illustration: Decoration] CHAPTER IX. THE ALEXANDRIAN ARCHITECTS. The boldest, most ingenious and original architect who found favor in the sight of Alexander the Great was undoubtedly Dinocrates, who, like his august patron, was also a Macedonian, and to whom an allusion has already been made in connection with the temple of Diana at Ephesus. [Illustration: DINOCRATES BEFORE ALEXANDER THE GREAT.]