“But with all its steps and floor and the columns as well, the artificers have formed for it a fixed foundation, and raised a base (_krepis_), the height of a man’s foot, above the floor of the church; and in order that they might widen the foundation of the space they have placed on either side, round the belly (_gaster_) in the middle, half-circles in stone, and they have surrounded the space with separate columns arranged in semicircles. Thus the whole belly is widened by means of four rich columns on either side, to north, and to south; and the cave space (_speos_), like a house, is surrounded on all sides by a fence of circling stone. “Some of the fair columns that the masons have set up are from the Phrygian land, towards the Mygdonian heights, hewn with strong axes: and looking on these flowers of stone, one would say that white lilies mingled with rose cups, or the soft petals of the shortlived anemone. Here is abundance of red and a mere tinge of white, there thin sinews mix with the veins which dye the columns deep red, as with drops from the Laconian shell. “First then at the bottom they have placed the fairly wrought plinth (_krepis_) supporting all, made beautiful with twisting curves; and above it they have set stone bases, firmly fixed, cut from the rich quarries of the Bosporus. Quite white, they glitter, and in branching veins a deep blue line wanders in the shining flesh. And the bases on the eight sides the mason has adorned with moulded bronze rings fixed circle-wise round each base, as round a neck. And through the space of the whole church shines the glory of each column fixed on its polished base, like a white cloud wrought into patterns by the ruddy rays of the rising sun. “Thus are ranged in half-circles the company of four, and this half with the other four they have connected by a fair chiton of stone, even round the well-formed hollow (_antron_); for the three spaces between the four columns have been closed by the skilful mason with fencestones of marble from Hierapolis, firmly fixed on the plinth (_krepis_). And it is meet that this crown of stone on the fair floor of the sacred fane should be called of ‘the Holy City’ (_Hierapolis_). In the boundary is placed a door, slightly curved, through which enters the priest, to the floor of the hollow cavern (_antron_).