Facing the flooded court and directly inside the lofty main portal there was a small open pronaos, or vestibule, which in turn gave access to a hypostyle hall surrounded by the customary chambers and sanctuaries. Nothing in the character of the decorations sufficed to raise them above the rank of those at Edfû and Dendera, and the carvings on the facing of the pylons without were much the same as those we had seen in the other temples - revealing the king in the act of grasping his enemy by the hair and preparing to dispatch him with a club, much to the approval of such gods and goddesses as stood by.

The temple of Phile was sacred to Isis, and it is entirely probable that the site had been dedicated to her long before the Ptolemies built the existing shrine; for like all such temples this one dates from their period in Egyptian history and is set down as belonging to the fourth century B.C.- most of it, indeed, from a still later date. Isis, however, did not queen it here alone, for Hathor had her share in the "birth-house" of the court and had a separate temple of her own on the eastern shore of the island.

Despite the dampness of the spot, the coloring of the interior decorations is still easily discernible in the gloom and in its original state must have been brilliant. But by far the finest part of the visit was found in the ascent of the inner pylon, an easy climb,

despite some alarming gaps in the ancient flights of steps. From the summit the view was delightful as it stretched away to every side over placid river, shimmering sands, and rosy cliffs. At our feet lay the temple with its watery courts, and just to the east of the building there rose from its bath the exquisite kiosk which they insist on calling "Pharaoh's Bed"

the most delectable thing at Philæ, and the one I had secretly longed most to see.

The pictures give a very fair idea of the elegance and distinction of the kiosk. We were rowed over to it just before it was time to start for home, though all about it lay waters so deep that we could not land. It is one of the few Roman ruins that seem to have a genuine inspiration comparable to that of Hellenic temples, for this is a Roman product of the time of the Empire and from its inscriptions and reliefs is held to be of Trajan's building. Even its present watery setting seems to add to rather than detract from its general charm. I judge that it was submerged only to the height of a man, because all along the edge of the water could be seen the curious grooves in the stone which are so common in the softer structures and which the Professor thinks were caused by the soldiers of old in sharpening their knives.

How Phile looked before the dam spoiled it may