Numberless shadows tempered the shine, from column and balcony
and tower. For everywhere galleries ran along the face of the
buildings; wings were extended in many directions; and numberless
openings, through which the moonbeams vanished into the interior,
and which served both for doors and windows, had their separate
balconies in front, communicating with a common gallery that rose
on its own pillars. Of course, I did not discover all this from
the river, and in the moonlight. But, though I was there for
many days, I did not succeed in mastering the inner topography of
the building, so extensive and complicated was it.

Here I wished to land, but the boat had no oars on board.
However, I found that a plank, serving for a seat, was
unfastened, and with that I brought the boat to the bank and
scrambled on shore. Deep soft turf sank beneath my feet, as I
went up the ascent towards the palace.

When I reached it, I saw that it stood on a great platform of
marble, with an ascent, by broad stairs of the same, all round
it. Arrived on the platform, I found there was an extensive
outlook over the forest, which, however, was rather veiled than
revealed by the moonlight.

Entering by a wide gateway, but without gates, into an inner
court, surrounded on all sides by great marble pillars supporting
galleries above, I saw a large fountain of porphyry in the
middle, throwing up a lofty column of water, which fell, with a
noise as of the fusion of all sweet sounds, into a basin beneath;
overflowing which, it ran into a single channel towards the
interior of the building. Although the moon was by this time so