The Olympic foot, we are expreſſly told by Aulus Gellius, exceeded the common foot in the ſame proportion as the foot of Hercules exceeded in length the foot of an ordinary man; and this difference appears to be in the proportion of 25 to 24.
It is proper to remark, that all the Greek writers, who deſcribe they Olympic or itinerary ſtadium, and who might be ſuppoſed to reckon by Greek feet, as Herodotus, Hero, and Suidas, concur in aſſigning to this meaſure 000 feet. On the other hand, all the Latin or Roman writers, to whom the Roman foot was more familiar, who deſcribe the ſtadium in uſe among the Romans, uniformly aſcribe to it the meaſure of 625 feet. Yet we have no reaſon to think that the Greek and the Roman ſtadium were of different dimenſions.
The Greek foot, as deduced by Mr. Stuart, from meaſurements of different parts of the Hecatompedon at Athens, exhibits, as I have before ſhewn, as nearly as poſſible, allowing for ſmall inaccuracies in the menſuration, and perhaps for ſome in the conſtruction of the building itſelf, the proportion of 25 to 24, as compared with the Roman foot deſcribed by Mr. Greaves to be ſculptured on the marble monument of Coſſutius at Rome; which proportion coincides with the difference of the number of feet aſſigned to the ſtadium by the Greek, and that aſſigned to the ſame meaſure by the Latin or Roman writers. If Hercules was taller than other men, "aliorum procerius," as it is expreſſed by Aulus Gellius, the meaſure taken from his foot, ſuppoſing that to be in proportion with the reſt of his body, muſt exceed the uſual meaſure of length; and of courſe fewer Herculean feet than-feet of the uſual ſize would be required to make up a given length. To this
