a.d. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1586. 



neere eighteene foote upright higher then his accustomed 

 manner, and so the banke being cut, as it were a sluce, 

 about thirty miles from Alexandria, at a towne called 

 Rossetto, it doth so come to the saide Citie, with such 

 aboundance, that barkes of twelve tunne doe come upon 

 the same water, which water doth fill all the vauts, 

 cesternes, and wels in the said Citie, with very good 

 water, and doth so continue good, till the next yeere 

 following : for they have there very litle raine or none 

 at all, yet have they exceeding great dewes. Also they 

 have very good corne, and very plentifull : all the 

 Countrey is very hot, especially in the moneths of 

 August, September, and October. Also within the saide 

 Citie there is a pillar of Marble, called by the Turkes, 

 King Pharaoes needle, & it is foure square, every square 

 is twelve foote, and it is in height 90 foote. Also there 

 is without the wals of the said Citie, about twentie score 

 paces, another marble pillar, being round, called Pompey 

 his pillar : this pillar standeth upon a great square stone, 

 every square is fifteene foote, and the same stone is 

 fifteene foote high, and the compasse of the pillar is 37 

 foote, and the heigth of it is 10 1 feete, which is a wonder 

 to thinke how ever it was possible to set the said pillar 

 upon the said square stone. The port of the said Citie 

 is strongly fortified with two strong Castles, and one 

 other Castle within the citie, being all very well planted 

 with munition : and there is to the Eastward of this 

 Cayro. Citie, about three dayes journey the citie of Grand Cayro, 

 otherwise called Memphis : it hath in it by report of the 

 registers bookes which we did see, to the number of 2400 

 Churches, and is wonderfully populous, and is one dayes 

 journey about the wals, which was journeyed by one of 

 our Marriners for triall thereof. Also neere to the saide 

 citie there is a place called the Pyramides, being, as I may 

 well terme it, one of the nine wonders of the world : 

 that is, seven severall places of flint and marble stone, 

 foure square, the wals thereof are seven yards thicke in 

 those places that we did see : the squarenes is in length 



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