Chap. 19.] LABYRINTHS. 339 



of his bed ; but what is much more surprising is, that a cour- 

 tesan should have been enabled, by her vocation, to amass such 

 enormous wealth. 



CHAP. 18. — THE PHAEOS. 



There is another building, too, that is highly celebrated ; 

 the tower that was built by a king of Egypt, on the island of 

 Pharos, at the entrance to the ^'^ harbour of Alexandria. The 

 cost of its erection was eight hundred talents, they say ; and, 

 not to omit the magnanimity that was shown by King Ptole- 

 maeus'^^ on this occasion, he gave permission to the architect, 

 Sostratus^^ of Cnidos, to inscribe his name upon the edifice 

 itself. The object of it is, by the light of its fires at night, 

 to give warning to ships, of the neighbouring shoals, and to 

 point out to them the entrance of the harbour. At the 

 present day, there are similar fires lighted up in numerous 

 places, Ostia and Eavenna, for example. The only danger**' 

 is, that when these fires are thus kept burning without inter- 

 mission, they may be mistaken for stars, the flames having 

 very much that appearance at a distance. This architect'is 

 the first person that built a promenade upon arches ; at Cnidos, 

 it is said. 



CHAP. 19. (13.) — LABTEINTHS. 



"We must speak also of the Labyrinths, the most stupendous 

 works, perhaps, on which mankind has expended its labours ; 

 and not for chimerical purposes, merely, as might possibly be 

 supposed. 



There is still in Egypt, in the Nome of Heracleopolites,*^ a 

 labyrinth,*^ which was the first constructed, three thousand 

 six hundred years ago, they say, by King Petesuchis or 

 Tithoes : although, according to Herodotus, the entire work 

 was the production of no less than twelve kings, the last of 



3' The greater harbour, there being two at Alexandria. 



38 Ptolemy Lagus. 



39 Supposed by Thiersch to have been the same person as the statuary 

 mentioned in B. xixiv. c. 19. 



40 A risk that is now obviated, if, indeed, there is such a risk, by the 

 use of revolving lights and coloured lights. ^^ See B. v. c. 9. 



*2 The site of this labyrinth has not been traced, but Sir G. Wilkinson 

 is inclined to think that it was at Howarah el Soghair in the Faioum. 



z 2 



