or 



lis 



412 Phyfical and Mifcellmeons 



r^. Obelisks The Obelisks which I have mentioned at y4kxandria and 

 dria and He Liopo LIS , have been defcribed by various Authors. The 



Matta-reah tt 1 i • i 11 / 1 • . ^ ^ 



Heiiopo- titer ogtyphtcks upon the latter, (which are the fame on all 

 Sides,) are exceedingly fair and legible ; and indeed the whole 

 Pillar, is as intire and beautiful, as if it were newly finiHied. 

 But the Alexandrian Obelisk, lying nearer the Sea, and in a 

 moiiter Situation, hath fuffered very much; efpecially upon 

 that Side, which faceth the Northward : for the Planes ot'thefe 

 Pillars, no lefs than thofe of the Tjramids, feem to have been de- 

 figned to regard the four Quarters of the World. It may like- 

 wife be further obferved with Regard to this Pillar, that the 

 Height of it, which is found to be fifty {French) Foot, three 

 whereof are buried under Ground, agrees, almoft to a Nicety, 

 with the Length of one or other of the Mefphean Obelisks , that 

 were erected at this Place. Several of the Charaders upon 

 the Heliopolitan Obelisk, are filled up with a white Compoli- 

 tion, as if they had been enamelled ; which, at firlt Sight indeed, 

 engage us to imagine, that all of them, originally, w ere intend- 

 ed to be fo. But, upon a ftrider View, this appeared to have 

 been done by the Hornets, that, in the Summer Seafon, fix 

 here their Neds. 



The Copy which I took of this Pillar, is agreeable to the 

 annexed Defign ; wherein A. B. C. D. reprefents the Shaft of 

 htali obe- ^^^ Obelisk, E. the Tyramidion, F. G. H. I. the four Quarters 

 lisk. of the World, K. K. K. fo many Amulets or Tale [mans. Among 



XhQHieroglyphicks, a. is 0//m or the Sun, b.t\\Q Crux Anfata^ 

 c. the triple Branch of the Terfea, d. the upper Hemijfherey 

 e. a Quail, / the Thyrfus Tapyraceus, g. the Tantamorpha 

 Natura, h. the Disk and Beetle, k. a Famffa or Cilf ern, /. the 

 Ibk, m. the lower Hemifphere, n. the Goofe, o. the Sceptrum 

 jEgimorphum, p, the Sceptrum Arundinaceum or ^x^^'^y ^- a 

 Sceptre, with two Ferulas, denoting the Union of two Powers, 

 r. a Hydrofchema or Water Courfe, / a Rudder, t. the Situla, 

 u. the Influx of the four Elements, w. 2LXi Agatho daemon, x.2l 

 Feather, y. the Serpent, z. a Hatchet, or (9//m's Hook, 

 *. an Arm, with the Tendril of a Vine, i3. a Gate, y. an Eye, 

 ^. the Ceraftes, e. a Tyraynid. But for a particular Explica- 

 tion of thefe Charaders , the greatelt Part whereof have re- 

 ceived their very Denominations from iTirc/jer, the Reader is 

 referred to that learned Author. 



The Hiero- 

 glyphical 

 Ckara&ers 

 upon the 



I Ec alii duo funt {Obdifci) AlexandrU in portii ndCafarisiemphim, quosexcidlt A f, '/>/;,,., 

 rex qiiadragenum binum cubitorum, P//«. 1^6. cap. 9. Diodonis 



bees 



