of Plinies Naturall Hiftorie. 
~ Q& Of three Obeliskes. The firft,of Thebes in high Beypt : thefecond of great Alexan- 
driain Higypt: andthe third,which tanderh at Rome inthe large 
| 3 RES Eirgue or fhew-plites 2) © 2: ate 
ie 
Tis faid,that Ramifes abovenamed, kept twentie thoufand men atworke about this Obeliske: - 
The king himfelfe in perfon when it fhould be reated on end, fearing leaft the engines deviled 
for to raife it,and haldthe headtheref betweene heaven andearth, inthe searing thould faile 
and not be able to bearethat monttrous weight; becaufe hee would lay che heavier charge upoa 
? the artificers that were about this enterprife, upon their uttermatt perill, caufed his owne fonnie 
tobee bound unto thetop thereof, imaginingalfo,chat the care of the enginers. who undertooke » 
the weighing up of this Obeliske;over the young prince, forfeare.of hurting himswould induce 
thei alfo to bee more: heedfall ro prelerve the ftone. Certes, this Obeliske was.a peece of worke 
‘foadmirable, that when king Cumiby/eshad woon the citie where it ftood, by affaule, and put all 
within ro fire and {word, having burnt all before him, as farre as tothe very foundation and un- 
derpinning of the Obeliske,commaunded expreffely to quench the firezand fo ina king of re- 
vereacé yet unto a maffe and pile of {tone, {pared it,who had no regard at all of the citie. befides, 
Ocher Obeliskes there bee,twaine; the one erected by king Swearres the other by Ervaphivs.both 
without characters, and the fame are eight and fortie cubites in height apeece. At Alexandria, 
king Ptolo meus fucnamed Philade/phus,jct up another Obeliske eightie cubites long the which, 
king Neéfabis before him had caufedto be hewed out of the quaitie,plaine without any work:but 
much mnoredifficultie there was in carying it fiom the quarric,andfecting itupright, thanthere 
_ had been ea; inthe hewing.Some write, That Sa/yrus,a great architect or engrater,conveied 
it co Alexandtia by the meanes of flacbottomes orfleads. But Calccaus { aith, Lhat one Phenix 
did the deed who cauled a trench to be curfrom the river Nilus,& to be caried (with wate: )as far 
as to the place where the Obeliske lay along : then hee devifed two broad barges, prepared and 
well fraught wich {mall {quares of thefame ttone,a foot every way, to the double poife or weigise 
of the Obcliske it {elfe wa proportion; by reafon whereof, the velfels having their full load, anghe 
come uider che Ooeliske jait as it lay hollow overthwart the breadth of the fofle with either ead 
reftiag apon the bankes: which done, hee began to difcharge the veffels uadereath,& to throw 
out the {tones wherewith they were laden, by «ncanes whereof,as they were lightened, they arofe 
up higher and higher to the very Oseliske,and received the charge ordained tor them, Hee wit-. 
teth moreover, [hatthere were {1x others like to it hewed out of the fame mounraine,& the work- 
man who cut and {quaredthen,had fi‘tie calents for a reward. Buc the forefaid Obeliske was afters 
watds by the abovenamedking, erected inthe haven of Arfinoé, tn teftimonie of love to 4zfi- 
zo, his wife and filter borh, Buc for chat it did hurtto the thip-docke there,one Maximw,a g0- 
vernoarof Azypt under the Romanes,removed it from thence into the market place of the faid 
citie, cutting off the top of it,intending to put a finial] thereupon guilded,which afterwards was 
foreletand torgottea. Two Obdeliskes more there were in the haven of Alexandria,neareto the 
temple of Cz/s7,which were hewed. our of therocke by Me/phees, king of egypt, and thofe were 
two and fortie cubits in height. But above all other difficulties, it paffeth what adoe there wasto 
tranfport them by fea toRome : and verely.the (hips provided o; purpofe therefore, werepaffing 
faire and wonderfull to fee unto. As for one of thefaid (hips which brought the former Obeliske, 
Aug tus Cafar the Emperour of famous memorie, had dedicared it unto tie harbour or haven 
at Puteoli,there to remaine for ever as a miracle to behold,bur it fortuned to bee confumed with 
fice :the other, wherein C. Cafer bad tran{ported the fecond Obeliske into the river,after it had 
been kept fafe for certain yearcs together to be feene (for that ic was the moft admirable Carrick 
thatever had been knownetoflote upon the fea) Claxd:as Cafar lace Emperour ofRome,caufed 
it to be brought ro Oftia where, for the fafetie and fecuritie of the haven,he funke it, and therup- 
onasa {ure foundation,hee railed certaine piles or baftions, like turrets or skonces,with the fand 
of Puteoli ; which being done,a new cate and trouble there was to bring the Obeliske upthe river 
Tiberisto Rome:WVhich being effected it appeared well by thacexpernment,that upon the river 
Tibérisa veffell draweth as much water full,as Nilus.As touching the faid Obeliske which Augie 
fis Cafar \axe Emperour erected in the great fhew place or cirque at Rome, it was firft cut off the 
rocke 
*@ e 
