A 
of Plinies Naturall Hiftorie. 
‘may appeare bythe tokens remaining thereof. One of then thete is within the territotie under 
the jurifdiGtion of 4r/incé;two within the province that lieth to the government of Memphis, 
not farre from the Labyrinth ,whereofalfo I purpofe to {peake : there are other twaine likewife in 
the place where fometimes was the lake Mceris, which was nothing elfe but a mightie huge fort, 
-eptrenched by manshand in manner of amote or poole: but the Agyptians (among many 
»other memorable and wonderfull workes wrought by theit princes) fpeake much of thefe two 
* Pyramides, the mightie fpires and fteeples whereof (by their faying) doe arife ont of the verie 
water. As forthe other three which arefo famous throughout the world (as indeed'they are no. 
table markes to be kenned afarre off by failers, and directions for their courfe) thefe are firuat in 
the marches of Affrickeupon a craggie and barrein mountaine, betweene the cittie Memphis 
and acettaine Ifland or divifion of Nilus which (as I have {aid before) was called Delta, within 
foure miles of Nilus and fix from Memphis, where there ftandeth a village hard unto itnamed 
 Bufiris, wherein there bee certaine fellowes that ordinarily ufe to elimbe tip tothe top of them, 
Over-againft the faid Pyramides there is amonftrous rocke called Sphinx, much more admira- 
blethan the Pyramides, and forfooth the paifants that inhabit the countiey efteemed itno leflé 
‘than fome divine power and god of the fields and forrefts : within it, the opinion geeth, thatthe 
bodieof king 4mafis was intombed;& they would beare us in hand, that the rocke was brought 
thither,alland whole as itis : but furely it is a mecre crag growing naturally out of the ground; 
howbeit wrought alfo with mans hand, polifhedand verie {mooth and flipperie. The compafle 
of thisrocks head (refembling thus amontfter) taken about the front, or as it were the forehead ; 
containeth one hundred andtwo foot, thelength or heigth 143 foot; the heigth from thebellie 
to the top of the crowne in the head, arifeth to threefcore and two foot. Butot all thefe Pyrami- 
- des, the biggeft doth confift of the ftone hewed out of the Arabicke quarries sit isdaid, that in 
the building of itthere were 365000 men kept at worke twentie yeeres togither:and all three 
were in makingsthreefcore and eighteene yeeres and foure months, The writers who have made 
_ mention of thefe Pyramides,were Herodotus ,Euhemerus, Duris the Samian, Aviflagoras, Diony/i- 
wis, Artemidorus, Alexander Polyhiftor,Butorides,Antifthencs, Demetriws Demoteles,& Apion : but 
(as many as have written hereof) yeta man cannot know certainly and fay, This Pyramiswas 
built by thisking:a moft juft punifhment, thatthe name and authours of fo monftrous vanitie, 
fhould beeburied in perpetuall oblivion :but fome of thefe Hiftoriographers have reported, 
That there were athoufandand eight hundred talents Jaid out onely for radifh, garlicke, and 
onions, during the building of thefe Pyramides. The largeft of them taketh up eight acres of 
ground at the foor, foure {quare itis made, and everie face or fide thereof equall, containing 
from angleto angle eight hundred fourefcore and three foot,and at the top five and twentie: the 
fecond made likewife foure cornered, is on everie fide even, and comprehendeth from corer to 
corner feven hundred thirtie and feven foor: the thirdis leffe than the former two, but farre more 
beautifull co behold, built of Aathiopian ftones ; it carrieth atthe foot in ech face between foure 
angles, three hundred threefcore and three foot. And yet of all thefe huge monuments, there 
remaine no tokens of any houfes built, no apparence of frames and engins requifite for fuch 
monftrous buildings: a man thall find all about them farre and neare, faire {and and fmall red 
gravell, much like unto Lentill feed, fuch asisto be found inthe moft part of Affricke. Aman 
{eeing all fo cleane and even, would wonder at them how they came thither: butthe greateft dift 
ficultie mooving queftion and marveile is this, What meanes were uled to carrie fo high as well 
fuch mightie maffes of hewen {quared ftone, as the filling rubbith, and mortar that went there- 
20? for fomeare of opinion, that there were devifed mounts of faltand nitre heaped up togither 
higher andhigheras the worke arofe and was brought up; which beeing finifhed, were demoli- 
fhed,and fo wafhed away by the inundation of the river Nilus: others thinke, that there were 
bridges reared with bricks made of clay, which after the worke was brought to an end, were di- 
fixibuied abroad and emploied in building of privat houfes; for they hold, that Nilus could ne- 
ver reach thither, lying as it doth fo low under them when itis atthe higheft,forto wath away the 
heaps and mounts abovefaid. Within the greareft Pyramis thereis a pit 86 cubits deepe, & thi- 
ther ((ome thinke)the river was letin. As touching the heigth of thefe Pyramides and fuch like, 
how the meafure fhould be taken, Thales Milefizs devifed the means; namely, by taking the juft 
length of a Shadow when itismeet andeven with the bodie thatcafteth it, Thefe were the won- 
deriull Pyramitles of Zgypt,wherof the world {peaketh fo much.Butto conclude this argument, 
Ddd - ‘Thas 
* Yevodotus 
faith, they 
were 250 foot 
high above 
the water, and 
as many deep 
undes, | 
