I :^ ./|. ' Travels into thehEv ant. Part L' 
and ftripped us ftark naked as faft as we came out. To prevent fuch a danger, 
the bell way is to leave the Janiz.ary znd fome of the company without to keep 
guard. 
Having refiefted a little on the danger which we had efcaped, we viewed the 
Second Pyra- fécond Pyramide, that is ftiut, and nothing of it to be feen but the out-fide, 
mide. jg hundred thirty one foot fquare. 
Third Pyra- The third is but little, and not very confiderable. In all probability, it 
mide. ' hath been heretofore faced with Stones like that of Vharaohh Tomb, which are 
tumbled down, as may be feen by many pieces lying about the faid Pyramide, 
fome of them being very great. Flir>y fpeaking of thefe Pyramides, fays, That 
37oooowork- that which was open, was twenty years in building, by three hundred and. 
men in build- feventy thoufand Men ^ and that one thoufand eight hundred Talents were laid 
ing the firft ^^j. ^juring that time, only in Turnips and Onions, a thing not hard to be 
K?n"y years believed by thofe who have feen thefe wonderful Strudures, wherein there arc 
fpent in the fuch prodigioufly great Stones, and raifed fo high, that they muft have had 
work; and extraordinary Engines for that purpofe ; and all men know, that the ancient 
one thoufand ^gy^tians Were great Eaters of Onions, nay, and that the Jews longed for 
Talentriî? them in the Wildernefs ; and at this hour they retain much of their Fore-fathers 
out In Tur- temper, for they are great lovers of Turnips and Pulfe. 
nips and O- Really thefe Pyramides are Wonders worthy of the ancient Kings of c^x>F> 
nions. who for magnificence in Buildings, exceeded all others of their time j and I 
believe (without difparagement to any j that no Prince in the World is able to 
raife fuch Works, afwel for the difficulty of piling up fo many huge Stones one 
over another, as for the tedioufnefs of the labour. Many think it very Itrange 
whence they could have fuch large Stones, and info great a quantity, feeing 
the Countrey all about is nothing but Sand ; but they have not minded, that 
under that Sand there are Rocks, out of which they had the Stones ; befides 
feveral neighbouring Mountains that abound in Stone j though (fome%) that 
they were brought from Saide upon the Nile. 
It is the Opinion of many,that thefe Pyramides were heretofore higher above 
ground, than they are at prefent, but that the Sand hath covered a good part 
of their Bafes^ and ic is not unlikely, feeing the North-fide is covered up fo 
to the very door, and the three other fides are not, which makes men think, 
that it blowing more violently from the North, than from any other corner % 
the wind hath driven more Sand on that fide, than other Winds hath on the 
Themaiks other fides. Before each of the three Pyramides, the marks of certain fquare 
of Buildings Buildings areftilltobe feen, which feem to have been fo many Temples ; and 
near the Py- t^çj-e is a hole at the end of the pretended Temple of the fécond Pyramide, by 
ranudes. vvhich ( feme think) there was a way down within the Temple to go to the 
Idol, which is a few fteps diftant from that hole. The ^r^^i call this Idol 
Abou elhioun. AhoH el haoun^ that is to fay, Father of the Pillar, which Pliny calls Sphynx, 
^'^y^x. faying, that the People of the Countrey believe King -(^««^/j was buried in it : 
Knig Amajis. ^ ^Qj-g they believe no fuch thing at prefent, nor fo much as know the 
î'îame of Âmafis -, and indeed, it is an erroneous belief. Others fay, that a 
pj^oilope. ' King of <^iypi' caufed this Figure to be made in memory of a certain Rhodope, 
a Corinthian \Voman, with whom he was much in love. It is faid, that this 
Sphynx, fo foon as the Sun was up, gave refponfes to any thing it was confulted 
about J and hence it is that all who go into the Pyramides, fail not to fay, 
that a Prieft conveyed himfelf into that Idol, by the Pit or Well in the Pyramide 
which we juft now defcribed. But to fhew how groundlefs an Opinion that is, 
we mult know how the Idol is made: It is the Buftof a Body, atfomefteps 
diilance from the open Pyramide, cut out of the natural Rock, from which it 
hath never been feparated, though it feem to be of five Stones pieced together 
one upon another ^ but having very attentively confidered it, we obferved, 
that that which at firft feemed to be feams or joynings of the Stones, are only 
The Figure veins in the Rock: This Buft reprefents the faceand breaftof aWoman, bnt 
oftheidol or it is prodigioufly high, being twenty fix foot in height, fifteen foot from the 
sphynx.^ r ear to the chin, and yet all the proportions exadly obferved: Now what pro- 
rt-j'/T/ix ^ lability is there to believe, that every day a man would take the pains, and 
venture the breaking of his neck, by defcending into that Pit, that being at 
the bottom, he might only have the labour of coming up again, for there is no 
paffage 
