156 
Travels into the Levant. Part I. 
then agreed with the Mafter of the Mummies^ that for eight Ptûflres ht wouîd 
Mummie-Vits. open me a Pit, that had never been opened before, and paid him down the 
Money, for otherwife they would not work ; he with two Moors, fell to the 
Bufinefs. Whiiil they were at work, we went to fee the Pyramide, I men- 
tioned before, which would be nothing fliort of the beauty of the firll, if it 
had been finiOied. We went up to the top before we entred it, as we did at 
the former ; it has an Hundred and forty eight fteps, of large Stones like the 
other, the Platform of it is not even, the Stones being put together without 
order, which makes it eafily appear that it hath not been finilhed, and yet 
it is much older than the other ^ as is evident by the Stones which are all worn 
out, and crumbled into Sand. It is Six hundred forty three Foot fquare, 
and hath its entry at the fourth part of its height , looking towards the 
North as the former -, ît hath on the Eaft-fide Three hundred and fixteen 
Foot, and by confequence, Three hundred twenty feven to the Weft. There 
is but one fingle palfage into it, three Foot and a half broad, and four Foot 
high, which reaching Two hundred fixty feven Foot downwards, ends in a 
Hall with a fteep Pxidged Roof, Five and twenty Foot and a half in length, 
and eleven in breadth ; in the corner of the Hall, there is another Paffage or 
Gallery, parallel to the Horizon, three Foot fquare within, and nine Foot and 
a half long, which leads to another Chamber, that is One and twenty Foot 
in length, and eleven in breadth, with a very high Ridged Roof alfo, having 
at the Weft-end a fquare Window, Twenty four Foot and two thirds raifed 
from the Floor, by which one ersters into a palfage indifferent broad, and of 
a Mans height, Parallel to the Horizon, and reaching in length thirteen Foot 
and two Inches : There is a great Room, or Hall, at the end of this paifage, 
with a Ridged Roof, containing in length Twenty fix Foot eight Inches, and 
in breadth Twenty four Foot and one Inch •, the Floor of it is the natural Rock, 
which on all fides is rough and unequal, leaving only a little fmooth and even 
fpace in the middle, encompafled round with the Rock, and much lower than 
the entry into the Room, or the foundation of the Wall. When we had 
viewed this Pyramide, we returned to the Mummies, and found them digging 
our Pit ; but they Cheated us ( as they do many others ) opening a Pit that 
had been twenty times opened before, though they fwore it was the firft time. 
Now this advantage is to be had by going down into a Pit never opened be- 
fore, that one may find Idols and other Curiofities there ; but when thefe 
Rafcals find any thing, they keep it, that they may fell it in the City to the 
Franks, and therefore never open anew Pit, but when they are alone. Thefe 
Pits are fquare, and built of a pretty good Stone, but are full of Sand, which 
A defcent in- mult be taken out. When they had removed the Sand, they let us down by 
to a.Mu'mmk- a Rope made fait about our Middle, which was held by thofe that were above, 
P^t* and the Pit was two or three Pikes length deep -, being at the bottom, vv^e 
crept through a little hole upon our Belly, becaufe they had not- cleared it 
fufficiently of the Sand, and entred into a little Room, walled and arched 
over with Stone. There we found three or four Bodies, but only one that 
was entire, the reft being broken into pieces , which eafily convinced us, 
that that Pit had been opened before. We were then for having that opened 
which was entire, but they would not, unlefs they were paid for it ; and 
therefore I gave them a Piaftre, which did not content them. But vv^hen they 
perceived that I was about to break it up in fpight of them, without giving 
An entire bo- them one Farthing more, they beat it into pieces. This was a long and large 
dy of a Mmjm- Body, in a very thick Coffin of Wood, fliut clofe on all hards-, the Timber 
was not at all Rotten, and we found it to be Sycamore- Wood, which in 
e^^jpfthey call PWo^fc's Fig- Tree, that does notrotfofoon as other Wood. 
The Coffin of Upon the Coffin, the Face of him that was within it, was cut in EmbclTed 
the Mu-mme. ^q^]^^ Some Coffins there are alfo of Stone, with the Face of the Perfon 
.tonecottins. ^-^^^-^^^ in Bofs, and Hieroglyphicks all along the length of it. There 
are two of thefe Stones in the Houfe of Morjieur Fonquet, at St. Afa'/icie, and 
I had two of them alfo, of which one was broken at u4lexardria, and the 
other I brought Home with me very whole, which weighs betwixt Seaven and 
Coffins made eight hundred weight. Some of thefe Coffins are made of feveral pieces of 
of Cloth. Cloth pafted together, which are asftrong as the Wooden ones. I have one 
of 
