To the aforesaid entrance thorow the open mouth of Medusa, I came by a long gallorie to a salying scale or downe going staire opening at the foot and pauement of the building vpon my right hand against one of the collaterall and side-lying mountaines, betwixt which there was out of the stone and open space cut out of tenne paces vp, into the which I ascended boldely without resistance, and being come to the beginning of the staire in the aforesaid mouth by innumerable steppes and degrees, not without great wearines and disinesse of head, by often turning about, I came to so incredible a height, that my eies would not suffer me to looke downe to the ground insomuch, that me thought that euery thing below vpon the plaine had lost his shape, and seemed vnperfect. In the opening and comming out of this circulate and turning assence many pillars of fused and molten mettall were aptly disposed and surely fixed: the inter-space betwixt euery one and other one foote, and in height halfe a pase, railed and ioyned togither aboue with a battelled coronet al along the said pillar, and of the same metall compassing about the opening of the staire, lest that any comming foorth vnawares should fall downe headlong, For the immesurable height thereof woulde cause a giddines in the head, and bring a staggering to the feete: vpon the plaine of the obeliske there was infixed a table of brasse fastened and soldered in about the height of a man, with an ancient inscription in Latine, Greeke, and Arabike, by the which I plainely vnderstoode that the same was dedicated to the Sunne, and the measure of the work wholy set downe and described, the name of the Architector noted on the obeliske in Greek letters.
ΛΙΧΑ ΣΟΛΙΒΙΚΟΣ ΛΙΟΟΔΟΜΟΣ ΩΡΘΟΣΕΝ ΜΕ.[1]
Lichas Libiicus architectus me erexit.
Lichas a Libian architector set me vp.
[v] Let vs returne and come backe to the consideration of the But and tessell or square, subiect and vphoulder of the Pyramides in the fronte and foreside whereof I beheld ingrauen a Gigantomachie and combate betwixt Giauntes, the onely enemie to vitall breath, surpassinglie well cut, with the quick motions and liuelie agilities of their large and tall bodyes, vnpossible to be rightlye described, the artificiall handling thereof, as it were enuying the woorke of nature itselfe, as if theyr eyes and feete had mooued together, and coasted from one part to an other, with an expedite passage and swift course. In such sorte seemed they vpon theyr strong and mightie horsses, some being cast downe, other stumbling and falling: many wounded and hurt, yeelding vp their desired liues: some troden downe and mischieued vnder the feete of the fierce and vnrestrained horsses. Other casting off their armour wrastling and togging one with another: some headlong with their heeles vpwarde, falling and not come to the ground from off their horsses. Other some lying vpon the earth, houlding vp their sheilds and Targets, offended with the one hand, and defended with the other. Many with their shimitaries and curtilaxes, some with long swordes two handed after the auncient Persian manner, others with diuers deadly and strange fashioned mortall weapons: some wearing habergions and helmets, with diuers deuises vpon their crests: others naked and vnarmed, leaping and rushing in among the thickest, thereby shewing theyr haughtie, inuincible, and vndaunted courages, resolute for death. Some with fearefull countenances crying out, other shewing obstinate and furious visages, although they were assured to dye, strongly abiding the proofe of their paine, and the cutting in sunder of their fatall thread, others slaine before them, with diuers vncothe and straunge warlike and deadly instruments. Shewing their strong members, their swelling muskels standing out, offering to the sight and eyes of tbe behoulder, the dutie of theyr bones, and the hollownesse in the places, where theyr strong sinewes be strayned. Their conflict and combate seemed so fearefull, bloudie, deadly, cruell, and horrible: as if Mars himselfe had beene fighting with Porphirion and Alcion who made a noyse lyke the braying of Asses.
This catagliphic imagerie, did exceed a naturall and common stature and proportion of men, carued in priuie white marble,
the ground thereof as black as iet, a perfect foile to beautifie and set forth with pale Christaline and siluer crolley, of innumerable huge bodyes, their last indeuours, their present actions, the fashion of their armor, the diuersitie of their deaths, & vncertaine & doubtful victorie. The discharge of my vndertaken discription whereof, prooueth maymed and lame, by reason that my vnderstanding is wearie, my memorie confused with varietie, and my sight dimmed with continuall gasing, that my senses will not aford me rightly, and as their dewe, fitly to manifest part, much lesse to describe at large the whole manner of their curious Lythoglyphi.
After this I became to cast with my selfe, what should mooue and cause such a pride & burning desire in any man, to fetch from far, and gather together so mightie stones with so great trauell: With what carriage, who were the conueyers and porters, with what manner of wheeles, and rowling deuises, and vpholding supporters, so great large and innumerable a sort of stones should be brought thither, and of what matter theyr cement that ioyned and held them together, was made the heygth of the Obelisk and statelinesse of the Pyramides, exceeding the imagined conceit of Dimocrates proposed to Alexander the great, about a worke to be performed vpon the hill Athos. For the strangenes of the Egiptian building might giue place to this. The famous laborinths were far inferior, Lemnos is not to be rehearsed the Theaters of old time were in comparison but warriners lodges, ney ther did the famous Nausoley come any thing neere. Which certainly maketh me absolutely perswaded, that he which wrote the seauen woonders of the world, neuer heard of this: neyther in any age hath their been seene or imagined the like, no not the sepulcher of Ninus.
Lastly I woondered what foundation and arches were able to vphold so monstrous a weight, whether the pyllars were hexagons or tetragons, and what varietie of columnes, and what number might serue, and after what sorte proportionately disposed and set. For the better vnderstanding and more perfect knowledge wherof, I conueyghed my selfe in at the open & spacious porche and enterance, within the which was an obscure and vast hollownes: which porche, together with the proud and stately buylding (things worthy of memorie) shall in some sorte be descrybed as followeth.
[v] Poliphilus, after the discription of the huge Pyramides and Obeliske, discourseth of maruelous woorkes in this Chapter, namely of a horsse of Colosof an Oliphant, but especially of a most rare and straunge Porche.[2]
Rightlye and lawfullye may I haue leaue to write, that in the whole world there was neuer such an other, so pompeous, glorious, and magnificent a peece of worke, by mans eyes seene or crediblie reported. The woonderfull excellencie and rare straungenesse whereof, as I beheld what with delight, and what with admiration, my sences were so captiuated and tyed therevnto, that no other solace or pleasure, did eyther occurre or take place in my swift flying thought.