The Garden of Balsamo.As for their Balsamo, the Garden wherein it groweth, lyeth neere to the South-side of Cayre, and inclosed with a high Wall, being sixe miles in compasse, and daily guarded by Turkes. To which when I came, being Conducted with a Janizary, they would not suffer me to enter, neyther any Christian, & far lesse the Jewes: For not long ago, they were the cause, that almost this Balme was brought to confusion; they having the custody of it for certayne yeares.
The Tree it selfe is but of three foote height, which keepeth evermore the colour greene, having a broad three poynted leafe, which being thrice in the yeare incised in the body and branches; it yeeldeth a red Water that droppeth downe in earthen Vessels, which is the naturall Balsamo.
And not far from this Garden, in a sandy Desart, is the place called Mommeis, which are innumerable Caves cut foorth of a Rocke, whereunto the Corpes of the most men in Cayro, are carried and interred. Which dead bodies remayne alwayes unputrified, neyther yeeld they a stinking smell: Whereof experiments are plentiful at this day, by the whole Bodies, Hands, or other parts, which by Merchants are now brought from thence, and [VII. 311.]doth make the Mummia which Apothecaries use: The colour being very blacke, and the flesh clung unto the bones.
Now having viewed, and review’d this Microcosmus of the greater World, the foure French Pilgrimes and I, did The pyramides of Egypt.hire a Janizary to conduct us to the great Pyramides, surnamed the Worlds wonders; which are distant from Cayre about foure Leagues, standing beside or neare to the bankes of Nylus: Where, when come, I beheld their proportion to bee Quadrangled, growing smaller and smaller to the toppe, and builded with huge and large stones, the most part whereof, are five foote broade, or there abouts, and nine in length, beeing of pure Marble.
All the Historians that ever wrot of these Wonders, have not so amply Recited their admirable greatnesse, as the experience of the Beholder, may testifie their excessive greatnesse and height. The first and East-most we approached unto, is highest, and by our Dragomans skilfull Report, amounted to eleven hundred and twenty sixe foote. The Basis, or bottome whereof, being twelve hundred paces in Circuite, allowing every square of the foure faces three hundred paces, and every pace two foote and a halfe. Every Pyramide, having outwardly to ascend upon (though now for the most part demolished) three hundred foure score and nine steps or degrees; each degree being three foote high, and two foote and a halfe broad. By which computation, they amount in height to the afore-sayde Relation, allowing to every foote, twelve inches. At last having ascended upon the South side of this greatest Pyramide to the top, and that with great difficulty, because of the broken degrees here and there: [VII. 312.]I was much ravished, to see such a large foure squared plat-forme, all of one intyre stone, which covered the head; each square extending to seaventeene foote of my measure.
It is yet a great marvaile to me, by what Engine, they could bring it up so safe to such a hight: But as I conceive it, they behoved certaynely still to rayse it, and take it with them, as they advanced the Worke, otherwise the Wit nor power of man, could never have done it. Truely the more I beheld this strange Worke, the more I was stricken in admiration: For before wee ascended, or came neare to this Pyramide, the toppe of it seemed as sharpe as a poynted Dyamond; but when we were mounted thereon, we found it so large, that in my opinion, it would have contayned a hundred men.
The greatest piramide of the three.In the bottome whereof we found a great Cell, and within that through a straight and narrow passage, a foure angled Roome; wherein there was standing the Relickes of a huge and auncient Toombe, where belike hee that was the first Founder of this Pyramide was inclosed. From the top of this Pyramide, our Jannizary did shoote an Arrow in the ayre with all his force, thinking thereby it should have fallen to the ground; but as we discended downe-wards, we found the Arrow lying uppon the steps, scarse halfe way to the ground: From this, wee came to the middle Pyramide, which a far off looked somewhat higher then the other two, but when we came to the roote thereof, wee found it not so, for the stone-worke is a great deale lower, but the advancement of the height, is onely because of a high ground whereon it standeth.
It is of the same fashion of the first, but hath no degrees to ascend upon, neyther hath the third Pyramide any at [VII. 313.]all; being by antiquity of time, all worne and demolished, yet an admirable worke, to behold such Masses, and (as it were) erected Mountaines all of fine Marble. The reason why they were first founded, is by many ancient Authors so diversly conjectured, that I will not meddle therewith. They were first called Pharaones.
Yet the first and greatest is said to have beene builded by Cheops, who in this worke imployed 100000. men, The charges of the greatest pyramide.the space of twenty yeares: In which time, the charges of Garlick, Rootes, and Onions onely, came to 1600. talents of silver; the Basis whereof in circuit, was sixty Acres of ground. It is recorded by Josephus, and conjectured by many good witnesses, that the Bricks which the Children of Israel were inforced to make, were partly imployed about the insides of these Piramides, whose outsides were adorned with Marble; neither can I forget the drift of that effeminate Cheops, who in end wanting money did prostitute his daughter to all commers, by which detestable meanes he finished his building, and shee besides the money due unto her unnaturall Father, desired for her selfe of every man that had the use of her body one stone, of whom she got so many, that with them she builded the second Piramide, almost equall to the first. Besides these three huge ones, there are a number of smaller, whereof some were transported to Rome in the time of her supreame domination.
Betweene the biggest Pyramide, and Nylus, I saw a Colosse, or head of an Idoll, of a wonderfull greatnesse; being all of one Marble stone, erected on a round Rock: It is of height (not reckoning the Columne) above 815. foote, and of circuite, 68. Pliny gave it the name Sphingo, and reported much more of the bignesse, largenesse, and length of it: but howsoever he erred in his description, yet I resolve my selfe, it is of so great a [VII. 314.]quantity, that the like thereof (being one intire peece) the world affoordeth not, and may be reckoned amongst the rarest wonders: Some say, that aunciently it was an Oracle, the which so soone as the Sunne set, would give an answere to the Egyptians, of any thing by them demanded.