of the monstrous head confusedly twysting together and hissing, so
liuely portrayed and set foorth, that they made me afrayde to behould
them. In their eyes were placed most shining stones, in such sort, as if
I had not beene perswaded and knowne that they were stones indeed,
I durst not haue drawne neere them.
And the aforesayde entrie cut out of the firme stone, led to the scale
and compassing passage in the center, with winding steps tending to the
highest parte of the stately Pyramides, and opening vpon the outside of
the catill or cube: vpon the which the shining obeliske was founded. And
among the rest of such notable partes that I beheld, me thought that
this deuise was woorth the noting, because the artifitious and most
cunning architect with an exquisite and perspicuous inuention, had made
to the stayres certaine loopes or small windowes, imbracing the
bountifull beames of the sunne correspondently on three parts, the
lower, the middle, and supreame: The lower taking light from the higher,
and the higher from the catabasse or lower with their opposite
reflexions shewing a maruellous faire light, they were so fitly disposed
by the calculate rule of the artificious Mathematrician, to the
Orientall Meridionall and Occidentall partes of the ayre, that euery
houre of the day the sunne shined in, and gaue light to the whole scale,
the same loopes or windolets in diuerse places symmetrially and
definitely dispersed and set.
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, raile
|