[Sidenote: The description of Alexandria.] The said citie of Alexandria is
an old thing decayed or ruinated, hauing bene a faire and great citie neere
two miles in length, being all vauted vnderneath for prouision of fresh
water, which water commeth thither but once euery yeere, out of one of the
foure riuers of paradise (as it is termed) called Nilus, which in September
floweth neere eighteene foote vpright higher then his accustomed manner,
and so the banke being cut, as it were a sluce, about thirty miles from
Alexandria, at a towne called Rossetto, it doth so come to the saide Citie,
with such aboundance, that barkes of twelue tunne doe come vpon the said
water, which water doth fill all the vaults, cesternes, and wels in the
said Citie, with very good water, and doth so continue good, till the next
yeere following: for they haue there very litle raine or none at all, yet
have they exceeding great dewes. Also they haue very good corne, and very
plentifull; all the Countrey is very hot, especially in the moneths of
August, September, and October. Also within the saide Citie there is a
pillar of Marble, called by the Turkes, King Pharaoes needle, and it is
foure square, euery square is twelue foote, and it is in height 90 foote.
Also there is without the wals of the said Citie, about twentie score
paces, another marble pillar, being round, called Pompey his pillar: this
pillar standeth vpon a great square stone, euery square is fifteene foote,
and the same stone is fifteene foote high, and the compasse of the pillar
is 37 foote, and the height of it is 101 feete, which is a wonder to thinke
how euer it was possible to set the said pillar vpon the said square stone.
The port of the said Citie is strongly fortified with two strong Castles,
and one other Castle within the citie, being all very well planted with
munition: [Sidenote: Cayro.] and there is to the Eastward of this Citie,
about three dayes iourney the citie of Grand Cayro, otherwise called
Memphis: it hath in it by report of the registers bookes which we did see,
to the number of 2400 Churches, and is wonderfully populous, and is one
dayes iourney about the wals, which was iourneyed by one of our Mariners
for triall thereof. Also neere to the saide citie there is a place called
the Pyramides, being as I may well terme it, one of the nine wonders of the
world: that is, seuen seuerall places of flint and marble stone, foure
square, the wals thereof are seuen yards