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 Colos of an Oliphant, but especially of a most rare and straunge Porche.2
But that when I applyed my sences to consider, and addressed my eyes with diligent obseruation, curiouslie to ouerlooke euerie perticular part of this sweete composed obiect, and most rare and goodly imagerie and virgin like bodyes, without cracke or flawe, with a long drawne breath, and somewhat opening my mouth, I set a deepe sighe. In so much as my amorous and sounding breathing, by reason of the thicknesse of the ayre in this solytarie and lone place, gaue an eccho, and did put me in minde of my Angelike and extreame desired Polia.
O hi me that so small or anye intermission should cause that hir louely and celestiall Idea and shape was not still imprinted in my minde, and continued a dayly companion, in whose brest my life is resolued to abide, and rest as vnder the protection of a most sure and approoued shield and safe defence.
And by this way I was brought to a place where were diuers and sundrie excellent sorts of auncient deuises and woorkemanships: first of all, I beheld a most fayre porche, past all sence to describe (for the incredible curiousnes thereof, as euer was built or deuised) and the rather for that our mother toung and vulgar speeche, may not afford apt and peculiar words, for such a piece of artificall worke.
Before this gorgeous and glorious porche, you shall vnderstand that in the open ayre there was a fowre square court of thirtie paces by his Diameter, paued with pure fine marble, poynted fowre square, wrought checkerwise of diuers fashions, and sundrie best fitting coulours: but in many places, by meanes of the ruine of the auncient walke, and olde pillers, broken in peeces and ouergrowne.
A columne consisteth of his Capitell that is the head. Astragalus that is the subiect of the capitell next the columne. Hypotrachelie the shaft of the columne. And Hypothesis, that is the foote whereon the Columne standeth, exceeding the bignes of the columne. And in the vtmost partes of the aforesaide court, to the right hand, and the left, towards the mountaines, there was two straight rowes of pillars, with a space betwixt for the interiect Areostile, as the quantities of both columnes required, the first course or order of setting the pyllars, beginning on both sides equall to the Lymbus or extreame part of the fronte of the porche, the space betwixt pyllars and pillars XV. paces. Of which collumnes or great pillars, some and the greatest parte or number were whole. With their capitels or heads, wrought with a waued shell worke, and cyllerie or draperie, their corners bearing out and inanulated or turned in like a curled locke of hayre, or the vpper head of a base Viall aboue the pinnes, which straine the stringes of the instrument to a musicall concord; with their subiect Astragals, writhing and hanging heere and there, making the capitall thrise so big as the bottom thereof of the columne, wherevpon was placed the Epistile or streight beame, the greatest part decayed, and many columnes widowed and depriued of their Capitels, buryed in ruine both Astragals and shafts of the columnes and their bases or feete.
Fast ioyning to which order or set rowes of pillars, there grew ould plaine trees, wylde Oliues, Pine apple, and pricking brambles. I coniectured that it was made for to ride horses in, to trot and gallop, the ring, to manage, carrier, and coruet in, or els some open gallerie, couered close ouer head, vnder propt with pillers, and of a large widenesse to walke drie in, and to take a temperate ayre in, not too subtile.
Aboue in this great Court paued as aforesayd, in the passage towardes the Porche, some tenne paces, I beheld a prodigious winged vaughting horse, of moulten brasse, of an exceeding bignesse, his wings fanning out. His hooues standing vpon a smooth plaine base or frame, fiue