Greaves, John: Pyramidographia: or, a Description of the pyramids in Egypt ([London], [1752])

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■------Quadro cut in fafiigia cono
Surgit, & ipfa fuas confumit Pyramisum*
bras.

636 A Defcription of
Grfaves. and m Pompoiiius Mela, is more admirable, archer (landing at the top cannot ssioot
who make the leaf ftone in this Pyramid beyond the bottom, but that the arrow
to be thirty feet. And this I can grant in will necessarily fall upon these steps. If
some, yet sorely ic cannot be admitted the Turkifh bow (which, by those sigures that
in all, unless we interpret their words, I have teen in ancient monuments, is the
that the lead stone is thirty square, or, to same with that of the Parthians, so dread-
speak more properly, thirty cubical feet ; tul to the Romans) be but as swift and
which dimension, or a much greater, Itrong as the English; as surely it is much
in the exterior ones, I can, without any more, if we consider with what incredi-
difHculty, admit. The number of these ble force some of them will pierce a plank
iieps is not mentioned by the ancients, and os six inches in thickness (I speak what I
that caused me, and two that were with have seen) •, it will not seem itrange, that
me, to be the more diligent in computing they mould carry twelvescore in length \
them, becausc by modern writers, and some which disiance is beyond the basis of this
of those too of repute, they are described Pyramid.
with much diversity and contrariety. The The same credit is to be given to those
degrees, saith ° Belionius, are about two hun- reports of the ancients, that this Pyramid^
dred and fifty; each of them single con- and the rest, cast no shadows. r Solinus
tains in height forty-five digits; at the top writesexpressy, Menfuram umhrarum egrejfs
it is two paces broad. For this I take to be nullas habent umbras. And 'Aufonius;
the meaning of what Cluftus renders thus:
A bafi autem ad cacumen ipfius fupputalionem
facientes, comperimus circiter ccl gradus,
finguli altitudinem patent v folearum calcei
ix pollicum longitudines•■> in faftigio duospasfus
kabet. Where I conceive his pasfus is in t Ammianus Marcellinus hath almost the
the same sense to be understood here above, same relation : Umbras quoaue mechanicd ra-
as not long before he explains himself in Hone confumit. Laslly, u Cajfiodorus con-
describing the bafts below, which, in his firms the same, Pyramides in Aigypto, qua-
account, is cccxxiv fafs us paululum extenfts rum in fuo ftatu fe umbra confumens, ultra
cruribus. ° Albert us Lewenstainius reckons conftruclionis ssatia nulla -parte refpicitur*
the steps to be two hundred and sixty, each All which, in the winter-season, I can in
of them a foot and a half in depth. Jo- no sort admit to be true: for, at that time,
hannes Helfricus counts them to be two I have seen them cast a shadow at noon,
hundred and thirty. p Sebaftius Serlius, And if I had not feen it, yet reason, and
upon a relation of Grimano, the satriarch the art of measuring altitudes by shadows,
of Aquileia, and afterwards cardinal, (who, and, on the contrary, of knowing the length
in his travels in Egypt, meafured these de- of shadows by altitudes, doth necesiarily
grees) computes them to be two hundred infer as much. Besides, how could Thales
and ten ; and the height of every step to Mileftus, above two thousand years since,
be equally three palms and an half. It have taken their height by shadows, ac-
would be but lost labour, to mention the cording to Pliny and Laertius, as we men-
different and repugnant relations of several tioned before, if so be these Pyramids have
others: that which, by experience, and by no shadows at all ? To reconcile the dif-
a diligent calculation, I and two others ference, we may imagine, Solinus, Aufonius,
found, is this, that the number of degrees, Marcellinus, and Casfwdorus, mean in the
from the bottom to the top, is two hundred summer-time; or, which is nearer the truth,
and seven •, though one of them, in descend- that, almost for three quarters of the year,
ing, reckoned two hundred and eight. they have no shadows : and this I grant to
Such as please, may give credit to those be true at midnight,
fabulous traditions of9 some, that a Turkish
mPyramides tricmum pedum lapiaibus exstruB&. Pomp. Mel. 1. s. c. 9: n Bel'onius, lib. 2. Obserir.
c. 42. ° Albert us Lewenstainius gradus ad cacumen numerat cclx singulos sefquipedali altitudine, Johannes
Helfricus ccxxx. Radems, in Martial, Epigr. Barbara Tyramidum pleat miracula Memphis, Sec P II numere
de pezzidalla bafasino alia fommita fono da ccx, esono turtid' una altezzatalmente che I'altez&aditutta lamaftk
i quanto la sua bafa. Sebast. Serl. lib. 3. delle Antichita.
^ Bellon. Obstrv. lib. 2. cap. 42. 8c alii. VeritiJJimus atque validijsimus sagittariusin ejus saftigio existens, atque
frgittam in a'erem emittens, tarn valide earn ejaculari non poterit, ut extra molis basim decidat, fed in ipfosgradus
cadet ; adeo vasta magnitudinis, uti diximus, est h&c moles. Bellon.
r Jul. Soiin. Polyb. c. 45-, s Auson. Edyllio 3. « Ammian. Marcel, lib. 22. B Cassiodor.
Var, 7. Formula jj.

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