DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4010#0037
WH
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^■■^■^■■■■■■■■Hi
*o
kripllon
jrREAVES.
The reason of che difference between Pliny's
w*~v"*w' observation and mine, I suppose to be this ;
that since his time k hath almost been
dammed up, and choaked with rubbish,
which I plainly discovered at the bottom, by
throwing down some combustible matter
set on fire. Leaving the' well, and going
on strait upon a level, the distance of fif-
teen feet, we entered another square pasTage,
opening against the former, and of the same
bigness. The stGnes are very masTy, and
exquisitely jointed, I know not whether of
that glistering and speckled marble I men-
tioned in the columns of the cisterns at
Alexandria. This leadeth (running in length
upon a level an hundred and ten feet) into
an arched vault, or little chamber ; which,
by reason it was of a grave-like smell, and
half-full of rubbish, occasioned my lesTer
slay. This chamber {lands east and west ,
the length of it is less than twenty feet,
the breadth about seventeen, and the height
less than fifteen. The walls are intire, and
plaistered over with lime *, the roof is co-
vered with large smooth slones, not lying
siat, but {helving, and meeting above in a
kind of arch, or rather an angle. On the
east side of this room, in the middle of rt,
there seems to have been a pasTage leading
to some other place. Whether this way the
priests went into the hollow of that huge
Jphinx, as Sirabo and *Pliny term it, or
androfphinx, as Herodotus calls such kinds,
(being by Pliny's calculation en feet in
compass about the head, in height lxii,
in length cxliii: and, by my observation,
made of one intire stone) which stands net
far distant without the Pyramid, south-
east of it, or into any other private retire-
ment, I cannot determine ; and it may be
too this served for no such purpose, but
rather as a thee a or nichio, as the Italians
speak, wherein some idol might be placed ;
or else for a piece of ornament (for it is
made of polished stone) in the architecture
ofthose times, which ours may no more
understand, than they do the reason of
the rest of those st range proportions,
that appear in the passages and inner
rooms of this Pyramid. Returning back
the same way we came, as soon as we are
out of this narrow and square pasTage, we
climb over it; and, going strait on, in the
trace of the second gallery, upon a {helv-
ing pavement (like that of the first) rising
with an angle of twenty-six degrees, we at
length came to another partition. The
length of the gallery, from the well below
to this partition above, is an hundred fifty
and four feet; but if we measure the pave-
ment of the floor, it is somewhat less, by
reason of a little vacuity some fifteen feet
in length) as we described before, between
the well and the square hole we climbed
over. And here, to reassume some part ef
that which hath been spoken, if we consider
the: narrow entrance at the mouth of the Py-
ramid, by which v/edescend *, and the length
of the firitand second galleries, by which we
ascend 5 all of them lying as ic were In the
same continued line, and leading to the mid*
die of the Pyramid ; we may easily appre-
hend a reason of that strange echo'within,
of four or five voices, mentioned by k Plu-
tarch, in his fourth hook de Placith Philofe-
phorum ; or rather of a longc-ontinued
sound •, as I found by experience, discharg-
ing a musquet at the entrance. For the
sound, being (hut in, and carried, in those
close and smooth pasfages, like as in so
many pipes or trunks, finding no issue
out, ressects upon itself, and causes a con-
fused noise and circulation of the air, which
by degrees vanishes, as the motion of ic
ceases. This gallery, or corridore, (or what-
soever else I may call it) is built of white
and polished marble, the which is very
evenly cut in spacious squares, or tables.
Of such materials as is the pavement, such
is the roof, and such are the side-walls,
that flank it: the coagmencation or knit-
ting of joints is so close, that they are
scarce discernible to the eye-, and that
which adds a grace to the whole ilructure*
tho' it makes the pasTage more ssipper/
and difsicult, is the acclivity and rising of
the ascent. The height of this gallery is
twenty-six feet, the breadth is six teet9
and eight hundred seventy parts of the foot
divided into a thousand, of which three
feet, and four hundred thirty-six of a thou-
sand parts of a soot, are to be allowed
for the way in the midst; which is set and
bounded on both sides with two banks
(like benches) of sleek and polished stone 5
each of these hath one foot seven hundred
seventeen of a thousand parts of a foot in
breadth, and as much in depth. Upon the
top of these benches near the angle, where
they close, and join with the wall, are lit-
tle spacescut in right-angled parallel figures,
set on each side opposite to one another »
intended, no question, for some other end
than ornament. In the casting and range-
ing of the marbles in both the side-walls,
there is one piece of architecture, in my
judgment, very graceful , and that is, that
all the courses, or ranges, which are but
seven (so great are those stones) do set and
flag over one another about three inches;
the bottom of the uppermost course over-
setting the higher part of the second, and
the lower part of this overflagging the top
of the third, and so in order the rest, as
1 Plin. 1.36. cap. 11. !t 'Fs ylh' rcCii Kctja AiyuTrjov r7rv£«[/.i<riv 'ivJ"w <pwn y.ia pzyrvuivt) jirjagg?
55 Kftrisli $X0Vi avzzy&'^il&i. Plut. lib, 4. cie Philos. Pac. cap. 20.
they
■
^■■^■^■■■■■■■■Hi
*o
kripllon
jrREAVES.
The reason of che difference between Pliny's
w*~v"*w' observation and mine, I suppose to be this ;
that since his time k hath almost been
dammed up, and choaked with rubbish,
which I plainly discovered at the bottom, by
throwing down some combustible matter
set on fire. Leaving the' well, and going
on strait upon a level, the distance of fif-
teen feet, we entered another square pasTage,
opening against the former, and of the same
bigness. The stGnes are very masTy, and
exquisitely jointed, I know not whether of
that glistering and speckled marble I men-
tioned in the columns of the cisterns at
Alexandria. This leadeth (running in length
upon a level an hundred and ten feet) into
an arched vault, or little chamber ; which,
by reason it was of a grave-like smell, and
half-full of rubbish, occasioned my lesTer
slay. This chamber {lands east and west ,
the length of it is less than twenty feet,
the breadth about seventeen, and the height
less than fifteen. The walls are intire, and
plaistered over with lime *, the roof is co-
vered with large smooth slones, not lying
siat, but {helving, and meeting above in a
kind of arch, or rather an angle. On the
east side of this room, in the middle of rt,
there seems to have been a pasTage leading
to some other place. Whether this way the
priests went into the hollow of that huge
Jphinx, as Sirabo and *Pliny term it, or
androfphinx, as Herodotus calls such kinds,
(being by Pliny's calculation en feet in
compass about the head, in height lxii,
in length cxliii: and, by my observation,
made of one intire stone) which stands net
far distant without the Pyramid, south-
east of it, or into any other private retire-
ment, I cannot determine ; and it may be
too this served for no such purpose, but
rather as a thee a or nichio, as the Italians
speak, wherein some idol might be placed ;
or else for a piece of ornament (for it is
made of polished stone) in the architecture
ofthose times, which ours may no more
understand, than they do the reason of
the rest of those st range proportions,
that appear in the passages and inner
rooms of this Pyramid. Returning back
the same way we came, as soon as we are
out of this narrow and square pasTage, we
climb over it; and, going strait on, in the
trace of the second gallery, upon a {helv-
ing pavement (like that of the first) rising
with an angle of twenty-six degrees, we at
length came to another partition. The
length of the gallery, from the well below
to this partition above, is an hundred fifty
and four feet; but if we measure the pave-
ment of the floor, it is somewhat less, by
reason of a little vacuity some fifteen feet
in length) as we described before, between
the well and the square hole we climbed
over. And here, to reassume some part ef
that which hath been spoken, if we consider
the: narrow entrance at the mouth of the Py-
ramid, by which v/edescend *, and the length
of the firitand second galleries, by which we
ascend 5 all of them lying as ic were In the
same continued line, and leading to the mid*
die of the Pyramid ; we may easily appre-
hend a reason of that strange echo'within,
of four or five voices, mentioned by k Plu-
tarch, in his fourth hook de Placith Philofe-
phorum ; or rather of a longc-ontinued
sound •, as I found by experience, discharg-
ing a musquet at the entrance. For the
sound, being (hut in, and carried, in those
close and smooth pasfages, like as in so
many pipes or trunks, finding no issue
out, ressects upon itself, and causes a con-
fused noise and circulation of the air, which
by degrees vanishes, as the motion of ic
ceases. This gallery, or corridore, (or what-
soever else I may call it) is built of white
and polished marble, the which is very
evenly cut in spacious squares, or tables.
Of such materials as is the pavement, such
is the roof, and such are the side-walls,
that flank it: the coagmencation or knit-
ting of joints is so close, that they are
scarce discernible to the eye-, and that
which adds a grace to the whole ilructure*
tho' it makes the pasTage more ssipper/
and difsicult, is the acclivity and rising of
the ascent. The height of this gallery is
twenty-six feet, the breadth is six teet9
and eight hundred seventy parts of the foot
divided into a thousand, of which three
feet, and four hundred thirty-six of a thou-
sand parts of a soot, are to be allowed
for the way in the midst; which is set and
bounded on both sides with two banks
(like benches) of sleek and polished stone 5
each of these hath one foot seven hundred
seventeen of a thousand parts of a foot in
breadth, and as much in depth. Upon the
top of these benches near the angle, where
they close, and join with the wall, are lit-
tle spacescut in right-angled parallel figures,
set on each side opposite to one another »
intended, no question, for some other end
than ornament. In the casting and range-
ing of the marbles in both the side-walls,
there is one piece of architecture, in my
judgment, very graceful , and that is, that
all the courses, or ranges, which are but
seven (so great are those stones) do set and
flag over one another about three inches;
the bottom of the uppermost course over-
setting the higher part of the second, and
the lower part of this overflagging the top
of the third, and so in order the rest, as
1 Plin. 1.36. cap. 11. !t 'Fs ylh' rcCii Kctja AiyuTrjov r7rv£«[/.i<riv 'ivJ"w <pwn y.ia pzyrvuivt) jirjagg?
55 Kftrisli $X0Vi avzzy&'^il&i. Plut. lib, 4. cie Philos. Pac. cap. 20.
they