This huge beast stood streight vpon all foure, of an exquisite woorkmanship vpon the plaine leuell, and vpper part of the base, hewen and cunningly fashioned, beeing of _Porphyr_ stone. With two large and long teeth, of puer white stone, and cleare appact, and fastned. And to the fore gyrth on eyther side was buckled a riche and gorgeous poiterell, beautified with diuers ornaments and varietie of Iewels, the subiect whereof was of the same substance of the saddle: vppon the middest whereof was grauen in Latine _Cerebrum est in capite_. And in like manner brought about the out sides of his neck to the foretop of his large and big head, it was there fastned together with an artificiall knot: from the which a curious ornament and verie notable, of Gouldsmithes worke, hung downe, ouer spredding his spacious face: the same ornament being twise so long as broade, bordered about, in the table whereof I beheld certaine letters, _Ionic_ and _Arabic_, in this sorte.
[Illustration: +PONOS / KAI / EUPHUIA+ [Arabic: ....] ]
His deuouring trunke rested not vpon the leuel of the base, but some deale hanging downe, turned vppe againe towardes his face. His rigged large ears like a Fox-hounde flappingly pendent, whose vast stature was little lesse, then a verye naturall Olyphant. And in the about compasse, and long sides of the base, were ingrauen certaine _Hierogliphs_, or Egiptian caracters. Being decently and orderlye pullished, with a requisite rebatement, _Lataster gule thore orbicle, Astragals_ or _Neptrules_, with a turned down _Syme_ at the foote of the base, and turned vp aloft with writhin trachils and denticles, agreeable and fit to the due proportion of so large a substance, in length 12. paces, in breadth fiue, and in heigth three, the superficiall and outward part, whereof was hewen in forme of a hemicycle.
In the hynder parte of which base and stone, wherevpon this mightie beast did stande, I founde an assending place of seauen steps, to mount vp to the plaine superficies of the base wherevpon the _O_lyphant did stand. And in the reserued quadrangle perpendicularly streight vnder the aforesaid brasen saddle, there was cut out and made a little doore and hollowed entrance, a woonderfull woorke in so hard a substance, with certaine steppes of brasse, in manner of stayres, by the which a conuenient going vp into the body of the Olephant was offered me.
[Illustration]
At the sight whereof I extreamely desired to see the whole deuise & so going in, I assended vp to the heigth of the base wherevppon the cauernate, hollow, vast, large and predigious monster did stand, except that same part of the Obelisk, which was conteyned within the voyde body of the beast, and so passing to the base. Leauing towards both sides of the Olyphant so much space as might serue for any man to passe, eyther towarde the head or hynder haunches.
And within from the bending downe of the chine or backe of the beast, there hunge by chaynes of copper an euerlasting lampe and incalcerate light, thorough the which in this hinder parte I sawe an auncient sepulcher of the same stone, with the perfect shape of a man naked, of all natural parts. Hauing vpon his head a crowne of black stone as iet: his teeth eyes and nayles siluered and standing vpon a sepulcher couered like an arke, of scale woorke, and other exquisite lyneaments, poynting with a goulden scepter, and holding forward his arme to giue direction to the former part.
On his left side he held a shield in fashion like to the keele of a ship, or the bone of a horse head, wherevppon was inscript in Hebrew, Attic, and Latine letters, this sentence that is placed on the other side with the figure.
[Illustration:
#Im lo ki habehema kista et besari ani hayiti erom chapes vetimtza hanicheni#
+GUMNOS E:N. EI ME: AN THE:RI- ON EMEKALUPSEN. ZE:TEI. HEU- RE:SE:DE. EASON ME.+
NVDVSESSEM, BES- TIA NIME TEXIS- SET, QVAERE, ET INVE NIES. MESI- NITO.]
At which vncoth and straunge sight I stood not a little amased and somewhat doubtfull what to imagine, turning my eyes to the contrarie part, I sawe in like sorte an other, as before burning light, and passing thorough betwixt the side of the beast, and the therein inclosed part of the Obelisk, I came towards the forepart of the Olyphant, where in like manner I found such an other fashioned sepulcher as the former, with a stature or image standing therevpon as the other, sauing that it was a Queene, who lyfting vp hir right arme with hir formost finger, poynted towards that part behinde hir shoulders, and with the other shee helde a little table fast in hir hand, in which was written in three languages this epygram.
[Illustration:
#Heye me shetihiye kach min ha'otzar ze ka'avat nafshecha aval azhir otcha haser harosh ve'al tiga begufo#
+HOSTIS EI. ALBEEK TOU DE TOU THE:SAUROU, OSNON ANA RESKOI. PARAINO: DE HO:S LABE:IS TE:N KEPHALE:N, ME: HAPTOU EO:MATOS.+
QVISQVIS ES, QVANTVNCVN- QUE LIBVERIT HVIVS THESAVRI SVME AD MONEO. AVFER CAPVT, CORPVS NE TAN- GITO.]
This noueltie worthie to be manifested, and secret riddle often to be read ouer, was not knowen to me, so as I rested doubtfull what the interpretation of this sophisme should signify, not daring to trie the conclusion. But stricken with feare in this dark vnlightsome place, notwithstanding the dimme burning lampe, I was more desirous to beholde and peruse that triumphant porch and gate as more lawfull to remaine there than other-where. Whereupon without more adoe, I determined to leaue this place vntill another time, that I might more quietly at lesure looke vpon the same, and to prepare my selfe to beholde the woonderfull worke of the gate: and thus descending downe I issued foorth of the vnbowelled monster, an inuention past imagination, and an excessiue labour and bolde attempt to euacuate such a hard substance ouer that other stones be, the workemanship within as curious as that without. Lastly, returned cleane downe, I beheld in the Porphire laste along the sides notably insculpt and grauen these hierogliphies.
First, the horned scalpe of an oxe, with two tooles of husbandry fastned to the hornes.
An altar standing vpon goates feete, with a burning fire aloft, on the foreside whereof there was also an eie, and a vulture.
After that a bason and an ewre.
A spindle ful of twind, an old vessel fashioned with the mouth stopped and tied fast.
A sole and an eye in the bale thereof and two branches trauersed one of Oliue, an other of Palme tree.
An Anchor and a Goose.
An olde lampe, and a hand holding of it.
An ore of ancient forme with a fruitefull Oliue branch fastned to the handle.
Two grapling yrons or hookes.
A Dolphin and an Arke close shut.
These hierogliphies were passing well cut on this manner.
[Illustration]
Which ancient maner of writing, as I take it, is thus to be vnderstoode.
_Ex labore Deo natur[ae] sacrifica liberaliter paulatim reduces animum Deo subiectum. Firmam custodiam vit[ae] tu[ae], misericorditer gubernando tenebit, incolumemque seruabit._
Letting passe this most excellent rare, strange, and secret deuise and worke: _L_et vs returne againe to the prodigious horse, whose head was leane and little, of a small proportion and yet fitting the body, which seemed continually staring, fieerce and impatient, the flesh in his muscles trembling and quaking, in such sort as that hee seemed rather aliue than a fained imitation, with this Greeke worde in his face +GENEA+. There were also other great peeces and fragments of diuers and sundry lineaments among the broken and decayed ruines, which I looked not on, still running and sliding, time giuing me onely leaue to consider and peruse these foure rare wonders, the porch or gate, the horse, the Colose, and the Elephant.
Oh reuerend arthists of times past, what despite hath gotten the vpper hand of your cunning that the same is buried with you, and none left for vs to inherite in this age,
At length being come to this ancient porch, a worke woorthie the looking vpon maruellously composed by exquisite rules, and by art notably beautified, with diuers and sundry sorts of cuttings, which did inflame a desire in me to vnderstand and finde out the lineaments and practise of the architect. I beganne after this maner, making a square from the two collumnes on either side in a perfect sort, in the which I tooke the due proportion of the whole porch.
A tetragon figure A. B. C. D. diuided by three lines straight, and three ouerthwart equally distant one from an other will make sixeteene quadrats, then adde to the figure halfe as much more in like proportion, diuiding the adiunct you shall finde foure and twenty squares. This figure shall serue of credycels to make the inlepturgie and briefe demonstration that followeth.
Draw then in the first fygure A. B. C. D. two diagons, make also in the same two lines, and straight downe, and the other ouerthwart, which make foure quadrats mutually intersect,
Then in the voide ouer the Isopleures make foure mediane prickes, drawing lines from one to another, and they wil make the Rhombas.