too, makes a reference to the Egyptian Labyrinth, which proves, at least, his conviction that it was worthy of the fame universally received concerning it, as also that it was the pattern of all the similar works which had been attempted in different parts of Europe.

But it must not be concealed that the curiosity of the moderns, who have employed themselves in searching for the remains of this superb structure, has been very generally disappointed; and, of consequence, that there is a great difference of opinion among them as to its local position. Larcher and Gibert, after a long investigation of the subject, have determined the situation of the Labyrinth to have been at Senures; while Pococke, Banier, and Savary follow the ancient historians in placing it beyond Arsinoë, in the direction of the Libyan Desert, and on the shore of Lake Moris. Amid the ruins of Karoun, accordingly, the attention of certain French travellers was particularly fixed by the appearance of several narrow, low, and very long cells, which, it was thought, could have had no other use than that of containing the sacred crocodiles; and these have, therefore, been imagined to correspond with the remains of the great building in question. But this supposition is not confirmed by the more diligent researches of Belzoni. Speaking of the place, he says, "I observed several pieces of white marble and granite, which has given me reason to think that there must have been some building of considerable importance in this place, for they must have had more trouble to convey it hither than to any part of Egypt, in consequence of the distance. But whatever remains of beauty might be seen in this town, it does not appear that this was the site of the famous Labyrinth, nor any thing like it; for, according to Herodotus and Pliny, there is not the smallest appearance which can warrant the supposition that any such edifice was here. The Labyrinth was a structure of three thousand chambers, one-half above and one-half below. The construction of such an immense building, and the enormous quantity of materials which must have been accumulated, would have yet left specimens enough to have shown where it had been erected, but not the smallest trace of any such thing is any where to be seen. The town was about a mile in circumference,

with the temple in its centre, so that I could not see how the Labyrinth could be placed in this situation."*

He is more inclined to adopt an opinion, founded on the narrative of the Roman naturalist, that this sumptuous monument of ancient taste must have stood in the neighbourhood of Terza, at the west end of the Lake Maris. He there observed several blocks of white stone and red granite, which evidently must have been taken from edifices of great magnitude. Reflecting on the description of Pliny, who places the Labyrinth in that very situation, he made the most diligent search among the remains of antiquity, to ascertain whether the marble fragments bore any evidence of the exquisite workmanship ascribed to the famed structure of Psammeticus. He admits that he saw not the smallest appearance of an edifice either on the ground or under it, but, at the same time, he beheld through all that part of the country a "great number of stones and columns of beautiful colours, of white marble and of granite." These materials of a splendid architecture he observed scattered about for the space of several miles, some on the road, and some in the houses of the Arabs, and others put to various uses in the erection of huts. It was not, therefore, without very plausible reasons that he arrived at the conclusion already stated; and we are satisfied that most of his readers will concur with him in the opinion that, by tracing those interesting ruins to their source, the site of the Labyrinth might yet be discovered. It is true, that having been but little elevated above the ground, the building may be already buried to a great depth under the mass of soil and sand which is constantly accumulating in all parts of the valley.t

Nothing is more certain than that the level of the lake, as well as of the adjoining land, must have been raised considerably since the first era of historical records. Belzoni himself observed, in one part of Moris, pillars and ruins of ancient buildings now nearly under water; and it is well known that the present rulers of Egypt have more than once found it necessary to erect new dikes upon the ancient mounds, to obviate the effects of an excessive inundation. Denon, too, remarks that at the mouth of this † Ibid. vol. ii. p. 161–165.

* Belzoni, vol. ii. p. 156.

H

valley the remains of villages overwhelmed by the sand may be every where discovered; adding, that nothing is so melancholy to the feelings as to march over these ruins, to tread under foot the roofs of houses and the tops of minarets, and to think that these were once cultivated fields, flourishing gardens, and the habitations of man. Every thing living has disappeared, silence is within and around every wall, and the deserted villages are like the dead, whose skeletons strike with terror.*

When these circumstances are considered, it will be allowed, both that there is good evidence for the existence of an ancient building of great magnificence on the shores of Lake Maris, and also that the changes to which the neighbouring soil is constantly subjected render the discovery of the Labyrinth, more especially the subterraneous chambers, an undertaking of the utmost uncertainty. From what still remains under our eyes, we are justified in believing almost every thing of Egyptian grandeur, when the object of the architect was to do honour to the gods, or to preserve the memory of a beneficent king.

Of the wonderful people, indeed, who inhabit the banks of the Nile, there is nothing more remarkable than that their greatest efforts were made at a time when, in regard to religious faith, they were in the grossest ignorance and darkness, and that, when light sprang up around them, their power, their taste, or their zeal seemed to decay,-yielding to the domination of barbarian tribes, who were indebted to them for all their knowledge, as well as for their superstition. Persia added nothing to the arts or architectural improvement of Egypt; the Greeks presumed not to rival their masters in the construction of temples, pyramids, and labyrinths; and the propagation of the true religion, under the Roman emperors, put an end to the lofty imaginations which the subjects of the Pharaohs were wont to realize in their national structures. Christianity, which blesses every land where it is cordially received, contributed most of all to the extinction of that spirit which had impelled the Egyptians to undertake and carry into effect designs so vast and imperishable as those which still call forth the astonishment of the traveller. The days of their mythology

* Denon, vol. ii. p. 218.

were those of their proudest glories, and, we may add, of their greatest happiness and freedom. The blind belief in the divine origin of their monarchs, as also the inspiring dogma that the soul was to return to its ancient tenement in the flesh, encouraged them to erect monuments which might resist the pressure of ten thousand years, and carry the fame of their authors to the very threshold of eternity. But when the exercise of their primitive superstition was no longer allowed, and another faith was introduced in its place, the temples were gradually abandoned, and the spirit of the Egyptians, unsubdued by the severest political oppression, yielded at length to a more prevailing power, which directed their hopes and fears to the contemplation of loftier and more spiritual objects.*

But whatever doubt may exist in respect to the situation and remains of the Labyrinth, there can be none relative to the next great object of Egyptian art which we are about to introduce to the reader. The Pyramids, during several thousand years, have attracted the curiosity of the traveller, and given rise to much learned disquisition; while so great is their magnitude, and so durable the material of which they are constructed, that they present to the moderns the same subject of study which was contemplated by Herodotus, Eratosthenes, Diodorus, and Strabo. Pursuing the plan we have hitherto followed, we shall first extract from the oldest Greek historian the tradition which prevailed in his days, and then draw from other sources the most probable account of the origin, the date, the intention, and the actual appearance of those famous buildings.

Herodotus, it is well known, ascribes the largest of the Pyramids to Cheops, a tyrannical and profligate sovereign. "He barred the avenues to every temple, and forbade the Egyptians to offer sacrifice to the gods; after which, he compelled the people at large to perform the work of slaves. Some he condemned to hew stones out of the Arabian mountains, and drag them to the banks of the Nile; others were stationed to receive the same in vessels, and transport them to the edge of the Libyan Desert. In this service a hundred thousand men were employed, who were relieved every three months. Ten years were spent in the hard

* Webster, vol. ii. p. 221.

labour of forming the road on which these stones were to be drawn-a work, in my estimation, of no less difficulty and fatigue than the erection of the Pyramid itself. This causeway is five stadia in length, forty cubits wide, and its greatest height thirty-two cubits; the whole being composed of polished marble, adorned with the figures of animals. Ten years, as I have observed, were consumed in forming this pavement, in preparing the hill on which the Pyramids are raised, and in excavating chambers under the ground. The burial-place which he intended for himself he contrived to insulate within the building, by introducing the waters of the Nile. The Pyramid itself was a work of twenty years; it is of a square form, every side being eight plethra in length, and as many in height. The stones are very skilfully cemented, and none of them of less dimensions than thirty feet.*

"The ascent of the Pyramid was regularly graduated by what some call steps, and others altars. Having finished the first tier, they elevated the stones to the second by the aid of machines constructed of short pieces of wood; from the second, by a similar engine, they were raised to the third; and so on to the summit. Thus there were as many machines as there were courses in the structure of the Pyramid, though there might have been only one, which, being easily manageable, could be raised from one layer to the next in succession; both modes were mentioned to me, and I know not which of them deserves most credit. The sum

mit of the Pyramid was first finished and coated, and the process was continued downward till the whole was completed. Upon the exterior were recorded, in Egyptian characters, the various sums expended in the progress of the work, for the radishes, onions, and garlic consumed by the artificers. This, as I well remember, my interpreter

*We have departed from the common translation of this passage, which, it must be acknowledged, is shrouded in some degree of obscurity. In Beloe's version, and even in Larcher's, to which he appears to have been much indebted, the reader is led to conclude that the object of the architect, in forming leads or canals from the Nile, was to surround the Pyramids themselves with water; whereas it appears that the real intention was to place in an island, or, in other words, to enclose with the sacred stream the repository of the royal corpse in the interior of the building-τας ἐποιέετο θηκας έωυτῳ ἐν νησῳ, διωρυκα τοῦ Νειλοῦ Loayaywy.-Euter. 124.