Obeliscus Aegyptiacus

...scenting the tricks and machines hidden in the depths, and having been brought a little higher into its hitherto inaccessible sanctuaries, now that the Sphinx is extinguished and the proposed riddles solved, by the aspiring grace of the Divine Being (who, as He works in His own to will, to be able, and to perfect, so also without Him we can not only do no good, but cannot even think it), I might fully comprehend the arcana, rules, canons, and institutes of the entire hieroglyphic Art.

Meanwhile, with the Oedipus now published to the world, there were no lack of those who, having supplied new and ever newer monuments of Hieroglyphic literature, strove persistently that they might be explained by me with equal success, and who, with the help of coins also abundantly provided, did not cease to solicit me; among whom the Most Serene Prince and Duke of Brunswick and Lüneburg, a most learned prince, exhibited himself in a wonderful manner as a benefactor. While I was insisting upon the deciphering of these with great contention of mind, behold, the present Obelisk, having been discovered at the same time within the enclosures of the ancient Romans of Isis, provided me with a new argument for exercising my ingenuity. And just as the care of interpreting it was committed to me by the most wise Pontiff ALEXANDER VII, so also, with all other aforementioned monuments deferred to the second edition of the Oedipus, at the pressing command of the High Prince, I brought it forth from its hiding places as quickly as possible and made it a matter of public domain. This is, however, one of the number of minor Obelisks, of which, as Publius Victor bears witness, forty-four were brought by the curiosity and magnificence of the Roman Caesars for the ornament of the eternal City, which, having been explained in this present book with an accurate interpretation, I set before the judgment of the benevolent Reader.

It seemed proper to divide the book into four Sections, of which the first contains the necessary prelusions for completing the interpretation. The second exhibits the actual interpretation of the hieroglyphs with which the Obelisk is inscribed. The third Section contains the ancient wisdom of the Egyptians, which seemed to be required by a certain right for correctly understanding those things which have been set forth in the deciphering of the Obelisk; for in this, the scope and intention of the Hierophants in sacred sculptures are exhibited above all; and it can not unworthily be called a key for opening the secret recesses of hierogrammatic Literature, which, whoever has duly understood, I shall confidently assert that he cannot but grasp the intention of the ancient Mystics in so many and such great rites and ceremonies instituted concerning the worship of the divine and supreme Being and religion; and from these, it will finally be clearly evident how the worship of this kind, sincerely handed down by Trismegistus, finally, through the cunning of Satan, degenerated into open and clamorous idolatry. The fourth Section holds fragments of certain Obelisks, which still survive in Rome, either buried under earthy rubbish or seen inserted into the corners of walls; to which is added a not-to-be-neglected collection of hieroglyphic literature, which, after the last edition of the Oedipus, was transmitted to the Author from different parts of the World; and it can deservedly be called a supplement to the Oedipus. It remains that I also commemorate the names of those who contributed their work egregiously to the edition of this book. For when in first delineating the Obelisk, and composing its interpretation, and adorning it with various figures...