Poliphilo's Strife of Love in a Dream

Let us return, then, to the vast Pyramid, beneath which lay a huge and solid Plinth, or broad stone, or square foundation, fourteen paces in height, and six stadia in its extension or length. This formed the foundation for the lowest level of the massive Pyramid. And I skillfully judged original: "ſolerteméte arbitraua" that it had not been brought here from elsewhere, but was carved out of the mountain itself by human labor into that figure and shape, and reduced to such a mass in its own place. The rest of the steps were built up from individual pieces.

This immense square did not touch the neighboring mountains of the valley, but was separated from them on each side by a gap of ten paces. On the right side, as I walked, was the aforementioned Plinth, in the center of which the snaky head of the terrifying Medusa was perfectly carved, in a raging, shouting, and snarling expression. With terrifying eyes, sunken beneath suppressed brows, a wrinkled forehead, and a wide, gaping mouth. This mouth, hollowed out with a straight passage and a vaulted ceiling, penetrated to the center—or rather, to the median perpendicular line of the highest Catillo The flat, square platform at the top of the pyramid that serves as the base for the obelisk of the wondrous Pyramid—and served as a very large entrance and passage. To this opening of the mouth, one ascended by her tangled hair, expressed with unimaginable intellectual subtlety, art, and the heavy thought of the craftsman. It was designed with such order that the steps for climbing were aptly formed leading to the open mouth. And in place of the curls original: "trece capreolate", I gazed in amazement at the vipers and twisted serpents with their lively and huge coils. Around the monstrous head, they were confusedly involving themselves with the quickest turnings. Those faces and the scaly, fighting serpents were so distinctly feigned in their workmanship that they struck me with no small horror and fear. In their eyes, very bright stones were most conveniently set, so that if I had not been certain the material was marble, I would not have dared to approach so easily.

The aforementioned path, carved into the solid rock, led to where the stairs were, with a winding passage through spiral turnings original: "amfraƈti coclei". By these, one ascended to the highest summit of the Pyramid, onto the surface of the square Catillo. Upon this, the eminent Obelisk was founded. Beyond all this noble and stupendous work, I certainly judged this to be the most excellent: that the aforementioned spiral stairs were clearly illuminated throughout. For the ingenious and most sharp architect, with great and exquisite investigation of the intellect, had skillfully made certain Clepsiphoti meati Literally "light-stealing passages" from the Greek 'klepto' (to steal) and 'phos' (light); these are shafts designed to funnel sunlight into the dark interior.. These, in view of the sun’s wandering, corresponded directly to three levels: the bottom, the middle, and the top. The lowest ones through the upper...