A Mirror both for Saints and Sinners, Treatise · Chapter 108
CHAP. CVIII. The Temple of Diana described.
THe Temple of Diana at Ephesus was one of the Worlds Wonders: Two hundred, and twenty years were spent in the building of it: It was built upon a Marish to prevent hurt by earthquakes, which were very common in those parts: the first foundation was laid upon Coles, the second upon Wooll: It was four hundred and twenty five foot long, two hundred broad: There were in it one hundred and twenty seven Pillars, sixty foot in height, and thirty six of them curiously wrought, the works of so many Kings. The doores of the Temple were of Cypresse, which after four hundred years were as fresh as if they had been new made: The roof was of Cedar: The Image which superstition supposed to have come down from Jupiter was made by one Canesia: some say of Ebonie; others of the vine which had many holes made, and filled with Spikenard the moisture whereof closed up the rifts. It was enriched, and adorned with gifts beyond value. Herod.
The Hill Amara in AEthiopia described.
In Ethiopia under Prete Janny, commonly called Prester, or Presbyter John, is an hill called Amara, situated in the navill of the Ethiopian body under the Equinoctial line, adorned with all variety of fruits, wholsome air, pleasant aspect, and prospect: yea Heaven, and Earth, Nature and Industry have all been corrivals to present their riches to it. It stands in a great plain, having no other hill near it by thirty leagues, the form of it is round: the rock is cut so smooth without any unequal swelling, that to him that stands beneath, it's like an high wall: the top is overhanged with rocks, jutting forth for the space of a mile: It's above twenty leagues in the circuit, compassed with a wall on the top well wrought, that so neither man, nor beast in chase may fall down. The top is a level, onelyonly towards the South is a rising hill beautifying this plain, whence issueth a pleasant Spring which passeth thorow all that plain, and paying its tribute to every Garden that will exact it, and making a Lake at length, whence issueth a River that from thence runneth into Nilus. The way up to it is cut out of the rock not with staires, but by an easie ascent, so that one may ride up with ease, at the foot whereof is a fair Gate with a Corps du Guard: Half way up is a fair, and spacious Hall cut out of the rock with three large windowes to it, and at the top is another gate with the like Guard: The air above is wholsome, and delectable, so that they live long there without sicknesse: There are upon it thirty four Palaces standing by themselves, spacious, sumptuous, and beautifull, where the Princes of the Royall blood have their abode with their Families. There are two Temples also, the most beautifull in all Ethiopia: There are many flourishing, and fruitfull Gardens, curiously made, and plentifully furnished with European fruits, as Pears, Pippins, &c. and of their own, as Oranges, Citrons, Lemons. &c. It's also adorned with Cedars, Palm-trees, &c. as also with variety of herbs, and flowers to delight the sight, taste, and sent: There are also Cubaio Trees, pleasant in taste beyond all comparison, and great store of Balm-trees. There is plenty of all sorts of Grain, and Corn, and such charms of Birds as delight the ear with their melodious warbling notes, and pleasing the eye with their variety of colours, and other creatures that adorn this Paradise.
The aforenamed Churches have their Pillars, and Roofes of stone, richly, and cunningly wrought, the matter, and workmanship contending for magnificence: That of Jasper, Alabaster, Marble, Porphyrie; This of printing, gilding, and much curiosity: To these are adjoyning two stately Monasteries; in one whereof are two rare pieces whereon wonder may justly fasten both her eyes. The Treasury, and the Library of the Emperour, neither of which is thought to be matchable in the world; neither that of Constantinople wherein were one hundred and twenty thousand Books; nor that of Alexandria, wherein were seven hundred thousand Books: For the number in this Library is numberlesse, their price inestimable. There are three great Halls, each above two hundred paces large, with Books of all Sciences written in fine Parchment with much curiosity of golden Letters, and other works, and cost in writing, binding, and covers: There are all the Greek Fathers: The Writers of Syria, Egypt, Africa, and the Latine Fathers, with others innumerable in Greek, Hebrew, Arabick, Abyssine, Egyptian, Syrian, and Chaldee. There are Poets, Philosophers, Physicians, Rabbins, Talmudists, Cabalists, Hieroglyphicks, &c.
The Treasury leaves them of all other Princes behind it. It's a Sea that every year receiveth new Rivers, which never run out: every Emperour yearly laying up part of his revenue there. The Jewels here kept are incomparable, Topazes, Amethists, Saphires, Diamonds, &c. He hath one Jewel that was found in the River Niger, (that brings forth more Gemmes then any other in the world) which is one piece diversified with a thousand variety of stones. It's about two span…, and an half square: there are in it one hundred and sixty Diamonds, one as large as the Palm of ones hand: It hath in it above three hundred Emeralds; Rubies the greatest in the world: Above fifty Saphires, Turqueses, Balazes, Amethists, Spin…ls, Topazes, Jacinths, Chrysolites, &c. Nature here playing the Jeweller, and representing a Mapp of the worlds Gemmes in this one Jewel without, and infinitely beyond all Art of Man. Bernardo de Vecheti, a Jeweller, being sent thither by Francis de Medicis Duke of Florence to see it, accounted it beyond all estimation, and value. The Emperour also hath made him Tables with thousands of stones set in them.
In this hill are kept the Princes of the Blood Royal as in a prison, and never return thence except they be chosen Emperours. Anno Christi 1608. there were six of them: These meet altogether when they please to recreate themselves by hauking, hunting, &c. and they have grave persons to instruct them in learning, and virtue. Purchas Pilgrimage. p. 677, &c.
The admirable High-waies in Peru described.
In Peru in the West-Indies are two admirable High-waies made by the Ingas, or Emperours: The one is by the Andes or Forrests from Pasto unto Chile, being nine hundred Leagues long, the Cawsey five, and twenty foot broad; and every four leagues hath a stately house where was provision of victuals, and apparel, and every half League, men that stood ready to carry messages, and orders from hand to hand. The other Way was thorow the Plaines along the coast of twenty five foot broad, and on each side a wall of a mans height from Piura to Chile where both the waies met. This latter way was between trees that yielded a very pleasant shadow in those hot Countreys, and both of them began at the Imperial City of Cuzco. P. Pil. v. 3. p. 887, 888.
There belonged also to the Incas a Garden of silver and gold wherein were many sorts of Herbs, Flowers, Plants, Trees, Beasts, great and small, Snakes, Snailes, Lizards, Butterflies, small and and great Birds each set in their places all of gold: They had also Maiz, Quinua, Pulse, Fruit-trees with fruit on them all of gold, and silver resembling the natural. In the Incas house they had heaps of wood all counterfeit of gold, and silver. All the vessels (which were infinite) for the Temple-service, Pots, Pans, Tubs, Hogsheads were of gold, and silver, yea the spades, and pickaxes for the Garden were of the same. At the taking of this City by the Spaniards the Image of the Sun fell to one Captain's share, who lost it one night at dice, whereupon they said, That he had played away the Sun before it was up. P. Pil. v. 4. p. 1464, &c.
Cusco the Imperial City of the Incas in America, when the Spaniards first took it, had in it a Temple of the Sun, all the walls whereof were covered with plates of gold from the top to the bottom. At the East end was the Image of the Sun of one plate of gold as thick again as the other: the face was round with raies of gold like flames of fire, all of one piece: It was so big, that it filled all from one wall to the other. On both sides were the bodies of their deceased Kings, embalmed, set in seates of gold placed on planks of gold: All the doores about the Temple were lined with plates of gold; without the Temple on the top of the walls ran a champhered work of gold above a yard broad round about the Temple: Beyond the Temple ran a cloister of four squares, round about the top whereof was such a crown of champhered gold above a yard broad: In the corners of the cloister were Chappels; One whereof was dedicated to the Moon, all which with the Gates thereof were covered with plates of silver: the Image was placed, as that of the Suns, with the face of a woman, all of one plank of silver. The next Chappel was dedicated to Venus, and the Starres, lined also with silver, and the porch of silver. The third was dedicated to the Thunder, and Lightning: The fourth to the Rainbowe; which two last were all lined, and garnished with gold. Hard by was an house for the Priests all lined with gold from the top to the bottom. There were twelve doores to the Cloister, and as many Tabernacles or Shrines which were all plated over with gold in form of Porches, and the floores covered with gold. The Images were all set with Turkesses, and Emeralds. In the house also were five Fountains of water wherein they washed the sacrifices: out of them the water ran in Pipes of gold; and many of their pillars were of gold hollow, and some of them of silver.