not scruple to destroy thousands of their subjects to satisfy their
vain glory! They differed very much from the Romans, who sought to
immortalize themselves by works of a magnificent kind, but, at the same
time, of public utility.

Pliny gives us, in few words,(276) a just idea of these pyramids, when he
calls them a foolish and useless ostentation of the wealth of the Egyptian
kings; _Regum pecuniae otiosa ac stulta ostentatio._ And adds, that by a
just punishment their memory is buried in oblivion; the historians not
agreeing among themselves about the names of those who first raised those
vain monuments: _Inter eos non constat a quibus factae sint, justissimo
casu obliteratis tantae vanitatis auctoribus._ In a word, according to the
judicious remark of Diodorus, the industry of the architects of those
pyramids is no less valuable and praiseworthy, than the design of the
Egyptian kings is contemptible and ridiculous.

But what we should most admire in these ancient monuments, is, the true
and standing evidence they give of the skill of the Egyptians in
astronomy; that is, in a science which seems incapable of being brought to
perfection, but by a long series of years, and a great number of
observations. M. de Chazelles, when he measured the great pyramid in
question, found that the four sides of it were turned exactly to the four
quarters of the world; and, consequently, showed the true meridian of that
place. Now, as so exact a situation was, in all probability, purposely
pitched upon by those who piled up this huge mass of stones, above three
thousand years ago, it follows, that during so long a space of time, there
has been no alteration in the heavens in that respect, or (which amounts
to the same thing) in the poles of the earth or the meridians. This is M.
de Fontenelle's remark in his eulogium of M. de Chazelles.

SECT. III. THE LABYRINTH.--What has been said concerning the judgment we
ought to form of the pyramids, may also be applied to the labyrinth, which
Herodotus, who saw it, assures us, was still more surprising than the
pyramids.(277) It was built at the southern extremity of the lake of
Moeris, whereof mention will be made presently, near the town of
Crocodiles, the same with Arsinoe. It was not so much one single palace,
as a magnificent pile composed of twelve palaces, regularly disposed,
which had a communication with each other. Fifteen hundred rooms,
interspersed with terraces, were ranged round