Adventure and adventurers > New Cyropaedia, or The travels of Cyrus

THE TRAVELS OF CYRUS. 141
* It feldom rains in Egypt: But the Nile, which
waters it by its regular overflowings , fupplies it
with the rains & melted fnows of other countries.
' er of Canals were cut crofs it, in
■ fo ufeful a river , that carried
where with its waters, made an
on among the Cities, join’d the
: red-Sca, & by that means main-
n & inland commerce.
ich had been rais’d by immenfe
like iflands in the midft of the
iok’d the Plains overflow’d & fat-
eficent river. When it fwell’d tqo
ms, made on purpofe, open’d their
eceive thofe fructifying waters,
ofe , or shut up by fluces, as oc-
iuchwasthe ufeof the lake Metis,
ic antient Kings of Egypt, whofe
; circuit was 180 leagues, j The
:re numerous, well peopled, fpa-
magnificent Temples, and ftately
with flames & pillars.
w Cyrus tooK a view of all thefe beauties, & went
t|,,afterwards to fee the famous Labyrinth built by the
-ij'twelve Nomarchs. It was not a Angle Palace, but
ffitwelve magnificent Palaces regularly difpos’d. Three
rifthoufand chambers, which had a communication
{<iby terrafles, were rang’d round twelve great Halls;
3i!‘& whoever enter’d there without a Guide, could
at never find his way out. There were as many rooms
efe were allotted for the burial-
' * All that is faid here of Egypt is taken horn Died. Sie.
.Jlilt. t. Seft 2. Herod B.z. Sirobo, B. 17.
tjji it 1S00 Stadia, according to Herod. 8c Diod. Sic.
The