At length comming into this greene and delightful grounde to the eye, and in a mans vnderstanding woorthie of estimation, I perceiued that it was a great enclosure in the fore front of a marueilous Pallaice of a noble simmetriated architecturie which of this frondiferous conclausure, was the fourth part in longitude sixtie paces. And this was the _Hypæthri_ to walke in, for open ayre.
In the middest of this great base Court, I did behold a goodly Fountaine of cleare water, spinnyng from the verie toppe as it were to the foundation, whiche stoode vpon a smoothe pauement through little streight Pypes, falling into a hollowed vessel, whiche was of most pure Amethist, whose Diameter conteined three paces, the thicknes agreeing therewithall, leauyng the twelfth part for the thicknesse of the brimme, rounde about the same were carued water monsters, after the best sort that euer any auncient inuentor or woorkeman for the hardnes of the stone could deuise to woorke, it might bee the woorke of _Dædalus_, for the wonderful excellencie thereof. _Pausania_, if he had seene this, would haue taken small pleasure to boast of the standing cup which he made to _Hipparis_.
Which same was founded vpon a steale or final Pillar of Iasper of diuers colours, beautifully adulterating one with an other being cut in the middest and closed vp with the cleare Calcidonie, of the colour of the troubled Sea water, and brought into marueilous woorke, beeing lifted vp with guttured hollowe vessels, one aboue an other, with a reserued seperation, by artificiall and woonderful ioyntes. It stood streight vp, fastened in the center of a Plynth, made of greene Ophite which was rounde, and somewhat lifted vp aboue, about compassing Porphyr, some fiue inches, whiche was curiously wrought with diuers lyneaments.
Rounde about the steale whiche helde vp the vessell, foure Harpies of Golde did stand, with their clawes and tallented feete vpon the smoothe Table of the Ophite.
Their hinder partes towardes the steale, one iust opposite against an other, with their winges displaied and spredde abroad, they rested vnder the vessell with their feminine countenances, and hauing haire vpon their heades, from the same, it spredde downe to their showlders, their heades vnder, and not touching the vessell: with their tayles like Eeles, and turning rounde. And vpon their nauels, an Antique leafe worke. These were verie necessarie for the strengthening of the Pype within the steale and smal Pillar.