Gigantick (3), it would have rendered him a

dan

(3) Altho' we read of Giants before Noah's Flood, Gen, 6. 4. and more plainly afterwards in Num, 13. 33. Yet there is great reafon to think the fize of Man was always the fame from the Creation. For as for the Nephilim or Giants, in Gen. 6. the Ancients vary about them: fome taking them for great Atheifts, and Monsters of Impiety, Rapine, Tyranny, and all Wickednefs, as well as of monftrous Stature, accor ding as indeed the Hebrew Signification allows, 1 Junior

And as for the Nephilim in Num. 13. which were evidently Men of a Gigantick Size, It must be confidered, that it is very probable, the Fears and Difcontentment of the Spies, might add fomewhat theteunto.

But be the Matter as it will, it is very manifeft, that in both thefe places, Giants are fpoken of as Rarities, and Wonders of the Age, not of the common Stature. And fuch Inftances we have had in all Ages ; excepting fome fabulous Relations: fuch as I take to be that of Theutobocchus, who is faid to have been dug up, Anno 1613. and to have been higher than the Trophies, and 26 feet long; and no better I fuppofe the Giants to have been, that Ol. Magnus gives an account of in his 5th Book, fuch as Harthen, and Starchater, among the Men; and among the Women,reperta eft (faith he) puella in capite vulnerata, ac mortua, induta chlamyde purpurea, longitudinis cubitorum 50, latitudinis inter bumeros quatuor. Ol. Mag. Hift. L. 5. c. 2.

But as for the more credible Relations of Goliath (whofe beight was 6 Cubits and a Span, 1 Sam. 17.4 which accord→ ing to the prefent curious and learned Lord Bishop of Peterborough is fomewhat above 11 feet English, vid Bifhop Cumberland of Jewish Weights and Meafures) of Maximinus the Emperor, who was 9 feet high, and others in Auguftus, and other Reigns, of about the fame height : to which we may add the Dimenfions of a Skeleton, dug up lately in the place of a Roman Camp near St Albans, by an Urn inscribed, Marcus Antoninus; of which an account is given by Mr. Chefelden, who judgeth by the Dimenfions of the Bones, that the Perfon was 8 foot high, vid. Philof. Tranfact. No. 333. these antique Examples and Relations, I fay, we can match, yea out-do, with modern Examples; of which we have di vers in F. Ludolph. Comment in Hift. Æthiop. L. 1.c.2. §. 22. Magus, Conringius, Dr. Hakewill, and others Which later relates from Nannez, of Porters and Archers belonging ta the Emperor of China, of 15 feet high; and others from Wa

Purchas

292 Purchas, of 10 and 12 feet high, and more; fee the learned, Author's Apolog. p. 208.

Thefe indeed exceed what I have seen in England; but in 1684, I my felf meafur'd an Irish Youth, faid to be not 19 Years old, who was 7 feet near 8 Inches, and in 1697, a Woman who was 7 feet 3 Inches in height.

But for the ordinary Size of Mankind, in all probability, it was always (as I faid) the fame, as may appear from the Monuments, Mummies, and other ancient Evidences to be feenat this day. The moft ancient Monument at this day, I prefume is that of Cheops, in the first and faireft Pyramid of Egypt; which was, no doubt, made of capacity every way fufficient to hold the Body of fo great a Perfon as was inten ded to be laid up in it. But this we find by the nice Meafures of our curious Mr. Greaves, hardly to exceed our common Coffins. The hollow part within (faith he) is in length only 6, 488 feet, and in breadth but 2,218 feet: The depth 2, 860 feet. A narrow space, yet large enough to contain a moft potent and dreadful Monarch, being dead; to whom living, all Egypt was too freight and narrow a Circuit. By thefe Dimenfions, and by fuch other Oservations, as have been taken by me from several embalmed Bodies in Egypt, we may con clude there is no decay in Nature (though the Question is as eld as Homer) but that the Men of this Age are of the fame Stature they were near 3000 Years ago, vid. Greaves of the Pyr. in 1638, in Ray's Collect. of Trav. Tom. I. pag.

118.

To this more Ancient, we may add others of a later date. Of which take thefe, among others, from the curious and learned Hakewill. The Tombs at Pifa, that are fome thoufand Years old, are not longer than ours; fo is Athelftane's in Malmesbury-Church; fo Sebba's in St. Paul's, of the Year 693; fo Etheldred's, &c. Apol. 216, &c.

The fame evidence we have alfo from the Armour,Shields, Veffels, and other Utenfils dug up at this day. The brafs Helmet dug up at Metaurum, which was not doubted to have been left there at the overthrow of Afdrubal will fit one of our Men at this day,

Nay befides all this probably we have fome more certain Evidence. Auguftus was 5 Foot 9 Inches high, which was the juft Measure of our famous Queen Elizabeth, who exceeded his Height 2 Inches, if proper Allowance be made for the Difference between the Roman and our Foot, Vid. ·Hake. ib. p. 215

dangerous Tyrant in the World, too ftrong (4) in fome Refpects, even for his own kind, as well as the other Creatures. Locks and Doors might per

:

(4) To the Stature of Men in the foregoing Note, we may add fome Remarks about their unufual Strength. That of Sampfon (who is not faid to have exceeded other Men in Stature as he did in Strength) is well known. So of old Hector, Diomedes, Hercules, and Ajax are famed; and fince them many others for which I fhall feek no farther than the before commended Hakewill, who by his great and cu rious Learning, hath often moft of the Examples that are to be met with on all his Subjects he undertakes. Of the Afterages he names C. Marius, Maximinus, Aurelian, Scanderberge, Bardefin, Tamerlane, Sifka, and Hunniades. Anno 1529. Klunber, Provoft of the great Church at Mifnia, carried a Pipe of Wine out of the Cellar, and laid it in the Cart: Mayolus law one hold a Marble Pillar in his Hand 3 Foot long, and one Foot diameter, which he tofs'd up in the Air, and catched again, as if it was a Ball. Another of Mantua, and a little Man, named Rodamas, could break a Cable, &c. Ernando Burg, fetched up Stairs an Afs laden with Wood, and threw both into the Fire. At Conftantinople, Anno 1582. one lifted a piece of Wood, that twelve Men could fearce raife: then lying along, he bare a Stone that ten Men could but juft roll to him. G. of Fronsberge Baron Mindlehaim, could raife a Man off his Seat, with only his middle finger; ftop an Horfe in his full Career ja and fhove a Cannon out of it's Place. Cardan faw a Man dance with two Men in his Arms, two on his Shoulders, and one on his Neck. Patacoua, Captain of the Coffacks, could tear an Horfe-fhoe (and if I miftake not, the fame is reported of the prefent King Auguftus of Poland.) A Gigantick Woman of the Netherlands could lift a Barrel of Hamburgh Beer. Mr. Carew had a Tenant that could carry a But's length, 6 bufhel of wheaten Meal (of 15 Gallon measure) with the Lubber, the Miller of 24 years of age, on the top of it. And F. Roman, of the fame County, could carry the Carcafs of an Ox. Vid. Hakewill, ib. p. 238.

Viros aliquot moderna memoria tam a mineralibus, quam aliis Suethia, & Gothia provinciis adducere congruit, tanta fortitudine praditos, ut quifque eorum in humeros fublevatum Equum, vel Bovem maximum, imo vas ferri 600, 800, aut 1000 librarum (quale & aliqua Puella levare poffunt) aḍ plura ftadia portaret. O1. Mag. ubi fupr.

U 3

(5)

Book V. perhaps have been made of fufficient Strength to have barricaded our Houses; and Walls, and Ramparts might perhaps have been made ftrong enough to have fenced our Cities. But these things could not have been without a great and Inconvenient Expence of Room, Materials, and fuch Neceffaries,as fuch vaft Structures and Ufes would have occafioned, more perhaps than the World could have afforded to all Ages and Places. But let us take the Defcant of a good Naturalift and Phyfician on the Cafe (5).. Had Man been a ἐσ Dwarf (faid he) he had fcarce been a Reafo"nable Creature. For he must then have had a "Jolt Head; fo there would not have been Body and Blood enough to fupply his Brain with Spirits; or he muft have had a small Head, anfwerable to his Body, and fo there would not have been Brain enough for his Bu finefs---Or had the Species of Mankind been "Gigantick, he could not have been fo commo"dioufly fupplied with Food. For there would "not have been Flesh enough of the beft edible "Beafts, to ferve his Turn. And if Beafts had "been made anfwerably bigger, there would "not have been Grafs enough. And fo he goeth on. And a little after, "There would not have "been the fame Ufe and Difcovery of his Rea"fon; in that he would have done many things "by meer Strength, for which he is now put to

invent innumerable Engines---Neither "could he have ufed an Horfe, nor divers other "Creatures. But being of a middle Bulk, he is fitted to manage and use them all. For faith he) no other Caufe can be affigned why a Man

was

(5) Grews Cofmol. Sacr. B. 1. ch. 5 §. 25.

1

was not made five or ten times bigger, but his "Relation to the reft of the Univerfe. Thus far our curious Author.

СНАР. V.

Of the STRUCTURE of the PARTS of

H

Man's Body.

Aving thus taken a View of the Pofture, Shape, and Size of Man's Body, let us in this Chapter furvey the Structure of it's Parts. But here we have fo large a Profpect, that it. would be endless to proceed upon Particulars. It muft fuffice therefore to take notice, in general only, how artificially every Part of our Body is made. No Botch, no Blunder, no unneceffary Apparatus (or in other words) no Signs of Chance (1); but every thing curious, orderly, and performed in the fhorteft and beft Method, and adap ted to the moft compendious Ufe. What one Part is there throughout the whole Body, but what is compofed of the fitteft Matter for that Part;

(1) It is manifeftly an argument of Defign, that in the Bodies of different Animals, there is an Agreement of the Parts, fo far as the Occafions and Offices agree, but a difference of those, where there is a difference of thefe. In an Human Body are many Parts agreeing with thofe of a Dog for inftance; but in his Forehead, Fingers, Hand, Inftruments of Speech, and many other Parts, there are Mufcles, and other Members which are not in a Dog. And fo contrari wife in a Dog, which is not in a Man. If the Reader is minded to fee what particular Mufcles are in a Man, that are not in a Dog; or in a Dog that are not in an Humane Body, let him confult the curious and accurate Anatomift Dr. Douglass's Myogr. compar.

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(a)