376 APPENDIX. Chap. lit. 



that, as Ifis firft taught the Egyptians to eat lotus^ fo Pelafgus firft 

 taught the Arcadians to eat beech mafl'^. 



To come down to later times, Dion Caflius, the Roman hiftorian, 

 '^vho gives us the heft account of North Britain that we have 

 from any antient author, having probably been there with the Em- 

 peror Sevcrus, whofe fecretary he was, relates that the antient Cale- 

 donians fed in part upon the bark of trees f. And, even among ci- 

 vilized nations, fuch as the Romans, it appears to have been under- 

 flood that men could live upon that food : For Caeiar's fol- 

 diers, when they were befieging Pompey at Dyrrachium, and very 

 hard put to it for want of provifions, faid that they would rather 

 live upon bark of trees, than fuffer Pompey to efcape %, And, to 

 come down to our own times. Captain Cook relates that the people 

 of New Caledonia ufed for food the bark of a certain tree, which 

 his people tafted, and did not find difagreeable. 



I have been told that the anatomy of a man fhows that he cannot 

 fubfift upon herbage, or upon bark of trees. But this 1 hold to be 

 a miftake ; at leaft, I have met with no anatomift who would un- 

 dertake to fhow there was fuch a difference betwixt the anatomy of 

 a horfe and of a man, that a horfe could fubfift upon herbage, but 

 not a man ; and, if the anatomifts were of another opinion, I fhould 

 have a great fcruple, upon nice anatomical obfervations, to rejedt 

 fads fo attefted as thofe I have mentioned. If, therefore, it had 

 been faid, that he only fed upon herbage, and the mofs or barks of 

 trees, it would not have been at all incredible. But that is not 

 faid : So that we muft fuppofe, that when he could find fruits or 



roots, 



* Paufanias, Lib. vlii. in initio. 



f Lib. 76. cap. 12. 



i De Bdio Civil/, Lib. iii. Cap. 41. 



