FEATS OF ECKEBEBG. 245 



the third century, Vopiscus informs us, that he 

 could suffer iron to be forged upon an anvil placed 

 upon his breast. In doing this he lay upon his 

 back, and resting his feet and shoulders against 

 some support, his whole body formed an arch, as 

 we shall afterwards more particulary explain. 

 Until the end of the sixteenth century, the ex- 

 hibition of such feats does not seem to have been 

 common. About the year 1703, a native of Kent, 

 of the name of Joyce, exhibited such feats of 

 strength in London and other parts of England, 

 that he received the name of the second Samson. 

 His own personal strength was very great; but 

 he had also discovered, without the aid of theory, 

 various positions of his body in which men even 

 of common strength could perform very surpris- 

 ing feats. He drew against horses, and raised 

 enormous weights ; but as he actually exhibited 

 his power in ways which evinced the enormous 

 strength of his own muscles, all his feats were 

 ascribed to the same cause. In the course of 

 eight or ten years, however, his methods were 

 discovered, and many individuals of ordinary 

 strength exhibited a number of his principal per- 

 formances, though in a manner greatly inferior 

 to Joyce. 



Some time afterwards, John Charles Van Ecke- 

 berg, a native of Harzgerode, in Anhalt, travelled 

 through Europe under the appellation of Samson, 

 exhibiting very remarkable examples of his 

 strength. This, we believe, is the same person 

 whose feats are particularly described by Dr. 

 Desaguliers. He was a man of the middle size, 

 and of ordinary strength ; and as Dr. Desaguliers 

 was convinced that his feats were exhibitions of 



