120 A HISTORY OF 



time on their voyage, conversing and asking Questions ; and after eat 

 ing a hearty meal with them, he took his leave, and, jumping into the 

 tea, pursued his voyage alone. 



" In order to aid these powers of enduring in the deep, Nature seem- 

 ed to have assisted him in a very extraordinary manner ; for the spaces 

 between his fingers and toes were webbed, as in a goose ; and his 

 chest became so very capacious, that he could take in, at one inspira- 

 tion, as much breath as would serve him for a whole day. 



" The account of so extraordinary a person did not fail to reach the 

 king himself ; who, actuated by the general curiosity, ordered that 

 Nicholas should be brought before him. It was no easy matter to find 

 Nicholas, who generally spent his time in the solitudes of the deep ; 

 but, at last, however, after much searching, he was found, and brought 

 before his Majesty. The curiosity of this monarch had been long ex- 

 cited by the accounts he had heard of the bottom of the gulf of Cha- 

 rybdis ; he therefore conceived that it would be a proper opportunity 

 to have more certain information ; and commanded our poor diver to 

 examine the bottom of this dreadful whirlpool : as an incitement to 

 his obedience, he ordered a golden cup to be flung into it. Nicholas 

 was not insensible of the danger to which he was exposed ; dangers 

 Vest known only to himself; and he therefore presumed to remon- 

 strate ; but the hopes of the reward, the desire of pleasing the king, 

 and the pleasure of shewing his skill, at last prevailed. He instantly 

 jumped into the gulf, and was swallowed as instantly up in its bosom. 

 He continued for three quarters of an hour below ; during which 

 time the king and his attendants remained upon shore anxious for his 

 fate ; but he at last appeared, buffeting upon the surface, holding the 

 cup in triumph in one hand, and making his way good among the 

 waves with the other. It may be supposed he was received with ap- 

 plause, 'upon his arrival on shore; the cup was made the reward of 

 his adventure j the king ordered him to be taken proper care of; and, 

 as he was somewhat fatigued and debilitated by his labour, after a 

 hearty meal he was put to bed, and permitted to refresh himself by 

 sleeping. 



" When his spirits were thus restored, he was again brought to 

 satisfy the king's curiosity with a narrative of the wonders he had 

 seen ; and his account was to the following effect : He would never, 

 he said, have obeyed the king's commands, had he been apprized of 

 half the dangers that were before him. There were four things, he 

 said, that rendered the gulf dreadful, not only to men, but even to the 

 fishes themselves : first, the force of the water bursting up from the 

 bottom, which requires great strength to resist : secondly, the abrupt- 

 ness of the rocks, that on every side threatened destruction ; thirdly, 

 the force of the whirlpool, dashing against those rocks ; and fourthly, 

 the number and magnitude of the polypous fish, some of which ap- 

 peared as large as a man, and which, every where sticking against the 

 rocks, projected their fibrous arms to entangle him. Being asked how 

 he was able so readily to find th*> cup that had been thrown in, he 

 replied, that it happened to be flu.ig by the waves into the cavity of 

 a rock, against which he himself was urged in his descent. This ac 

 count, however, did not satisfy the king's curiosity : being r quested 



