ANIMALS. Ill 



his brain with spirits : or if he had a small head, 

 proportionable to his body, there would not be 

 brain enough for conducting life. But it is still 

 worse with giants ; and there could never have 

 been a nation of such, for there would not be 

 food enough found in any country to sustain 

 them ; or if there were beasts sufficient for this 

 purpose, there would not be grass enough for 

 their maintenance. But what is still more, add 

 others, giants could never be able to support the 

 weight of their own bodies ; since a man of ten 

 feet high must be eight times as heavy as one of 

 the ordinary stature, whereas he has but twice 

 the size of muscles to support such a burden, 

 and, consequently, would be overloaded with the 

 weight of his own body. Such are the theories 

 upon this subject ; and they require no other an- 

 swer, but that experience proves them both to be 

 false : dwarfs are found capable of life and reason ; 

 and giants are seen to carry their own bodies. 

 We have several accounts from mariners, that a 

 nation of giants actually exists ; and mere spe- 

 culation should never induce us to doubt their 

 veracity. 



Ferdinand Magellan was the first who discover- 

 ed this race of people along the coast towards the 

 extremity of South America. Magellan was a 

 Portuguese, of noble extraction, who having long- 

 behaved with great bravery under Albuquerque, 

 the conqueror of India, he was treated with ne- 

 glect by the court upon his return. Applying, 

 therefore, to the King of Spain, he was intrusted 

 with the command of five ships, to subdue the 



