CURIOUS CREATURES. 37 



Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, a 

 Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the 

 staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. 



" 20 And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a 

 man of great stature, and on every foot six toes, four 

 and twenty in number ; and he also was born to the 

 giant. 



"21 And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of 

 Shimeah, the brother of David, slew him. 



" 22 These four were born to the giant in Gath, and 

 fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his 

 servants." 



But these were mere pigmies if we can believe M. 

 Henrion, who in 1718 calculated out the heights of divers 

 notable persons thus he found Adam was 121 ft. 9 in. 

 high, Eve 118 ft. 9 in., Noah 27 ft., Abraham 20 ft., 

 and Moses 13 ft. 



Putting aside the mythical classical giants, Pliny says : 

 " The tallest man that has been seen in our times, 

 was one Gabbaras by name, who was brought from 

 Arabia by the Emperor Claudius ; his height was nine 

 feet and as many inches. In the reign of Augustus, 

 there were two persons, Posio and Secundilla, by name, 

 who were half a foot taller than him ; their bodies have 

 been preserved as objects of curiosity in the Museum of 

 the Sallustian family." 



But it is reserved to Sir John Mandeville to have 

 found the tallest giants of, comparatively speaking, 

 modern times. " And beyond that valey is a great yle, 

 where people as great as giaunts of xxviii fote long, 

 and they have no clothinge but beasts skyns that hang 

 on them, and they eate no bread, but flesh raw, and 

 drink milke, and they have no houses, & they ate 



