200 History of Nature. [BooK VII. 



that a Man at three years of Age is come to one-half of the 

 Measure of his Height. This also is observed for a Truth, that 

 generally all Men fall short of the full Stature in Times past ; 

 and seldom are they taller than their Fathers : the Exube- 

 rance of the Seeds being consumed by the burning, in the 

 Changes of which the World now vergeth toward the latter 

 End. In Crete, a Mountain being cloven asunder by an 

 Earthquake, a Body was found standing, forty-six Cubits 

 high ; which some judged to be the Body of Orion, and 

 others, of Otus. It is believed from Records that the Body 

 of Orestes, when taken up by direction of the Oracle, was 

 seven Cubits long. 1 And that great Poet, Homer, who lived 

 almost a thousand Years ago, did not cease to complain that 

 Men's Bodies were less of Stature even then, than in old 

 Time. The Annals do not deliver down the Bulk of Navius 

 Pollio; but that he was of great size appeareth by this, that 

 it was taken for a Wonder, that in a great Crowd of People 

 running together he was almost killed. The tallest Man 

 that hath been seen in our Age was one named Gabbara, 

 who in the Days of Prince Claudius was brought out of 

 Arabia; he was nine Feet high, and as many Inches. There 

 were in the Time of Divus Augustus two others, named 

 Pusio and Secundilla, higher than Gabbara by half a Foot, 

 whose Bodies were preserved for a Wonder in a Vault in the 

 Gardens of the Salustiani. While the same (Augustus) was 

 President, his Niece Julia had a very little Man, two Feet 

 and a Hand- breadth high, called Canopas, whom she made 

 much of; and also a Woman named Andromeda,* the Freed 

 Woman of Julia Augusta. M. Varro reporteth that Manius 

 Maximus, and M. Tullius, Roman Knights, were but two 

 Cubits hio;h : and we ourselves have seen their Bodies em- 



\j 



balmed in Presses. It is well known that there are some 



1 Ten feet and an half. 



2 The instance of the American who exhibited himself through Eu- 

 rope is of recent occurrence. John Duck, an Englishman, was carried 

 about for a show in 1610, being two feet and a half high at forty-five years 

 of age. Cardan says he saw a man in Italy, of full age, not above a cubit 

 high. He was carried about in a parrot- cage. Wern. Club. 



