THE STATU HE OF GOT A M A BUDDHA 



77 



strong men, it is nowhere stated that they reached even 

 the alleged height of Goliath. 



It may be perfectly true that, anciently, men varied 

 in stature in different regions of the world, as they do 

 now. Those who were of Anak's race might have been 

 of such extraordinary height that the Israelites looked like 

 grasshoppers before them. 1 Some of the European nations 

 may excel the Londoners of the present day. So likewise, 

 the Indians might have been a well formed people, measuring 

 much above the average height of other nations. We may 

 go farther, and admit, that even in one and the same region, the 

 distinctive character of each race of man was, and is highly 

 variable. 2 It has been also noticed that there was a difference 

 in stature between the Polynesian Chiefs, and the lower orders 

 within the same islands. 3 In like manner, the Prussian 

 Grenadier Guards present a striking difference to the rest 

 of the same nation. Further, the self-same Indians of the 

 time of Alexander, as Arrian states, were " taller in stature 

 than all the rest of the Asiatics," 4 



But, we can by no means believe that they were eighteen 

 feet high. For, the utmost height which the self-same his- 

 torian gives to " many of them" (i. e., the class of Indians j ust 

 above described) is "little less than five cubits." Five 

 cubits, however, is not a very marvellous height of man even 

 in modern times. 



The result of modern investigations is, that the tallest 

 man who ever lived was no more than nine and-a-half feet 

 high. The skeleton that was found on the site of the 



1 This is simply a form of expression, or figure of speech to heighten 

 the idea of extraordinary height. 



2 Darwin's Descent of Man. 1, p. 225. 



3 Ibidem, 1 15. 



4 Arriari's History of Alexander, vol. ii., p. 9. 



