Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1869-08-10
Some Giants.

rion endeavored to show great decrease in
the height of mon between the periods of the
Creation and the Christian era Adam, he
says, was l23 feet9 inches high, Eve, l Is feet
inches; Noah II feet Abraham. 20 feet ;
Moses, 13 feet. The allegation about Adam
is moderate compared with that made by early
Rabbincal writers, who affirm that his head
ovortOpped the atmosphere, and that he touch
ed the Arctic Pole with one hand and the
Antarctic with the other. Traditionary me-
MORALS of the prmeval giants still exist in
Palestine in the form of graves Of enormous
dimensions as the grave of Abel near Da-
mascus, which is 80 feet long; that Of Seth
about the same size; and that of Noah, in
Lebanon, which is 20 .yords in length.
Plny says that by an earthquake in Crete a
mountain vas opened, and in 1t was discover
ed skeleton standing upright, 46 cubits long,
which was supposed to be that of Orion or
Otus. The same author relates that in the
time of Claudius Caesar there was a man,
named Gabbaras. brought By that Emperor
from Arabia to Rome, who was 81 feet high,
"the taiest man that has been seen in our
times. But this giant was not SO tall as
PUsiO and Secundilla, in the reign of Angus
tIS Caesar, whose bodies were preserved as
curiOsltes ina museum in the SsGuStian Gar
denS aud each of whom measured in len 9Th
10 feet 3 inches.
The Emperor Maximus (very much of a
mau) was 8 feet high, and was in the habit of
using his wiies bracelet for thUmb>ring-
His shoe was foot longer than that Of any
other man. and his strength was 80 great that
he could draw II carriage which two oxen could
not move. He generally ate forty pounds
weight of flesh and drank six gallons of wine
every day. Not at all Il d.>irnDie or Il profit
able guest iur !he 81. Nichuin-" even at the
current price Of board though NOT 50 tall as
one q! whom Jn>cphus tells. viz: EIeazar. IL
jew. VINO one nf the hostages whom the
klna. Of Persia sent 10 Rome after II peace
This giant was over 10 feet high. But these
are pIgmcS compared with him Of whom
htrchcr writes ltuUugh tins Is what Yankee
philosopher would den"mnate Il whOppcr) -
The skeleton OF this 1iant WAS dug ,,ut Of n
stone Sepuchre near Rome in the reign Of
the Emperor Henry T.. and which. hy an ia.
srrptiun attached 10 it, was known to be that
Of Fullas. who was slain by Turnu5. aud was
higher than the walls Of the city The same
authur tells Us that another skeleton was found
near Palermo that must have belonged to
man 400 feet high
In times more modern (l6I3). some na-
sous digging near the ruins Of castle at
DamlhiDe in field which by tradition had
long been called The Giants Field" at the
depth Of - feet discovered brick tulab 50
feet long y feet wide. and S feet high. on
which WAS gray stone with the words the.
utohachuS Rex" cut thereon. When the tomb
was opened they found human skeleton en-
tire 35l feet long. 10 feet wide across the
shoulders. and five feet deep from the breast
to the back His teeth were about the size
Of an ox's foot and his shn>bonc measured
4 feet in length.
Plot, in his ''Oxrordshire," 1916. says that
a skeleton II feet high was then to be seen
in the town>hall at Lrccrne. 1t had been
found under an oak in Willisau, near the viii
lage of Reyden. He instances numerous ei-
gantic bones which had been dug up in Eng
land. and adds; At remains that, notwith-
standing their extruvagant magnitude they
must have been the bones of men or women !;
nor does anything hinder but they may have
been so, provided it be clearly made out that
there have been men and women Of prnpor-
tionablc stature in all ages OF the world, down
even to our own days"
Old Cotton Mather held the belief that
there had been in the autedluvian world men
of every prodigious stature, in consequence
of the finding of bones and teeth of great
size, which he judged to be human, in Alba
ny. lie describes one particular grinder
weighing Al pounds. and broad fat, fore
tooth four fingers in breadth also bone, sup
posed to be thigh hone II feet long. which
with others crumh!cd to pieces as soon as it
was exposed to tho air II. a. tSeavcr, an
N"rPer's -Naya@iHe for July.