Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1869-10-14
Some Giants.

crease in the hight of men between
the periods of the Creation and the
Christian Era. Adam, he says, was
1913 feet 8 inches high, Eve, 1!8 feet,
Noah, 27 feet; Moses, 13 feet. The al
legation about Adam is moderate,
compared with that made by early
Rabbinical writer's, who affirm that his
head overtopped the atmosphere, and
that he touched the Arctic Pole with
one hand and the Antarctic with the
other. Traditionary memorials of the
primeval giants still exist in Palestine
in the form OF graves of enormous di
mensions; as the grave of Abel near
Damascus, which is 80 feet long; that
OF Seth about the same size; and that
Of Noah, in Lebanon, which is 10 yards
in length
Pliny says that by an earthquake in
Crete mountain was opened, and in
it was discovered 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 .
man, named Gab5aras, brought by that
Emperor from Arabia to Rome, who
was feet inches high, "the tallest
man that has been seen in our time"
But this giant was not so tall as Posio
aud Secundilla, in the reign OF Angus
tus Caesar. whose bodies were prescrv-
ed as curiositics iE a museum in the
60 <>f he,
measured in length 10 feet 3 inches.
The Emperor Maximus (very much
of a many was 8 feet high, and was in
the habit OF using his wifc's bracelet
for thumb ring. His shoe was foot
longer than that OF any other man,
and his strength so great that he
could draw a 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 desirable or profitable guest
for the "St. Nicholas even at the
current price of board; though not so
tall as one of whom Josephus tells,
viz: Eleazar, Jew. who was one OF
the hostages whom the King Of Persis
sent 10 Rome after peace. This
giant was over 10 feet high. But these
are pigmies compared with Linn OF
whom Kircher writes ('hough this is
what Yankee philosopher would de-
nominate whopper). The skeleton
of this giant was dug out Of stone
scpulchrc, near Rome, in the reign of
the Emperor Henry H., and which, by
an inscription attached to it, was
known to be that OF Pallas, who was
slain by Turnus, and was higher than
the walls of the city The same author
tells us that another skeleton was
found near Palermo that must have
belonged to man 400 feet high.
In times more modern (1613), some
masons digging near the ruins of a
CASTLE in Dauphine, in a field which by
tradition had long been called The
Giants Field" at the depth of Is feet
discovered tomb 80 tcct long, Il
feet wide, and s feet high, on which
was u gray stone with the words
"Theutobochus Rex" cut thereon.
When the tomb was opened they
found human skeleton entire % and
one halt feet long 10 feet wide across
the shoulders, and 5 feet deep from
the breast to the back. His teeth were
about the size of An ox's foot, and his
shin bone measured feet in length.
Plot, in his "Oxfordshire,n 1876.
says that a skeleton II feet high was
then to be seen in the town-hall in
Luccrne. 1t had been found under
an oak in Willlsau. near the village OF
Reyden. He instances numerous 81
gantic bones which had been dug up
in England, aud adds: at remains that
Notwithstanding their extravagant
magnitude) they must have been the
bones OF men or women; nor does any
thing hinder but they may have been
SO, provided it be clearly made out
that there have been men and women
OF proportionable structure in all ages
of the world, down even to our own
days"
Old Cotton Mathcr held the belief
that there had been in tho antedilu-
Wan world men OF very prodigious
stature, in consequences of finding OF
bones and teeth of great size, which
he Judged to be human, in Albany.
He described one particular grinder
weighing 4 and threc-tourth pounds,
and broad, fiat, torc-tooth four fin
gers in breadth; also bone, supposed
to be thigh-bone, II feet long, which,
with the others, crumblcd to pieces as
soon as it was exposed to the air.-W.
A. SEAvER, in Harpcrs Magazine for
July.