Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1869-06-29
Giants of Olden Times.

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named Henrion endeavored to show
a great decrease in the height of men
between the periods of the Creation
and the Christian Era. Adam, he
says, was 123 feet inches high Eve,
1l8 feet 9 inches; Noah, 81 feet
Abraham, 20 feet; Moses. 13 feet.
The allegation about Adam is modo
crate compared with that made by
early Rabbinical writer's, who atfirna
that bis head overtopped the atmos~
phere, and that be touched the A rctic
Pole with one hand aud the Antarctic
with the other Tradiionary memo>
rails of the primeval giants still exist
in Palestine in the form Of graves Of
enormous dimensions as the grave
of Abel near Damascus, which is
80 feet long; that Of Seth about the
same size and that of Noah, in Leb-
anon, which is 20 yards in length
Piiny says that by an earthquake in
Crete q 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 a
man, named Gabbaras, brought by
that Emperor from Arabia to Rome,
who was 8 feet four inches high, "the
tallest man thatshas been seen in our
times" But this giant was not so
tall as Posio and Secundilla, in the
reign of Augustus Caesar, whose
bodies were preserved as curiosities
in museum in the Sallustian Gar
dams, and each of whom measured in
length 10 feet 3 inches.
The Emperor Maximus very much
of a MANI was 8 feet high, and was
in the habit of using his wife's brace,
let for thumb ring. His shoe was
foot longer than that of any other
man, and his strength so great that
he could draw 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 a desirable or profitable
guest for the "St. Nichols" even at
the current price of board though
not so tall as one of whom Josepbus
tells, viz: Eleazar, Jew, who was
one of the hostages whom the King
Of Persia sent to Rome after peace.
This giant was over 10 feet high.
But these are pigmles compared with
him of whom Kircher writes (though
this is what Yankee philosopher
would denominate whopper). The
skeleton of this giant was dug out of
a stone sepulohre 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 thar the walls of the city !!
The same author tells us that anoth>
er 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 castle in Dauphine, in field
which by tradition had long been
called The Giants field" at the
depth of Is feet discovered brick
tomb 30 feet long, II feet wide, and
5 feet high, on which was Il gray
stone with the words "rheu,obochus
| Rex" cut thereon. " hen the tom
was opened they found human
skeleton entire 253 feet long, 10 feet
wide across the shoulders, aud fee;
deep from the breast 10 the back
His teeth were about the sz4 OF III,
| ox's foot, and his shin bone measured
feet in length.
Plot, in his "Oxfordshire,' 1876
says that skeleton IL feet high was
then TO be seen in the town hall III
Lucerne. 1t had been found under
an oak in Willisau, near the village OF
Reyden. He instances numerous gil
gantic bones which had been dug up
in England. and adds: at remains
that Notwithstanding their extrav-
agant 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 proportion
able 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 antedilu-
Wan world men of very prodigious
stature, in consequence of the finding
of bones and teeth of great size,
which he Judged to be human, in AL
bany. He describes one particular
grinder weighing A pounds, and a
broad, fiat, fore-tooth four fingers in
breadth also a bone, supposed to be
a thigh bone, II feet long, which,
with the others, crumbled to pieces
as soon as it was exposed to the air.
-Harper'S Magazine for July.
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