TO write of wonders in this Age, is a thing moſt men look after: but before I give you a Declaration of the wonder of this Age, let us compare it with ſome former ages, and we ſhal be convinced of the truth of this our relation. We read of ſundry Giants that inhabited this Iſle of Great Britain, many mighty men of ſtature, eſpecially in the North, where men moſt commonly are of greateſt ſtature, as Starcater, Hartben, Angrin, Arverode, of whom Saxo Iohannes magus Olaus magnus makes mention, whoſe bones do yet remain to be ſeen as rare miracles of nature; ſome of theſe in their life time were able to lift up a veſſell of liquor of a thouſand weight, or an horſe, or an oxe, and caſt it on their ſhoulders; their very women, ſome of them, have come ſomewhat neere them in ſtrength of body; ſome of theſe lived in the time of Olaus, Anno 1500. we read of Corineus and Gogmagot, whom ſome report to be King of this Iſle, who fought a combat hand to hand till one of them was ſlain; Hanvill in his Architrenion makes the later to be eighteen foot hight; Corineus the Dane enjoyed Cornwall upon the Conqueſt. Be pleas'd to look back and reflect on the Scripture, 1 Sam. 17.5. &c. we find Goliab the Philiſtine whom David entountred, to be above nifie foot in height, whoſe ſhirt of male of weight 1250. ounces of braſſe, which is, 104. pound, and of Og the King of Baſan, Deut. 3. who was the laſt of the race of Giants that was left in the Land of Promiſe to be overcome of the Iſraelites, whoſe iron bed was ſhewed for a wonder at Rabbah, a City of the Ammonites, containing nine cubits; although they were in the beginning of the world, yet we have had thoſe of later times, that have have parallel'd them: to come down to Chriſtian Writers, if we will believe S. Auſtin in Civitate Dei, Lib. 15. Cap. 9. how he ſaw the tooth of a man as big as a hundred of his own: and Iohannes Bocate in his 68. Cap. 4. Book, ſaith that in the Cave of a mountain not far from Drepanum a Town of Sicily, called Erix, the body of an exceeding high Giant was diſcovered, three of whoſe teeth did weigh an hundred ounces, which is eight pound and four ounces: he ſaith moreover, the forepart of his ſcull was able to containe many buſhells of wheat, and by the proportion of his thigh, his body was judged to be two hundred cubits high: this miracle of nature is yet to be ſeen in the Church of Drepanum in Sicily in perpetuall memory of his greatneſſe: his body was found upon this occaſion as ſome were going to dig, to lay the foundation of an houſe, the miners found a great vault, they found the body of a mighty man ſitting in a Cave, of whoſe greatneſſe they were ſore afraid, they ran away and made an outcry in the City, how there ſate a man in ſuch a place as great as an hill, the people hearing this news ran out with clubs and ſtaves as if to fight a battel; and three hundred entring the Cave they forthwith ſaw he was dead, and yet ſate as if he had been alive, having a ſtaff in his hand, compared by mine Author to the maſt of a Ship, which being touched fell to duſt with his body, ſaving three teeth, and part of his ſcull, and one of his thigh-bones.

There was a carkaſſe laid bare in the year 1170. in England upon the ſhore, where the beating of the ſhore had waſhed away the earth from the ſtone wherein it lay, and when it was taken up, it contained fifteen foot in length, as our Chronicles and Records affirm, and Iohannes Leland Maſieus Lib. 14. Trivet.

At Perth at this day in Scotland the skeleton of a man is to be ſeen, call'd Iohn per Antiphraſin, being fourteen foot in length, which divers affirm that have beheld the ſame, and (as Hector Boetius ſaith) he did put his whole arm into one of his hanch bones.

Sir Thomas Eliot reports, a carkaſſe was taken up at Ivy Church neer Salisbury almoſt fourteen foot long.

Grafton reports of one whoſe ſhin-bone conteined ſix foot, his ſcull ſo great it contained five pecks of wheat, and by conſequence his body muſt needs be twenty four foot long.

Goropius reports of a Giant in Brabant, whoſe bones were ſeventeen or eighteen cubits in length.

Gervaſius Tilbirienſis Head-marſhall to the King of Arles, reports in his Chronicle, that at Iſoricum in the Suburbs of Paris, he ſaw the body of a man that was twenty foot long, beſides the head and the neck which was miſſing, and not found; the owner perhaps might be beheaded for ſome notable treſpaſſe committed in times paſt.

Leland in Com. Brit. reports that in Whitton Pariſh, not far from the Chappell of the Moore, ſix miles by Eaſt from Carliſle, a coffin was found, and therein the bones of a man of incredible greatneſſe.

The Greek Writers make mention of Andronicus the Emperor, who lived 1183. and was ten foot in height, that is three foot higher then the Kings great Porter.

Thus have I deduced from the beginning of the world, as neer as I can, thoſe memorable Giants, or mighty tall men, and thoſe no fables, but proved from good authority.