Holinshed Chronicles: England, Scotland, and Ireland. Volume 1, CompleteHolinshed, Raphael
History
Holinshed Chronicles: England, Scotland, and Ireland. Volume 1, Complete
Holinshed, Raphael
Great Britain -- History -- To 1485; Great Britain -- History -- Tudors, 1485-1603
Zonaras speaketh of a woman that liued in the daies of Justine, who
being borne in Cilicia, and of verie comelie personage, was
neuerthelesse almost two foot taller than the tallest woman of hir
time.
[Sidenote: _Sir Thomas Eliot._]
A carcase was taken vp at Iuie church neere Salisburie but of late
yeares to speake of, almost fourtéene foot long, in Dictionario
Eliotæ.
[Sidenote: _Leland in Combrit._]
In Gillesland in Come Whitton paroche not far from the chappell of the
Moore, six miles by east from Carleill, a coffin of stone was found,
and therein the bones of a man, of more than incredible greatnes. In
like sort Leland speaketh of another found in the Ile called Alderney,
whereof you shall read more in the chapiter of our Ilands.
[Sidenote: _Richard Grafton._]
Richard Grafton in his Manuell telleth of one whose shinbone conteined
six foot, and thereto his scull so great that it was able to receiue
fiue pecks of wheat. Wherefore by coniecturall symmetrie of these
parts, his bodie must needs be of 24. foot, or rather more, if it were
[Sidenote: The Symmetrie or proportion of the bodie of a comelie man.]
diligentlie measured. For the proportion of a comelie and well
featured bodie, answereth 9. times to the length of the face, taken at
large from the pitch of the crowne to the chin, as the whole length is
from the same place vnto the sole of the foot, measured by an imagined
line, and seuered into so manie parts by like ouerthwart draughts, as
Drurerus in his lineall description of mans bodie doth deliuer.
Neuertheles, this symmetrie is not taken by other than the well
proportioned face, for Recta, orbiculata (or fornicata) prona,
resupinata, and lacunata (or repanda) doo so far degenerate from the
true proportion as from the forme and beautie of the comelie. Hereby
also they make the face taken in strict maner, to be the tenth part of
the whole bodie, that is, fr[=o] the highest part of the forehead to
the pitch of the chin, so that in the vse of the word face there is a
difference, wherby the 9. part is taken (I say) from the crowne
(called Vertex, because the haire there turneth into a circle) so that
if the space by a rule were truelie taken, I meane from the crowne or
highest part of the head to the pitch of the nether chap, and
multiplied by nine, the length of the whole bodie would easilie
appeare, & shew it selfe at the full. In like maner I find, that from
the elbow to the top of the midle finger is the 4. part of the whole
length, called a cubit: from the wrist to the top of the same finger,
a tenth part: the length of the shinbone to the ancle a fourth part
(and all one with the cubit:) from the top of the finger to the third
ioint, two third parts of the face from the top of the forehead. Which
obseruations I willinglie remember in this place, to the end that if
anie such carcases happen to be found hereafter, it shall not be hard
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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