Holinshed Chronicles: England, Scotland, and Ireland. Volume 1, Complete — John Shaqi
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
In the daies of Tiberius th'emperor saith he, a corps was left bare or
laid open after an earthquake, of which ech tooth (taken one with
another) conteined 12. inches ouer at the least. Now forsomuch as in
[Sidenote: A mouth of sixteene foot wide.]
such as be full mouthed, ech chap hath commonlie 16. teeth at the
least, which amount vnto 32. in the whole, needs must the widenesse of
this mans chaps be welneere of 16. foot, and the opening of his lips
fiue at the least. A large mouth in mine opinion, and not to eat
peason with Ladies of my time, besides that if occasion serued, it was
able to receiue the whole bodies of mo than one of the greatest men, I
meane of such as we be in our daies. When this carcase was thus found,
euerie man maruelled at it, & good cause why. A messenger was sent to
[Sidenote: A counterfect made of a monstrous carcase
by one tooth taken out of the head.]
Tiberius the emperour also to know his pleasure, whether he would haue
the same brought ouer vnto Rome or not, but he forbad them, willing
his Legate not to remooue the dead out of his resting place, but
rather somewhat to satisfie his phantasie to send him a tooth out of
his head, which being done, he gaue it to a cunning workeman,
commanding him to shape a carcase of light matter, after the
proportion of the tooth, that at the least by such means he might
satisfie his curious mind, and the fantasies of such as are delited
[Sidenote: This man was more fauorable to this monster
than our papists were to the bodies of the dead who
tare them in peeces to make money of them.]
with nouelties. To be short, when the image was once made and set vp
on end, it appéered rather an huge colossie than the true carcase of a
man, and when it had stood in Rome vntill the people were wearie &
throughlie satisfied with the sight thereof, he caused it to be broken
all to peeces, and the tooth sent againe to the carcase fr[=o] whence
it came, willing them moreouer to couer it diligentlie, and in anie
wise not to dismember the corps, nor from thencefoorth to be so hardie
as to open the sepulchre anie more. Pausan. lib. 8. telleth in like
maner of Hiplodanus & his fellowes, who liued when Rhea was with child
of Osyris by Cham, and were called to hir aid at such time as she
feared to be molested by Hammon hir first husband, whilest she
[Sidenote: Grandiáque effossis mirabitur ossa sepulchris.]
remained vpon the Thoumasian hill, "In ipso loco," saith he,
"spectantur ossa maiora multo quàm vt humana existimari possunt, &c."
Of Protophanes who had but one great and broad bone in steed of all
his ribs on ech side I saie nothing, sith it concerneth not his
stature.
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