The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 06: Madiera, the Canaries, Ancient Asia, Africa, etc.Hakluyt, Richard
History
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 06: Madiera, the Canaries, Ancient Asia, Africa, etc.
Hakluyt, Richard
Discoveries in geography -- English; Voyages and travels
Megasthenes writeth that vpon diuerse mounteines in Ynde, are people with
dogges heades, and longe clawes, cladde in hydes of beastes, speakinge with
no voyce like vnto manne, but barking onlye, muche like vnto dogges, with
mouthes roughe like a grater.
Thei that dwelle aboute the heade of Ganges, haue no nede of anye kinde of
meate: for they liue by the sauour of their frutes. And yf thei fortune to
iorney, so that they thincke to fayle of the sauour when thei would haue
it, they cary with theim to smell to, at times as thei fainte. But if it
fortune those to smelle any horrible stincke, it is as present deathe vnto
theim, as poyson to vs. It is recorded in writyng, that certaine of those
were in Alexandres campe.
We rede also that there are in Inde men with one eye and no mo. And certein
so notably eared that thei hange downe to their hieles with suche a
largenesse that they may lye in either of them as vpon a pallet: and
soharde, that thei may rende vp trees with them. Some others also hauing
but one legge, but vpon the same such a foote, that when the sonne is hote,
and he lacketh shadowe, lyenge downe vpon his backe, and holdinge vp his
fote, he largely shadoweth his whole bodie.
It is redde that in Clesia certein women haue but ones childe in all their
life time: and the children as sone as thei are borne, immediatly to become
horeheded. Againe, that there is another nacion, much longer lived than we
are, whiche in their youth are horeheared: and in their age, their heare
waxeth blacke. They affirme also that there is another sorte of women that
conceiue at fyue yeres olde, and liue not aboue the age of viii. yeres.
There are also that lacke neckes, and haue their eyes in their shoulders.
Ther are also beside these, certeine saluages with dogges heades, and
shacke heared on their bodies, that make a very terrible charringe with
their mouthes. But in these and suche like tales of the Indians, and their
countrie: for that a manne had nede of a redie beliefe that should take
theim for truthes, one had not niede to bee to large: considerynge
specially that menne nowe a daies, will skante beleue the reporte of other
mens writinges, in the thinges that almost lye vndre their noses.
Ther is a place betwixt Gedrosia and the floude Yndus which is called
Cathainus of the Cathaiens that enhabyte it. This people ware an ofspring
of the Scithians, muche altered from their naturall condicions, and wonted
maners, if that that Aritone the Arminiane writeth of them in his storie,
be true.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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