ALL the stores of nature, and the greatest plenty and variety that is imaginable, is scarcely sufficient to satisfy the boundless and excessive luxury of some men. When they have surveyed all the delicacies that the mountains and seas afford, yet even then they are at a loss, and can difficultly resolve what they should eat. Others as carelessly pass by all the choicer provisions their countries can furnish them with, and devote themselves to such a manner of feeding as reason would condemn as inconvenient and abominable, were it not superseded by a pertinacious adherence to some custom formerly received amongst them.

1. There were several nations amongst the Scythians who used to feed upon human flesh; such also were the cannibals in the West Indies; and it seems that in Sicily itself, where there are all sorts of fruits, there were heretofore such a sort of people as they called Cyclops and Lestrigones, who fed themselves in such a a manner as Polyphemus is described to do in Virgil:

Visceribus miserorum & sanguine vescitur alro. "Then entrails of slain wretches are his food,

And then he quaffs their black and luke-warm blood."

There were also amongst the Greeks such as did curiously search into the bowels of men, and what kind of taste they had. Galen saith, he was informed by such as had made trial thereof, that the flesh of man is in taste much like unto that of beef."

2. Those Ethiopians whose country reaches as far as from Meroe to the river Hydaspis, feed upon scorpions and asps: and Quintinus Heduus writes, that "he saw one in the Isle of Malta who eat up a scorpion without hurt; for there the scorpions are without venom or poison. The

Candæi, by the Greeks called Ophio phagi, fed upon serpents.

3. The people that are callen Medunni live on the milk of certain creatures that are called Cynocephali; they are a sort of apes of these they have whole herds, of which they kill all the males but such as are requisite for generation, and keep the females in great numbers for the sake of their milk.

4. In Ethiopia there is a people who are called the Acridophagi; they border upon the Desert: they are somewhat lower than the common stature, lean, and exceeding black. These live after this manner in the spring-time the west and south-west winds bring an infinite number of locusts from the wilderness amongst them: these locusts are very great, but of a filthy and ugly colour in the wings of them. The Ethiopians, that are accustomed to their coming, carry abundance of combustible matter into a plain, that is many furlongs in the length and breadth of it. When the locusts are brought with the wind, as a thick cloud over that place, they set fire upon the grass and other stuff they have brought thither for that purpose, by which, and the smoke it makes, the locusts that fly about are killed, and fall down a little beyond this valley, in such numbers and plenty, that they are more than sufficient for the food of the whole nation. These they salt up, and keep long by them, as a food which they delight to feed upon.

5. The Phrygians and they of Pontus have a certain white and thick worm amongst them, with a blackish head, which is bred in rotten and putrefied stuff: these worms they look upon as delicacies, and feed deliciously upon them. Also those great worms that are found upon oaks, which they call maggots, or green-worms, were received amongst the Romans for a delicate kind of repast; and to this purpose they reserved them in bran, till they came to their due colour and fatness.

6. The Tartars, when they ride far and are vexed with hunger or thirst, open a vein of the horse they ride upon,

and

and take a draught of his blood; also they are exceedingly delighted with mare's milk, supposing that they are made both strong and fat by it. The Bisalta in Scythia mix the blood of horses and milk of mares, and feed upon it.

7. The Budini, a people in Scythia, familiarly feed upon lice, and the vermin that is bred upon the bodies of men.

8. The Zigantes, a people of Africa, paint themselves with red led, and feed upon the flesh of apes, which are plentifully bred for them upon the mountains. 9. In that part of Ethiopia which is beyond Egypt, near unto the river Astapa, there is a nation who are called Rhizophagi; these live upon the roots of reeds, which they dig out of the places near them they wash these roots with great care, and then bruise them with stones, till they become so soft as to cleave together, of which they make a kind of cakes of the bigness of a brick, as much as they can well hold in their hand; and having baked them a while in the sun, they feed upon them.

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10. The Hylophagi are another people of Ethiopia, whose custom it is with their wives and children to march into the woodland country, where they climb up into the trees, and crop off the most tender branches of the boughs, and young sprouts of them, with which they fill their bellies. By continual custom they have acquired such a dexterity in climbing, that (which may seem incredible) they will leap from tree to tree like squirrels; and their bodies being lean and light, they climb upon the smaller branches without danger: if their feet slip, they catch hold on the boughs with their hands, and save themselves from falling; or if they chance to fall, they are so light that they receive little damage thereby.

11. In a corner of Caramania dwell the Chebonophagi, who feed upon the flesh of tortoises, and cover their houses with the shells of them: they are rough and hairy all over the body, and are co

vered with the skins of fishes. In the * shells of the larger tortoises, which are hollow, they sit and row about as in a boat; they use them also as a cistern, to preserve water in: so that this one fish is the food and furniture, the house and ship of this people.

12. The antients fed upon acorns, especially the Arcadians, who made them their continual and daily food.

13. The inhabitants of Cumana, both men, women, and children, from their youth upwards learn to shoot with bows. Their meat is horse-leeches, bats, grasshoppers, spiders, bees, and raw, sodden and roasted lice. They spare no living creature whatsoever, but they eat it; which is to be wondered at, considering their country is so well replenished with good bread, wine, fruit, fish, and all kind of flesh in great abundance. Hence it is observed, that these people have always spots in their eyes, or else are dim of sight; though some impute this to the property of the water in the river of Cu

mana.

14. In our travels with the ambassador of the king of Bramaa to the Calaminham, we saw in a grot men of a sect of one of their Saints, named Angemacur: these lived in deep holes, made in the midst of the rock, according to the rule of their wretched order, eating nothing but flies, ants, scorpions, and spiders, with the juice of a certain herb growing in abundance thereabouts, much like to sorrel. They spent their time in meditating day and night, with their eyes lifted up to heaven, and their hands closed one within another for a testimony that they desired nothing of this world, and in that manner died like beasts: but they are accounted the greatest saints, and as such, after they are dead, they burn them in the fires, whereinto they cast great quantities of precious perfumes, the funeral pomp being celebrated with great state and very rich offerings. They have sumptuous temples erected to them, thereby to draw the living to do as they

have

*

have done, to obtain this vain-glory; which is all the recompence the world gives them for this excessive penance.

15. We likewise saw others of a sect altogether diabolical: these have sundry orders of penance; and, that their abstinence may be the more agreeable to their idol, some of them eat nothing but filthy spittle and snot, with grasshoppers and heus dung; others, clods of blood drawn from the veins of other men, with bitter fruits and herbs brought them from the woods; by reason whereof they live but a short time, and have so bad a look and colour, that they fright those who behold them.

16. In the empire of Calaminham, there is a sort of people called Oqueps and Magores, who feed on wild beasts which they catch in hunting, and which they eat raw they also feed on all kind of venomous creatures, as lizards, serpents, adders, and the like.

17. Anchimolus and Moschus the sophists, throughout their whole life drank nothing but water, and satisfied their hunger with figs alone. These were their only food; yet were they no weaker than others who used better diet; only such an unacceptable and filthy smell came from when they sweat, that no man could endure to be with them in the bath, but industriously avoided their company.

CHAP. XXI.

Of some Persons who have abstained from all manner of Food for many Years together.

THERE is a continual current castward from the Atlantic ocean, into the Mediterranean sea, by the Straights of Gibraltar, from the Euxine westward into the same sea, by the Straight of Constar.tinople; yet is there no appearance that the Mediterranean is more filled, though

no passage whereby it sends forth its waters is discovered; nor does the Fuxine sea appear any thing lessened, though there are no supplies of water to it but by some small rivers. We might mention many other abstruse things in nature which are almost every where to be met with; which when people cannot account for, they for the most part resolve not to credit, though never so well attested as in the following chapter.

1. Paulus Lentulus, a doctor of physic in the province of Bern, a canton in Switzerland, hath published a book, entitled, "A wonderful History of the Fasting of Appollonia Schreira, a Virgin in Bern." He dedicated it to king James of England, at his first coming to the crown; where he tells us, that himself was with the maid three several times; and that she was, by the command of the magistrates of Bern, brought thither; and having a strict guard set upon her, and all kinds of trials put in practice for the discovery of any collusion or fraud in the business, in conclusion they found none, but dismissed her fairly. In the first year of her fasting she slept very little, in the second not at all; and se continued for a long time after.

2. Margaret, a girl of about ten years of age, born in a village named Roed, about two miles from Spires, began to abstain from all kind of sustenance anno Dom. 1539, and so continued for three years, walking in the mean time, and talking, and laughing, and sporting as other children of that age used to do: she was by special order of the bishop of Spires, delivered into the hands of the pastor of the parish, and by him narrowly observed; and afterwards, by the command of Maximilian, king of the Romans, committed to the keeping of Gerhardus Bacoldianus, his physician, with whom he joined a gentleman of his bedchamber; and at the end of twelve days, finding by their relation, that there could be no juggling in the business he gave her leave to return to her friends

not without great admiration and princely gifts.

3. The like narration we have of Katherine Binder, born in the Palatinate, whom John Casimir, anno Dom. 1585, committed to the search of a divine, a statesman, and two doctors of physic. She is said to have fed only upon air for the space of nine years and more, the account whereof the above-named Lentulus received from Fabritius; and therewith the account of another maid, born in the dukedom of Juliers, who being about the age of fourteen years, was brought to Cullen, and is certainly reported to have taken no kind of meat or drink for the space of at least three years.

4. " But," saith doctor Hakewel," the strangest that I have met with in this kind, is the history of Eve Fleigen, out of Dutch translated into English, and printed at London anno 1611, who being born at Meurs, is said to have taken no kind of sustenance for the space of fourteen years together; that is, from the year of her age twenty-two to thirty-six, and from the year of our Lord 1567 to 1611 and this we have confirmed by the testimony of the magistrates of the town of Meurs; as also by the minister, who made trial of her in his house thrteen days together, by all the means he could devise, but could detect no imposture." Over the picture of this maid, set in front of the Dutch copy, stand these Latin verses:

(2.) Schenck. Observ. 1. 3. p 306. 3. p. 6. Treas. of Times, I. 6. c. 9 Adv 3. p. 6.

6. I knew," saith Poggius, “a man who lived for two years together without any food." And he wrote this in the sixth year of the popedom of Nicholas the Fifth: he professes also to have read of a girl who lived in the same manner for the space of twelve years, in the reign of the emperor Lotharius, anno Dɔm. 1322.

Fame ha

7. Ano Dom. 1539 there lived in Scotland one John Scot, no way commended for his learning, for he had none; nor for his good qualities, which were as few. This man being overthrown in a suit of law, and knowing himself unable to pay that wherein he was adjudged, took sanctuary in the abbey of Holyrood-house, where, out of discontent, he abstained from all meat and drink for the space of thirty or forty days together. ving spread this abroad, the king woulą have it put to trial; and to that effect shut him up in a private room within the castle of Edinburgh, whereunto no man had access. He caused a little water and bread to be set by him, which he was found not to have diminished in the end of thirty-two days. Upon this he was dismissed; and after a short time he went to Rome, where he gave the like proof of his fasting to pope Clement the Seventh; from whence he went to Venice, carry. ing with him a testimony of his long fasting, under the pope's seal; and there also he gave the like proof thereof, After long time returning into England, he went up into the pulpit in Saint Paul's church-yard, where he set forth many speeches against the divorce of king Henry the Eighth from his queen Katherine,

Hak. Apol. Advi Hak. A cela

inveighing bitterly against him for his defection from the see of Rome; whereupon he was thrust into prison, where he continued fasting for the space of fifty days. What his end was I read

not.

8. Hermolaus Barbarus saith, there was a man at Rome that lived forty years. only by sucking in of the air." He was a priest, and was all that time in health.

9. Rondeletius saith, "he saw a girl that, to the tenth year of her age, lived only upon air; and that she was afterwards married and had children.

10. Franciscus Citesius, physician to the king of France and the cardinal Richelieu, in his Opuscula hath a particular treatise concerning Joan Balaam. She was the daughter of John Balaam, a smith; her mother's name was Laurentia Chambela she was born in the city of Conflans, lying upon the borders of Limosin, near the river Vien, of a just stature according to her age; somewhat rude of behaviour. About the eleventh year of her age, which was the thirteenth of the calends of March, anno 1599, she was seized with a continual fever, accompanied with very bad symptoms, amongst the rest a continual vomiting for twenty days together; her fever somewhat reniit ting, she grew speechless, and so continued for the space of twenty-four days. After which her speech returned, but full of raving and incoherence, all motion and sense of the parts below the head began to grow dull and languid; so that the œsophagus itself, the passage for incat and drink, was obstructed, nor from thenceforth could the girl be persuaded to take any food. About six months after she recovered the use of her limbs, only one hip, of which she is somewhat lame to this day; and the inability to swallow remains, whence she hath an extreme hatred to all sorts of meats and

drink; the parts of the belly are all contracted and clung together, the other parts of the body remaining ingood plight, her breasts large, her paps indifferently swelling, her arms and thighs fleshy; ner face somewhat round, but swarthy, her lips reddish, her tongue somewhat contracted, but her speech ready; her hair, and nails, and whole body grows. No excrement proceeds from any part of her body, saving a small spittle, aad a few tears; she has no purgation at her ears, nostrils, or by sweat; the skin of her whole body to the touch is cold and dry: nor is she made hot by any work, except in the arm-pits, and some places adjoining to the heart, though she is wholly employed in running to buy provisions, sweeping of the house, spinning, and such like. This maid continued thus fasting for the space of almost three years entire, and afterwards by degrees returned to her food, and to a good habit of body.

11. Gulielmus Fabritius tells of a Marsiacensian maid, that "she lived above fifteen years without either meat or drink, and that "she was then living when he wrote his book;" which was anno 1612; and promised a larger account of it at further leisure to Paulus Lentulus.

12. Licetus tells of a young maid of Piedmont, that anno 1601 (being then a great girl) was, by the command of the excellent prince Auria, brought to Genoa and there kept almost two months under strict guards; nothing came into her mouth but water, or diluted wine, and confirmed by undoubted experiment that fame that had gone of her fasting for divers years together.

13. "I myself," saith Wierus, “İ speak of it without boasting, have lived four days entire without food or drink ; and could have continued longer; were it not that I apprehended something worse from continual watchings. My brother hath persisted to the eighth day fasting,

without