Naviganti à Pharsa Nonoso, & ad extremam usque insularum delato, tale quid occurrit, vel ipso auditu admirandum. Incidit enim in quosdam forma quidem & figura humana, sed brevissimos, & cutem nigros, totúmque pilosos corpus. Sequebantur viros æquales foeminæ, & pueri adhuc breviores. Nudi omnes agunt, pelle tantum brevi adultiores verenda tecti, viri pariter ac foeminæ: agreste nihil, neque efferum quid præ se ferentes. Quin & vox illis humana, sed omnibus, etiam accolis, prorsus ignota lingua, multoque amplius Nonosi sociis. Vivunt marinis ostreis, & piscibus è mari ad insulam projectis. Audaces minime sunt, ut nostris conspectis hominibus, quemadmodum nos visa ingenti fera, metu perculsi fuerint.
'ThatNonnosussailing fromPharsa, when he came to the farthermost of the Islands, a thing, very strange to be heard of, happened to him; for he lighted on some (Animals) in shape and appearance likeMen, but little of stature, and of a black colour, and thick covered with hair all over their Bodies. The Women, who were of the same stature, followed the Men: They were all naked, only the Elder of them, both Men and Women, covered their Privy Parts with a small Skin. They seemed not at all fierce or wild; they had a Humane Voice, but theirDialectwas altogether unknown to every Body that lived about them; much more to those that were withNonnosus. They liv'd upon Sea Oysters, and Fish that were cast out of the Sea, upon the Island. They had no Courage; for seeing our Men, they were frighted, as we are at the sight of the greatest wild Beast.'
[Greek:phonaen eichon men anthropinaen] I render here,they had a Humane Voice, notSpeech: for had they spoke any Language, tho' theirDialectmight be somewhat different, yet no doubt but some of the Neighbourhood would have understood something of it, and not have been such utter Strangers to it. Now 'twas observed of theOrang-Outang, that it'sVoicewas like the Humane, and it would make a Noise like a Child, but never was observed to speak, tho' it had theOrgansofSpeechexactly formed as they are inMan; and no Account that ever has been given of this Animal do's pretend that ever it did. I should rather agree to whatPliny[A] mentions,Quibusdam pro Sermone nutus motusque Membrorum est; and that they had no more a Speech thanCtesiashisCynocephaliwhich could only bark, as the samePliny[B] remarks; where he saith,In multis autem Montibus Genus Hominum Capitibus Caninis, ferarum pellibus velari, pro voce latratum edere, unguibus armatum venatu & Aucupio vesci, horum supra Centum viginti Millia fuisse prodente se Ctesias scribit.But inPhotiusI find, thatCtesias's Cynocephalidid speak theIndian Languageas well as thePygmies. Those therefore inNonnosussince they did not speak theIndian, I doubt, spoke noLanguageat all; or at least, no more than otherBrutesdo.
[Footnote A:Plinij Nat. Hist.lib. 6. cap. 30. p.m. 741.]
[Footnote B:Plinij. Nat. Hist.lib. 7. cap. 2. p.m. 11.]
CtesiasI find is the only Author that ever understood what Language 'twas that thePygmiesspake: ForHerodotus[A] owns that they use a sort of Tongue like to no other, but screech likeBats. He saith, [Greek: Hoi Garamantes outoi tous troglodytas Aithiopas thaereuousi toisi tetrippoisi. Hoi gar Troglodytai aithiopes podas tachistoi anthropon panton eisi, ton hymeis peri logous apopheromenous akouomen. Siteontai de hoi Troglodytai ophis, kai Saurous, kai ta toiauta ton Herpeton. Glossan de oudemiaei allaei paromoiaen nenomikasi, alla tetrygasi kathaper hai nukterides;] i.e.TheseGaramanteshunt theTroglodyte Æthiopiansin Chariots with four Horses. TheTroglodyte Æthiopiansare the swiftest of foot of all Men that ever he heard of by any Report. TheTroglodyteseat Serpents and Lizards, and such sort of Reptiles. They use a Language like to no other Tongue, but screech like Bats.
[Footnote A:Herodot. in Melpomene.pag. 283.]
Now that thePygmiesareTroglodytes, or do live in Caves, is plain fromAristotle,[A] who saith, [Greek: Troglodytai de' eisi ton bion]. And soPhilostratus,[B] [Greek: Tous de pygmaious oikein men hypogeious]. And methinksLe Compte's Relation concerning thewildorsavage ManinBorneo, agrees so well with this, that I shall transcribe it: for he tells us,[C]That inBorneothiswildorsavage Manis indued with extraordinary strength; and not withstanding he walks but upon two Legs, yet he is so swift of foot, that they have much ado to outrun him. People of Quality course him, as we do Stags here: and this sort of hunting is the King's usual divertisement.AndGassendusin the Life ofPeiresky, tells us they commonly hunt them too inAngolainAfrica, as I have already mentioned. So that very likelyHerodotus's Troglodyte Æthiopiansmay be no other than ourOrang-Outangorwild Man. And the rather, because I fancy their Language is much the same: for anApewill chatter, and make a noise like aBat, as hisTroglodytesdid: And they undergo to this day the same Fate of being hunted, as formerly theTroglodytesused to be by theGaramantes.
[Footnote A:Arist. Hist. Animal., lib. 8. cap. 15. p.m. 913.]
[Footnote B:Philostrat. in vita Appollon. Tyanæi, lib. 3. cap. 14. p.m. 152.]
[Footnote C:Lewis le CompteMemoirs and Observations onChina, p.m. 510.]
Whether those [Greek: andras mikrous metrion elassonas andron] which theNasamonesmet with (asHerodotus[A] relates) in their Travels to discoverLibya, were thePygmies; I will not determine: It seems thatNasamonesneither understood their Language, nor they that of theNasamones. However, they were so kind to theNasamonesas to be their Guides along the Lakes, and afterwards brought them to a City, [Greek: en taei pantas einai toisi agousi to megethos isous, chroma de melanas], i.e.in which all were of the same stature with the Guides, and black. Now since they were alllittle black Men, and their Language could not be understood, I do suspect they may be a Colony of thePygmies: And that they were no farther Guides to theNasamones, than that being frighted at the sight of them, they ran home, and theNasamonesfollowed them.
[Footnote A:Herodotus in Euterpeseu lib. 2. p.m. 102.]
I do not find therefore any good Authority, unless you will reckonCtesiasas such, that thePygmiesever used a Language or Speech, any more than otherBrutesof the sameSpeciesdo among themselves, and that we know nothing of, whateverDemocritusandMelampodesinPliny,[A] orApollonius TyanæusinPorphyry[B] might formerly have done. Had thePygmiesever spoke anyLanguageintelligible by Mankind, this might have furnished ourHistorianswith notable Subjects for theirNovels; and no doubt but we should have had plenty of them.
[Footnote A:Plinij Nat. Hist.lib. 10. cap. 49.]
[Footnote B:Porphyrius de Abstinentia, lib. 3. pag. m. 103.]
ButAlbertus Magnus, who was so lucky as to guess that thePygmieswere a sort ofApes; that he should afterwards make theseApestospeak, was very unfortunate, and spoiled all; and he do's it, methinks, so very awkwardly, that it is as difficult almost to understand his Language as hisApes; if the Reader has a mind to attempt it, he will find it in the Margin.[A]
[Footnote A:Si qui Homines sunt Silvestres, sicut Pygmeus, non secundum unam rationem nobiscum dicti sunt Homines, sed aliquod habent Hominis in quadam deliberatione & Loquela, &c.A little after adds,Voces quædam (sc. Animalia) formant ad diversos conceptus quos habent, sicut Homo & Pygmæus; & quædam non faciunt hoc, sicut multitudo fere tota aliorum Animalium. Adhuc autem eorum quæ ex ratione cogitativa formant voces, quædam sunt succumbentia, quædam autem non succumbentia. Dico autem succumbentia, à conceptu Animæ cadentia & mota ad Naturæ Instinctum, sicut Pygmeus, qui non, sequitur rationem Loquelæ sed Naturæ Instinctum; Homo autem non succumbit sed sequitur rationem.Albert. Magn. de Animal. lib. 1. cap. 3. p.m. 3.]
HadAlbertusonly asserted, that thePygmieswere a sort ofApes, his Opinion possibly might have obtained with less difficulty, unless he could have produced some Body that had heard them talk. ButUlysses Aldrovandus[A] is so far from believing hisApe Pygmiesever spoke, that he utterly denies, that there were ever any such Creatures in being, as thePygmies, at all; or that they ever fought theCranes.Cum itaque Pygmæos(saith he)dari negemus, Grues etiam cum iis Bellum gerere, ut fabulantur, negabimus, & tam pertinaciter id negabimus, ut ne jurantibus credemus.
[Footnote A:Ulys. Aldrovandi Ornitholog.lib. 20. p.m. 344.]
I find a great many very Learned Men are of this Opinion: And in the first place,Strabo[A] is very positive; [Greek: Heorakos men gar oudeis exaegeitai ton pisteos axion andron;] i.e.No Man worthy of belief did ever see them. And upon all occasions he declares the same. SoJulius Cæsar Scaliger[B] makes them to be only a Fiction of the Ancients,At hæc omnia(saith he)Antiquorum figmenta & meræ Nugæ, si exstarent, reperirentur. At cum universus Orbis nunc nobis cognitus sit, nullibi hæc Naturæ Excrementa reperiri certissimum est.AndIsaac Casaubon[C] ridicules such as pretend to justifie them:Sic nostra ætate(saith he)non desunt, qui eandem de Pygmæis lepidam fabellam renovent; ut qui etiam è Sacris Literis, si Deo placet, fidem illis conentur astruere. Legi etiam Bergei cujusdam Galli Scripta, qui se vidisse diceret. At non ego credulus illi, illi inquam Omnium Bipedum mendacissimo.I shall add one Authority more, and that is ofAdrian Spigelius,who produces a Witness that had examined the very place, where thePygmieswere said to be; yet upon a diligent enquiry, he could neither find them, nor hear any tidings of them.[D]Spigeliustherefore tells us,Hoc loco de Pygmæis dicendum erat, qui [Greek: para pygonos] dicti à statura, quæ ulnam non excedunt. Verùm ego Poetarum fabulas esse crediderim, pro quibus tamenAristotelesminimè haberi vult, sed veram esse Historiam.8. Hist. Animal. 12.asseverat. Ego quo minùs hoc statuam, tum Authoritate primùm DoctissimiStrabonis I. Geograph.coactus sum, tum potissimùm nunc moveor, quod nostro tempore, quo nulla Mundi pars est, quam Nautarum Industria non perlustrarit, nihil tamen, unquam simile aut visum est, aut auditum. Accedit quodFranciscus AlvarezLusitanus, qui ea ipsa loca peragravit, circa quæ Aristoteles Pygmæos esse scribit, nullibi tamen tam parvam Gentem à se conspectam tradidit, sed Populum esse Mediocris staturæ, &Æthiopestradit.
[Footnote A:Strabo Geograph.lib. 17. p.m. 565.]
[Footnote B:Jul. Cæs. Scaliger. Comment. in Arist. Hist. Animal.lib. 8. § 126. p.m. 914.]
[Footnote C:Isaac Causabon Notæ & Castigat. inlib. 1.StrabonisGeograph.p.m. 38.]
[Footnote D:Adrian. Spigelij de Corporis Humani fabrica, lib. 1. cap. 7. p.m. 15.]
I think my self therefore here obliged to make out, that there were such Creatures asPygmies, before I determine what they were, since the very being of them is called in question, and utterly denied by so great Men, and by others too that might be here produced. Now in the doing this,Aristotle's Assertion of them is so very positive, that I think there needs not a greater or better Proof; and it is so remarkable a one, that I find the very Enemies to this Opinion at a loss, how to shift it off. To lessen it's Authority they have interpolated theText, by foisting into theTranslationwhat is not in the Original; or by not translating at all the most material passage, that makes against them; or by miserably glossing it, to make him speak what he never intended: Such unfair dealings plainly argue, that at any rate they are willing to get rid of a Proof, that otherwise they can neither deny, or answer.
Aristotle's Text is this, which I shall give withTheodorus Gaza'sTranslation: for discoursing of the Migration of Birds, according to the Season of the Year, from one Country to another, he saith:[A]
[Footnote A:Aristotel. Hist. Animal.lib. 8. cap. 12.]
[Greek: Meta men taen phthinoporinaen Isaemerian, ek tou Pontou kaiton psychron pheugonta ton epionta cheimona; meta de taen earinaen, ek ton therinon, eis tous topous tous psychrous, phoboumena ta kaumata; ta men, kai ek ton engus topon poioumena tas metabolas, ta de, kai ek ton eschaton hos eipein, hoion hai geranoi poiousi. Metaballousi gar ek ton Skythikon eis ta helae ta ano taes Aigyptou, othen ho Neilos rhei. Esti de ho topos outos peri on hoi pigmaioi katoikousin; ou gar esti touto mythos, all' esti kata taen alaetheian. Genos mikron men, hosper legetai, kai autoi kai hoi hippoi; Troglodytai d' eisi ton bion.]
Tam ab Autumnali Æquinoctio ex Ponto, Locisque frigidis fugiunt Hyemem futuram. A Verno autem ex tepida Regione ad frigidam sese conferunt, æstus metu futuri: & alia de locis vicinis discedunt, alia de ultimis, prope dixerim, ut Grues faciunt, quæ ex Scythicis Campis ad Paludes Ægypto superiores, unde Nilus profluit, veniunt, quo in loco pugnare cum Pygmæis dicuntur. Non enim id fabula est, sed certe, genus tum hominum, tum etiam Equorum pusillum (ut dicitur) est, deguntque in Cavernis, unde Nomen Troglodytæ a subeundis Cavernis accepere.
In English 'tis thus: 'At theAutumnal Æquinoxthey go out ofPontusand the cold Countreys to avoid the Winter that is coming on. At theVernal Æquinoxthey pass from hot Countreys into cold ones, for fear of the ensuing heat; some making their Migrations from nearer places; others from the most remote (as I may say) as theCranesdo: for they come out ofScythiato the Lakes aboveÆgypt, whence theNiledo's flow. This is the place, whereabout thePygmiesdwell: For this is noFable, but aTruth. Both they and the Horses, as 'tis said, are a small kind. They areTroglodytes, or live in Caves.'
We may here observe how positive thePhilosopheris, that there arePygmies; he tells us where they dwell, and that 'tis no Fable, but a Truth. ButTheodorus Gazahas been unjust in translating him, by foisting in,Quo in loco pugnare cum Pygmæis dicuntur, whereas there is nothing in the Text that warrants it: As likewise, where he expresses the little Stature of thePygmiesand the Horses, thereGazahas rendered it,Sed certè Genus tum Hominum, tum etiam Equorum pusillum.Aristotleonly saith, [Greek: Genos mikron men hosper legetai, kai autoi, kai hoi hippoi]. He neither makes hisPygmies Men, nor saith any thing of their fighting theCranes; tho' here he had a fair occasion, discoursing of the Migration of theCranesout ofScythiato theLakesaboveÆgypt, where he tells us thePygmiesare. Cardan[A] therefore must certainly be out in his guess, thatAristotleonly asserted thePygmiesout of Complement to his friendHomer; for surely then he would not have forgot their fight with theCranes; upon which occasion onlyHomermentions them.[B] I should rather think thatAristotle, being sensible of the many Fables that had been raised on this occasion, studiously avoided the mentioning this fight, that he might not give countenance to the Extravagant Relations that had been made of it.
[Footnote A:Cardan de Rerum varietate, lib. 8. cap. 40. p.m. 153.]
[Footnote B:Apparet ergo(saithCardan) Pygmæorum Historiam esse fabulosam, quod &_ Strabo _sentit & nosira ætas, cum omnia nunc fermè orbis mirabilia innotuerint, declarat. Sed quod tantum Philosophum decepit, fuit Homeri Auctoritas non apud illium levis.]
But I wonder that neitherCasaubonnorDuvallin their Editions ofAristotle's Works, should have taken notice of these Mistakes ofGaza, and corrected them. AndGesner, andAldrovandus, and several other Learned Men, in quoting this place ofAristotle, do make use of this faulty Translation, which must necessarily lead them into Mistakes.Sam. Bochartus[A] tho' he givesAristotle's Text in Greek, and adds a new Translation of it, he leaves out indeed theCranesfighting with thePygmies, yet makes themMen, whichAristotledo's not; and by anti-placing,ut aiunt, he rendersAristotle's Assertion more dubious;Neque enim(saith he in the Translation)id est fabula, sed reverâ, ut aiunt, Genus ibi parvum est tam Hominum quàm Equorum. Julius Cæsar Scaligerin translating this Text ofAristotle, omits both these Interpretations ofGaza; but on the other hand is no less to be blamed in not translating at all the most remarkable passage, and where the Philosopher seems to be so much in earnest; as, [Greek: ou gar esti touto mythos, all' esti kata taen alaetheian], this he leaves wholly out, without giving us his reason for it, if he had any: And Scaliger's[B] insinuation in his Comment,viz. Negat esse fabulam de his (sc. Pygmeis)Herodotus,at Philosophus semper moderatus & prudens etiam addidit, [Greek: hosper legetai], is not to be allowed. Nor can I assent to SirThomas Brown's[C] remark upon this place;Where indeed(saith he) Aristotleplays theAristotle;that is, the wary and evading asserter; for tho' withnon est fabulahe seems at first to confirm it, yet at last he claps in,sicut aiunt,and shakes the belief he placed before upon it. And thereforeScaliger (saith he)hath not translated the first, perhaps supposing it surreptitious, or unworthy so great an Assertor.But hadScaligerknown it to be surreptitious, no doubt but he would have remarked it; and then there had been some Colour for the Gloss. But 'tis unworthy to be believed ofAristotle, who was so wary and cautious, that he should in so short a passage, contradict himself: and after he had so positively affirmed the Truth of it, presently doubt it. His [Greek: hosper legetai] therefore must have a Reference to what follows,Pusillum genus, ut aiunt, ipsi atque etiam Equi, asScaligerhimself translates it.
[Footnote A:Bocharti Hierozoic. S. de Animalib. S. Script. part.Posterior. lib. 1. cap. 11. p.m. 76.]
[Footnote B:Scaliger. Comment. in Arist. Hist. Animal.lib. 8. p.m. 914.]
[Footnote C: SirThomas Brown'sPseudodoxia, or,Enquiries intoVulgar Errors, lib. 4. cap. 11.]
I do not here findAristotleasserting or confirming any thing of the fabulous Narrations that had been made about thePygmies. He does not say that they were [Greek: andres], or [Greek: anthropoi mikroi], or [Greek: melanes]; he only calls them [Greek: pygmaioi]. And discoursing of thePygmiesin a place, where he is only treating aboutBrutes, 'tis reasonable to think, that he looked upon them only as such.This is the place where thePygmiesare; this is no fable,saith Aristotle, as 'tis that they are a Dwarfish Race of Men; that they speak theIndianLanguage; that they are excellent Archers; that they are very Just; and abundance of other Things that are fabulously reported of them; and because he thought themFables, he does not take the least notice of them, but only saith,This is no Fable, but a Truth, that about the Lakes ofNile suchAnimals, as are calledPygmies, do live. And, as if he had foreseen, that the abundance of Fables thatCtesias(whom he saith is not to be believed) and theIndian Historianshad invented about them, would make the whole Story to appear as a Figment, and render it doubtful, whether there were ever such Creatures asPygmiesin Nature; he more zealously asserts theBeingof them, and assures us, Thatthis is no Fable, but a Truth.
I shall therefore now enquire what sort of Creatures thesePygmieswere; and hope so to manage the Matter, as in a great measure, to abate the Passion these Great Men have had against them: for, no doubt, what has incensed them the most, was, the fabulousHistoriansmaking them a part ofMankind, and then inventing a hundred ridiculous Stories about them, which they would impose upon the World as real Truths. If therefore they have Satisfaction given them in these two Points, I do not see, but that the Business may be accommodated very fairly; and that they may be allowed to bePygmies, tho' we do not make themMen.
For I am not ofGesner's mind,Sed veterum nullus(saith he[A])aliter de Pygmæis scripsit, quàm Homunciones esse. Had they been a Race ofMen, no doubt butAristotlewould have informed himself farther about them. Such a Curiosity could not but have excited his InquisitiveGenius, to a stricter Enquiry and Examination; and we might easily have expected from him a larger Account of them. But finding them, it may be, a sort ofApes, he only tells us, that in such a place thesePygmieslive.
[Footnote A:Gesner. Histor. Quadruped.p.m. 885.]
Herodotus[A] plainly makes themBrutes: For reckoning up theAnimalsofLibya, he tells us, [Greek: Kai gar hoi ophies hoi hypermegathees, kai hoi leontes kata toutous eisi, kai hoi elephantes te kai arktoi, kai aspides te kai onoi hoi ta kerata echontes; kai hoi kynokephaloi (akephaloi) hoi en toisi staethesi tous ophthalmous echontes (hos dae legetai ge hypo libyon) kai agrioi andres, kai gynaikes agriai kai alla plaethei polla thaeria akatapseusta;] i.e.That there are here prodigious large Serpents, and Lions, and Elephants, and Bears, and Asps, and Asses that have horns, and Cynocephali,(in the Margin 'tisAcephali)that have Eyes in their Breast, (as is reported by the Libyans) and wild Men, and wild Women, and a great many other wild Beasts that are not fabulous.Tis evident therefore thatHerodotushis [Greek: agrioi andres, kai gynaikes agriai] are only [Greek: thaeria] or wild Beasts: and tho' they are called [Greek: andres], they are no moreMenthan ourOrang-Outang, orHomoSylvestris, orwild Man, which has exactly the same Name, and I must confess I can't but think is the same Animal: and that the same Name has been continued down to us, from his Time, and it may be fromHomer's.
[Footnote A:Herodot. Melpomene seulib. 4. p.m. 285.]
SoPhilostratusspeaking ofÆthiopiaandÆgypt, tells us,[A] [Greek: Boskousi de kai thaeria hoia ouch heterothi; kai anthropous melanas, ho mae allai aepeiroi. Pygmaion te en autais ethnae kai hylaktounton allo allaei.] i.e.Here are bred wild Beasts that are not in other places; and black Men, which no other Country affords: and amongst them is the Nation of the Pygmies, and theBARKERS, that is, theCynocephali.For tho'Philostratusis pleased here only to call themBarkers, and to reckon them, as he does theBlack Menand thePygmiesamongst thewild Beastsof those Countreys; yetCtesias, from whomPhilostratushas borrowed a great deal of hisNatural History, stiles themMen, and makes them speak, and to perform most notable Feats in Merchandising. But not being in a merry Humour it may be now, before he was aware, he speaks Truth: ForCælius Rhodiginus's[B] Character of him is,Philostratus omnium qui unquam Historiam conscripserunt, mendacissimus.
[Footnote A:Philostratus in vita Apollon. Tyanæi, lib. 6. cap. 1. p.m. 258.]
[Footnote B:Cælij Rhodigini Lection. Antiq.lib. 17. cap. 13.]
Since thePygmiestherefore are some of theBrute Beaststhat naturally breed in these Countries, and they are pleased to let us know as much, I can easily excuse them a Name. [Greek: Andres agrioi], orOrang-Outang, is alike to me; and I am better pleased withHomer's [Greek: andres pygmaioi], than if he had called [Greek: pithaekoi]. Had this been the only Instance where they had misapplied the Name ofMan, methinks I could be so good natur'd, as in some measure to make an Apology for them. But finding them, so extravagantly loose, so wretchedly whimsical, in abusing the Dignity of Mankind, by giving the name ofManto such monstrous Productions of their idle Imaginations, as theIndian Historianshave done, I do not wonder that wise Men have suspected all that comes out of their Mint, to be false and counterfeit.
Such are their [Greek: Amykteres] or [Greek: Arrines], that want Noses, and have only two holes above their Mouth; they eat all things, but they must be raw; they are short lived; the upper part of their Mouths is very prominent. The [Greek: Enotokeitai], whose Ears reach down to their Heels, on which they lye and sleep. The [Greek: Astomoi], that have no Mouths, a civil sort of People, that dwell about the Head of theGanges; and live upon smelling to boil'd Meats and the Odours of Fruits and Flowers; they can bear no ill scent, and therefore can't live in a Camp. The [Greek: Monommatoi] or [Greek: Monophthalmoi], that have but one Eye, and that in the middle of their Foreheads: they have Dog's Ears; their Hair stands an end, but smooth on the Breasts. The [Greek: Sternophthalmoi], that have Eyes in their Breasts. The [Greek: Panai sphaenokephaloi] with Heads like Wedges. The [Greek: Makrokephaloi], with great Heads. The [Greek: hyperboreoi], who live a Thousand years. The [Greek: okypodes], so swift that they will out-run a Horse. The [Greek: opiothodaktyloi], that go with their Heels forward, and their Toes backwards. The [Greek: Makroskeleis], The [Greek: Steganopodes], The [Greek: Monoskeleis], who have one Leg, but will jump a great way, and are call'dSciapodes, because when they lye on their Backs, with thisLegthey can keep off the Sun from their Bodies.
NowStrabo[A] from whom I have collected the Description of these Monstrous sorts ofMen, and they are mentioned too byPliny, Solinus, Mela, Philostratus, and others; andMunsterin hisCosmography[B] has given afigureof some of them;Strabo, I say, who was an Enemy to all such fabulous Relations, no doubt was prejudiced likewise against thePygmies, because theseHistorianshad made them a Puny Race ofMen, and invented so many Romances about them. I can no ways therefore blame him for denying, that there were ever any suchMen Pygmies; and do readily agree with him, that noManever saw them: and am so far from dissenting from those Great Men, who have denied them on this account, that I think they have all the reason in the World on their side. And to shew how ready I am to close with them in this Point, I will here examine the contrary Opinion, and what Reasons they give for the supporting it: For there have been someModerns, as well as theAncients, that have maintained that thesePygmieswere realMen. And this they pretend to prove, both fromHumane AuthorityandDivine.
[Footnote A:Strabo Geograph.lib. 15. p.m. 489. & lib. 2. p. 48.& alibi.]
[Footnote B:Munster Cosmograph.lib. 6. p. 1151.]
Now byMen Pygmieswe are by no means to understandDwarfs. In all Countries, and in all Ages, there has been now and then observed suchMinitureof Mankind, or under-sized Men.Cardan[A] tells us he saw one carried about in a Parrot's Cage, that was but a Cubit high.Nicephorus[B] tells us, that inTheodosiusthe Emperour's time, there was one inÆgyptthat was no bigger than a Partridge; yet what was to be admired, he was very Prudent, had a sweet clear Voice, and a generous Mind; and lived Twenty Years. So likewise a King ofPortugalsent to a Duke ofSavoy, when he married his Daughter to him, anÆthiopian Dwarfbut three Palms high.[C] AndThevenot[D] tells us of the Present made by the King of theAbyssins, to theGrand Seignior, of severallittle black Slavesout ofNubia, and the Countries nearÆthiopia, which being madeEunuchs, were to guard the Ladies of theSeraglio. And a great many such like Relations there are. But these being onlyDwarfs, they must not be esteemed thePygmieswe are enquiring about, which are represented as aNation, and the whole Race of them to be of the like stature.Dari tamen integras Pumilionum Gentes, tam falsum est, quàm quod falsissimum, saithHarduin.[E]
[Footnote A:Cardan de subtilitate, lib. 11. p. 458.]
[Footnote B:Nicephor. Histor. Ecclesiiast.lib. 12. cap. 37.]
[Footnote C:Happelius in Relat. curiosis, No. 85. p. 677.]
[Footnote D:Thevenot. Voyage de Levant.lib. 2. c. 68.]
[Footnote E:Jo. Harduini Notæ in Plinij Nat. Hist.lib. 6. cap. 22. p. 688.]
Neither likewise must it be granted, that tho' in someClimatesthere might beMengenerally of less stature, than what are to be met with in other Countries, that they are presentlyPygmies.Naturehas not fixed the same standard to the growth ofMankindin all Places alike, no more than toBrutesorPlants. The Dimensions of them all, according to theClimate, may differ. If we consult the Original,viz. Homerthat first mentioned thePygmies, there are only these twoCharacteristicshe gives of them. That they are [Greek: Pygmaioi]seu Cubitales; and that theCranesdid use to fight them. 'Tis true, as aPoet, he calls them [Greek: andres], which I have accounted for before. Now if there cannot be found suchMenas areCubitales, that theCranesmight probably fight with, notwithstanding all the Romances of theIndian Historians, I cannot think thesePygmiesto beMen, but they must be some otherAnimals, or the whole must be a Fiction.
Having premised this, we will now enquire into their Assertion that maintain thePygmiesto be a Race ofMen. Now because there have beenGiantsformerly, that have so much exceeded the usual Stature ofMan, that there must be likewisePygmiesas defective in the other extream from this Standard, I think is no conclusive Argument, tho' made use of by some. OldCaspar Bartholine[A] tells us, that becauseJ. Cassaniusand others had wrotede Gygantibus, since no Body else had undertaken it, he would give us a Bookde Pygmæis; and since he makes it his design to prove the Existence ofPygmies, and that thePygmieswereMen, I must confess I expected great Matters from him.
[Footnote A:Caspar. Bartholin. Opusculum de Pygmæis.]
But I do not find he has informed us of any thing more of them, than whatJo. Talentonius, a Professor formerly atParma, had told us before in hisVariarum & Reconditarum Rerum Thesaurus,[A] from whom he has borrowed most of thisTract. He has made it a little more formal indeed, by dividing it intoChapters; of which I will give you theTitles; and as I see occasion, some Remarks thereon: They will not be many, because I have prevented my self already. Thefirst Chapteris,De Homuncionibus & Pumilionilus seu Nanis à Pygmæis distinctis. Thesecond Chapter, De Pygmæi nominibus & Etymologia. Thethird Chapter, Duplex esse Pygmæorum Genus; & primum Genus aliquando dari. He meansDwarfs, that are noPygmiesat all. Thefourth Chapteris,Alterum Genus, nempe Gentem Pygmæorum esse, aut saltem aliquando fuisse Autoritatibus Humanis, fide tamen dignorum asseritur. 'Tis as I find it printed; and no doubt an Error in the printing. The Authorities he gives, are,Homer, Ctesias, Aristotle, Philostratus, Pliny, Juvenal, Oppian, Baptista Mantuan, St.Austinand hisScholiast. Ludovic. Vives, Jo. Laurentius Anania, Joh. Cassanius, Joh. Talentonius, Gellius, Pomp. Mela, andOlaus Magnus. I have taken notice of most of them already, as I shall of St.AustinandLudovicus Vivesby and by.Jo. Laurentius Anania[B] ex Mercatorum relatione tradit (saithBartholine) eos(sc. Pygmæos) in Septentrionali Thraciæ Parte reperiri, (quæ Scythiæ est proxima) atque ibi cum Gruibus pugnare. AndJoh. Cassanius[C] (as he is here quoted) saith,De Pygmæis fabulosa quidem esse omnia, quæ de iis narrari solent, aliquando existimavi. Verùm cum videam non unum vel alterum, sed complures Classicos & probatos Autores de his Homunculis multa in eandem fere Sententiam tradidisse; eò adducor ut Pygmæos fuisse inficiari non ausim.He next brings inJo. Talentonius, to whom he is so much beholden, and quotes his Opinion, which is full and home,Constare arbitror(saithTalentonius)[D]debere concedi, Pygmæos non solùm olim fuisse, sed nunc etiam esse, & homines esse, nec parvitatem illis impedimenta esse quo minùs sint & homines sint.But were there suchMen Pygmiesnow in being, no doubt but we must have heard of them; some or other of our Saylors, in their Voyages, would have lighted on them. Tho'Aristotleis here quoted, yet he does not make themMen; So neither doesAnania: And I must own, tho'Talentoniusbe of this Opinion, yet he takes notice of the faulty Translation of this Text ofAristotlebyGaza: and tho' the parvity or lowness of Stature, be no Impediment, because we have frequently seen suchDwarf-Men, yet we did never see aNationof them: For then there would be no need of thatTalmudicalPrecept whichJob. Ludolphus[E] mentions,Nanus ne ducat Nanam, ne fortè oriatur ex iis Digitalis(inBechor. fol. 45).
[Footnote A:Jo. Talentionij. Variar. & Recondit. Rerum. Thesaurus.lib. 3. cap. 21.]
[Footnote B:Joh. Laurent. Anania prope finem tractatus primi suæGeograph.]
[Footnote C:Joh. Cassanius libello de Gygantibus, p. 73.]
[Footnote D:Jo. Talentonius Variar. & recondit. Rerum Thesaurus, lib. 3. cap. 21. p.m. 515.]
[Footnote E:Job Ludolphi Comment. in Historiam Æthiopic.p.m. 71.]
I had almost forgottenOlaus Magnus, whomBartholinementions in the close of this Chapter, but lays no great stress upon his Authority, because he tells us, he is fabulous in a great many other Relations, and he writes but by hear-say, that theGreenlandersfight theCranes;Tandem(saithBartholine)neque ideo Pygmæi sunt, si fortè sagittis & hastis, sicut alij homines, Grues conficiunt & occidunt.This I think is great Partiality: ForCtesias, an Author whom upon all turnsBartholinemakes use of as an Evidence, is very positive, that thePygmieswere excellentArchers: so that he himself owns, that their being such, illustrates very much thatTextinEzekiel, on which he spends good part of the nextChapter, whose Title is,Pygmæorum Gens ex Ezekiele, atque rationibus probabilibus adstruitur; which we will consider by and by. And tho'Olaus Magnusmay write some things by hear-say, yet he cannot be so fabulous asCtesias, who (asLuciantells us) writes what he neither saw himself, or heard from any Body else. Not that I thinkOlaus MagnushisGreenlanderswere realPygmies, no more thanCtesiashisPygmieswere realMen; tho' he vouches very notably for them. And if all that have copied this Fable fromCtesias, must be look'd upon as the same Evidence with himself; the number of theTestimoniesproduced need not much concern us, since they must all stand or fall with him.
Theprobable ReasonsthatBartholinegives in thefifth Chapter, are taken from otherAnimals, as Sheep, Oxen, Horses, Dogs, theIndian Formicaand Plants: For observing in the sameSpeciessome excessive large, and others extreamly little, he infers,Quæ certè cum in Animalibus & Vegetabilibus fiant; cur in Humana specie non sit probabile, haud video: imprimis cum detur magnitudinis excessus Gigantæus; cur non etiam dabitur Defectus? Quia ergo dantur Gigantes, dabuntur & Pygmæi. Quam consequentiam ut firmam, admittit Cardanus,[A] licet de Pygmæis hoc tantùm concedat, qui pro miraculo, non pro Gente.Now Cardan, tho' he allows this Consequence, yet in the same place he gives several Reasons why thePygmiescould not beMen, and looks upon the whole Story as fabulous.Bartholineconcludes thisChapterthus:Ulteriùs ut Probabilitatem fulciamus, addendum Sceleton Pygmæi, quodDresdævidimus inter alia plurima, servatum in Arce sereniss.Electoris Saxoniæ,altitudine infra Cubitum, Ossium soliditate, proportioneque tum Capitis, tum aliorum; ut Embrionem, aut Artificiale quid Nemo rerum peritus suspicari possit. Addita insuper est InscriptioVeri Pygmæi. I hereupon looked into Dr.Brown's Travels into those Parts, who has given us a large Catalogue of the Curiosities, theElectorofSaxonyhad atDresden, but did not find amongst them thisSceleton; which, by the largeness of the Head, I suspect to be theSceletonof anOrang-Outang, or ourwild Man. But had he given us either a figure of it, or a more particular Description, it had been a far greater Satisfaction.
[Footnote A:Cardan. de Rerum varietate, lib. 8. cap. 40.]
The Title ofBartholine'ssixth Chapteris,Pygmæos esse aut fuisse ex variis eorum adjunctis, accidentibus, &c.ab Authoribus descriptis ostenditur. As first, theirMagnitude: which he mentions fromCtesias, Pliny, Gellius, andJuvenal; and tho' they do not all agree exactly, 'tis nothing.Autorum hic dissensus nullus est(saithBartholine)etenim sicut in nostris hominibus, ita indubiè in Pygmæis non omnes ejusdem magnitudinis.2. ThePlaceandCountry: AsCtesias(he saith) places them in the middle ofIndia;AristotleandPlinyat the Lakes aboveÆgypt;Homer'sScholiastin the middle ofÆgypt;Plinyat another time saith they are at the Head of theGanges, and sometimes atGerania, which is inThracia, which being nearScythia, confirms (he saith)Anania's Relation.Melaplaces them at theArabian Gulf; andPaulus Jovius docet Pygmæos ultra Japonem esse; and adds,has Autorum dissensiones facile fuerit conciliare; nec mirum diversas relationes à, Plinioauditas.For (saith he) as theTartarsoften change their Seats, since they do not live in Houses, but in Tents, so 'tis no wonder that thePygmiesoften change theirs, since instead of Houses, they live in Caves or Huts, built of Mud, Feathers, and Egg-shells. And this mutation of their Habitations he thinks is very plain fromPliny, where speaking ofGerania, he saith,Pygmæorum Gensfuisse(non jam esse) proditur, creduntque à Gruibus fugatos.Which passage (saithBartholine) hadAdrian Spigeliusconsidered, he would not so soon have leftAristotle'sOpinion, becauseFranc. AlvaresthePortuguesedid not find them in the place whereAristotleleft them; for theCranes, it may be, had driven them thence. His third Article is, theirHabitation, whichAristotlesaith is inCaves; hence they areTroglodytes.Plinytells us they build Huts with Mud, Feathers, and Egg-shells. But whatBartholineadds,Eò quod Terræ Cavernas inhabitent, non injuriâ dicti sunt olim Pygmæi, Terræ filii, is wholly new to me, and I have not met with it in any Author before: tho' he gives us here several other significations of the wordTerræ filijfrom a great many Authors, which I will not trouble you at present with. 4. TheForm, being flat nosed and ugly, asCtesias. 5. TheirSpeech, which was the same as theIndians, asCtesias; and for this I find he has no other Author. 6. TheirHair; where he quotesCtesiasagain, that they make use of it forClothes. 7. TheirVertues and Arts; as that they use the same Laws as theIndians, are very just, excellent Archers, and that the King ofIndiahas Three thousand of them in his Guards. All fromCtesias. 8. TheirAnimals, as inCtesias; and here are mentioned their Sheep, Oxen, Asses, Mules, and Horses. 9. Their variousActions; as whatCtesiasrelates of their killing Hares and Foxes with Crows, Eagles, &c. and fighting theCranes, asHomer, Pliny, Juvenal.
Theseventh ChapterinBartholinehas a promising Title,An Pygmæi sint homines, and I expected here something more to our purpose; but I find he rather endeavours to answer the Reasons of those that would make themApes, than to lay down any of his own to prove themMen. AndAlbertus Magnus'sOpinion he thinks absurd, that makes them part Men part Beasts; they must be either one or the other, not aMediumbetween both; and to make out this, he gives us a large Quotation out ofCardan. ButCardan[A] in the same place argues that they are not Men. As toSuessanus[B] his Argument, that they wantReason, this he will not Grant; but if they use it less or more imperfectly than others (which yet, he saith, is not certain) by the same parity of ReasonChildren, theBoeotians,CumaniandNaturalsmay not be reckonedMen; and he thinks, what he has mentioned in the precedingChapterout ofCtesias, &c. shews that they have no small use of Reason. As toSuessanus's next Argument, that they want Religion, Justice, &c. this, he saith, is not confirmed by any grave Writer; and if it was, yet it would not prove that they are notMen. For this defect (he saith) might hence happen, because they are forced to live inCavesfor fear of theCranes; and others besides them, are herein faulty. For this Opinion, that thePygmieswereApesand notMen, he quotes likewiseBenedictus Varchius,[C] andJoh. Tinnulus,[D] andPaulus Jovius,[E] and several others of the Moderns, he tells us, are of the same mind.Imprimis Geographici quos non puduit in Mappis Geographicis loco Pygmæorum simias cum Gruibus pugnantes ridiculè dipinxisse.
[Footnote A:Cardan. de Rerum varietate, lib. 8. cap. 40.]
[Footnote B:Suessanus Comment. in Arist. de Histor. Animal.lib. 8. cap. 12.]
[Footnote C:Benedict. Varchius de Monstris. lingua vernacula.]
[Footnote D:Joh. Tinnulus in Glotto-Chrysio.]
[Footnote E:Paulus Jovius lib. de Muscovit. Legalione.]
The Title ofBartholine's eighthand lastChapteris,Argumenta eorum qui Pygmæorum Historiam fabulosam censent, recitantur & refutantur.Where he tells us, the only Person amongst the Ancients that thought the Story of thePygmiesto be fabulous wasStrabo; but amongst the Moderns there are several, asCardan, Budæus, Aldrovandus, Fullerusand others. The first Objection (he saith) is that ofSpigeliusand others; that since the whole World is now discovered, how happens it, that thesePygmiesare not to be met with? He has seven Answers to this Objection; how satisfactory they are, the Reader may judge, if he pleases, by perusing them amongst the Quotations.[A]Cardan's second Objection (he saith) is, that they live but eight years, whence several Inconveniences would happen, asCardanshews; he answers that no good Author asserts this; and if there was, yet whatCardanurges would not follow; and instances out ofArtemidorusinPliny,[B] as aParallelin theCalingæa Nation inIndia, where the Women conceive when five years old, and do not live above eight.Gesnerspeaking of thePygmies, saith,Vitæ autem longitudo anni arciter octo utAlbertusrefert.Cardanperhaps had his Authority fromAlbertus, or it may be both took it from this passage inPliny, which I think would better agree toApesthanMen. ButArtemidorusbeing anIndian Historian, and in the same place telling other Romances, the less Credit is to be given to him. The third Objection, he saith, is ofCornelius à Lapide, who denies thePygmies, becauseHomerwas the first Author of them. The fourth Objection he saith is, because Authors differ about the Place where they should be: This, he tells us, he has answered already in the fifth Chapter. Thefifthand last Objection he mentions is, that but few have seen them. He answers, there are a great many Wonders in Sacred and Profane History that we have not seen, yet must not deny. And he instances in three; As theFormicæ Indicæ, which are as big as great Dogs: TheCornu Plantabilein the IslandGoa, which when cut off from the Beast, and flung upon the Ground, will take root like aCabbage: and theScotland Geesethat grow upon Trees, for which he quotes a great many Authors, and so concludes.
[Footnote A:Respondeo.1.Contrarium testari Mercatorum Relationem apudAnaniamsupra Cap. 4.2.Et licet non inventi essent vivi à quolibet, pari jure Monocerota & alia negare liceret.3.Qui maria pernavigant, vix oras paucas maritimas lustrant, adeo non terras omnes à mari dissitas.4.Neque in Oris illos habitare maritimis ex Capite quinto manifestum est.5.Quis testatum se omnem adhibuisse diligentiam in inquirendo eos ut inveniret.6.Ita in terra habitant, ut in Antris vitam tolerare dicantur.7.Si vel maximè omni ab omnibus diligentia quæsiti fuissent, nec inventi; fieri potest, ut instar Gigantum jam desierint nec sint ampliùs.]
[Footnote B:Plinij Hist. Nat.lib. 7. cap. 2. p.m. 14.]
Now how farBartholinein his Treatise has made out that thePygmiesof the Ancients were realMen, either from the Authorities he has quoted, or his Reasonings upon them, I submit to the Reader. I shall proceed now (as I promised) to consider the Proof they pretend fromHoly Writ: ForBartholineand others insist upon thatTextinEzekiel(Cap. 27. Vers. 11) where theVulgarTranslation has it thus;Filij Arvad cum Exercitu tuo supra Muros tuos per circuitum, & Pygmæi in Turribus tuis fuerunt; Scuta sua suspenderunt supra Muros tuos per circuitum.NowTalentoniusandBartholinethink that whatCtesiasrelates of thePygmies, as their being goodArchers, very well illustrates this Text ofEzekiel: I shall here transcribe what SirThomas Brown[A] remarks upon it; and if any one requires further Satisfaction, they may consultJob Ludolphus's Commenton hisÆthiopic History.[B]
[Footnote A: SirThomas Brown's Enquiries into Vulgar Errors, lib. 4. cap. 11. p. 242.]
[Footnote B:Comment. in Hist. Æthiopic.p. 73.]
Thesecond Testimony(saith SirThomas Brown)is deduced from Holy Scripture; thus rendered in the Vulgar Translation, Sed & Pygmæi qui erant in turribus tuis, pharetras suas suspenderunt in muris tuis per gyrum:from whence notwithstanding we cannot infer this Assertion, for first the Translators accord not, and the Hebrew wordGammadimis very variously rendered. ThoughAquila, VatablusandLyrawill have itPygmæi,yet in theSeptuagint,it is no more than Watchman; and so in theArabickandHigh-Dutch.In theChalde, Cappadocians,inSymmachus, Medes,and in theFrench,those ofGamed. Theodotianof old, andTremilliusof late, have retained the Textuary word; and so have theItalian, Low Dutch,andEnglishTranslators, that is, the Men ofArvadwere upon thy Walls round about, and theGammadimswere in thy Towers.
Nor do Men only dissent in the Translation of the word, but in the Exposition of the Sense and Meaning thereof; for some byGammadimsunderstand a People ofSyria,so called from the City ofGamala;some hereby understand theCappadocians,many theMedes:and hereofForeriushath a singular Exposition, conceiving the Watchmen ofTyre,might well be calledPygmies,the Towers of that City being so high, that unto Men below, they appeared in a Cubital Stature. Others expound it quite contrary to common Acception, that is not Men of the least, but of the largest size; so dothCorneliusconstruePygmæi,orViri Cubitales,that is, not Men of a Cubit high, but of the largest Stature, whose height like that of Giants, is rather to be taken by the Cubit than the Foot; in which phrase we read the measure ofGoliah,whose height is said to be six Cubits and span. Of affinity hereto is also the Exposition ofJerom;not takingPygmiesfor Dwarfs, but stout and valiant Champions; not taking the sense of [Greek: pygmae], which signifies the Cubit measure, but that which expresseth Pugils; that is, Men fit for Combat and the Exercise of the Fist. Thus there can be no satisfying illation from this Text, the diversity, or rather contrariety of Expositions and Interpretations, distracting more than confirming the Truth of the Story.
But whyAldrovandusorCaspar Bartholineshould bring in St.Austinas a Favourer of this Opinion ofMen Pygmies, I see no Reason. To me he seems to assert quite the contrary: For proposing this Question,An ex propagineAdamvel filiorumNoe,quædam genera Hominum Monstrosa prodierunt?He mentions a great many monstrous Nations ofMen, as they are described by theIndian Historians, and amongst the rest, thePygmies, theSciopodes, &c. And adds,Quid dicam deCynocephalis,quorum Canina Capita atque ipse Latratus magis Bestias quàm Homines confitentur? Sed omnia Genera Hominum, quæ dicuntur esse, esse credere, non est necesse.And afterwards so fully expresses himself in favour of theHypothesisI am here maintaining, that I think it a great Confirmation of it.Nam & Simias(saith he)& Cercopithecos, & Sphingas, si nesciremus non Homines esse, sed Bestias, possent isti Historici de sua Curiositate gloriantes velut Gentes Aliquas Hominum nobis impunitâ vanitate mentiri.At last he concludes and determines the Question thus,Aut illa, quæ talia de quibusdam Gentibus scripta sunt, omnino nulla sunt, aut si sunt, Homines non sunt, aut exAdamsunt si Homines sunt.
There is nothing therefore in St.Austinthat justifies the being ofMen Pygmies, or that thePygmieswereMen; he rather makes themApes. And there is nothing in hisScholiast Ludovicus Vivesthat tends this way, he only quotes from other Authors, what might illustrate the Text he is commenting upon, and no way asserts their beingMen. I shall therefore next enquire intoBochartus's Opinion, who would have them to be theNubæorNobæ.Hos Nubas Troglodyticos(saith[A] he)ad Avalitem Sinum esse Pygmæos Veterum multa probant.He gives us five Reasons to prove this. As, 1. The Authority ofHesychius, who saith, [Greek: Noboi Pygmaioi]. 2. BecauseHomerplaces thePygmiesnear the Ocean, where the Nubæ were. 3.Aristotleplaces them at the lakes of theNile. Now by theNile Bochartustells us, we must understand theAstaborus, which the Ancients thought to be a Branch of theNile, as he proves fromPliny, SolinusandÆthicus. AndPtolomy(he tells us) places theNubæhereabout. 4. BecauseAristotlemakes thePygmiesto beTroglodytes, and so were theNubæ. 5. He urges that Story ofNonnosuswhich I have already mentioned, and thinks that those thatNonnosusmet with, were a Colony of theNubæ; but afterwards adds,Quos tamen absit ut putemus Staturâ fuisse Cubitali, prout Poetæ fingunt, qui omnia in majus augent.But this methinks spoils them from beingPygmies; several other Nations at this rate may bePygmiesas well as theseNubæ. Besides, he does not inform us, that theseNubæused to fight theCranes; and if they do not, and were notCubitales, they can't beHomer'sPygmies, which we are enquiring after. But the Notion of their beingMen, had so possessed him, that it put him upon fancying they must be theNubæ; but 'tis plain that those inNonnosuscould not be a Colony of theNubæ; for then theNubæmust have understood their Language, which theTextsaith, none of the Neighbourhood did. And because theNubæareTroglodytes, that therefore they must bePygmies, is no Argument at all. ForTroglodyteshere is used as anAdjective; and there is a sort ofSparrowwhich is calledPasser Troglodytes. Not but that inAfricathere was a Nation ofMencalledTroglodytes, but quite different from ourPygmies. How farBochartusmay be in the right, in guessing the Lakes of theNile(whereaboutAristotleplaces thePygmies) to be the Fountains of the RiverAstaborus, which in his description, and likewise theMap, he places in the Country of theAvalitæ, near theMossylon Emporium; I shall not enquire. This I am certain of, he misrepresentsAristotlewhere he tells us,[B]Quamvis in ea fabula hoc saltem verum esse asserat Philosophus, Pusillos Homines in iis locis degere: for as I have already observed;Aristotlein thatTextsaith nothing at all of their beingMen: the contrary rather might be thence inferred, that they wereBrutes. AndBochart'sTranslation, as well asGaza'sis faulty here, and by no means to be allowed,viz. Ut aiunt, genus ibi parvum est tam Hominum, quàm Equorum; which hadBochartusconsidered he would not have been so fond it may be of hisNubæ. And if the [Greek: Noboi Pygmaioi] inHesychiusare suchPygmiesasBochartusmakes hisNubæ, Quos tamen absit ut putemus staturtâ fuisse Cubitali, it will not do our business at all; and neitherHomer'sAuthority, norAristotle'sdoes him any Service.
[Footnote A:Sam. Bochart. Geograph. Sacræ, Part. 1. lib. 2. cap. 23. p.m. 142.]
[Footnote B:Bocharti Hierozoici pars Posterior, lib. I. cap. II. p. 76.]
But this Fable ofMen Pygmieshas not only obtained amongst theGreeksandIndian Historians: theArabianslikewise tell much such Stories of them, as the same learnedBochartusinforms us. I will give his Latin Translation of one of them, which he has printed inArabickalso:Arabes idem(saith[A]Bochartus)referunt ex cujusdamGræculifide, quiJacobo Isaacifilio, Sigariensifertur ita narrasse.Navigabam aliquando in mariZingitano,& impulit me ventus in quandam Insulam.In cujus Oppidum cum devenissem, reperi Incolas Cubitalis esse staturæ, & plerosque Coclites. Quorum multitudo in me congregata me deduxit ad Regem suum. Fussit is, ut Captivus detinerer; & inquandam Caveæ speciem conjectus sum; eos autem aliquando ad bellum instrui cum viderem, dixerunt Hostem imminere, & fore ut propediem ingrueret. Nec multò post Gruum exercitus in eos insurrexit. Atque ideo erant Coclites, quod eorum oculos hæ confodissent. Atque Ego, virgâ assumptâ, in eas impetum feci, & illæ avolârunt atque aufugerunt; ob quod facinus in honore fui apud illos. This Author, it seems, represents them under the same Misfortune with thePoet, who first mentioned them, as being blind, by having their Eyes peck'd out by their cruel Enemies. Such an Accident possibly might happen now and then, in these bloody Engagements, tho' I wonder theIndian Historianshave not taken notice of it. However thePygmiesshewed themselves grateful to their Deliverer, in heapingHonourson him. One would guess, for their own sakes, they could not do less than make him theirGeneralissimo; but our Author is modest in not declaring what they were.
[Footnote A:Bochartus ibid. p.m. 77.]
Isaac Vossius seems to unsettle all, and endeavours utterly to ruine the whole Story: for he tells us, If you travel all overAfrica, you shall not meet with either aCraneorPygmie:Se mirari(saith[A]Isaac Vossius) Aristotelem,quod tam seriò affirmet non esse fabellam, quæ de Pygmæis & Bello, quod cum Gruibus gerant, narrantur. Si quis totam pervadatAfricam,nullas vel Grues vel Pygmæos inveniet. Now one would wonder more atVossius, that he should assert this ofAristotle, which he never said. And sinceVossiusis so mistaken in what he relates ofAristotle; where he might so easily have been in the right, 'tis not improbable, but he may be out in the rest too: For who has travelled allAfricaover, that could inform him? And why should he be so peremptory in the Negative, when he had so positive an Affirmation ofAristotleto the contrary? or if he would not believeAristotle'sAuthority, methinks he shouldAristophanes's, who tells us,[B] [Greek: Speirein hotau men Geranos kroizon es taen libyaen metachorae].'Tis time to sow when the noisy Cranes take their flight intoLibya. Which Observation is likewise made byHesiod, Theognis, Aratus, and others. AndMaximus Tyrius(as I find him quoted inBochartus) saith, [Greek: Hai geravoi ex Aigyptou ora therous aphistamenai, ouk anechomenai to thalpos teinasai pterygas hosper istia, pherontai dia tou aeros euthy ton Skython gaes]. i.e.Grues per æstatem exÆgyptoabscedentes, quia Calorem pati non possunt, alis velorum instar expansis, per aerem adScythicamplagam rectà feruntur. Which fully confirms that Migration of theCranesthatAristotlementions.
[Footnote A:Isaac Vossius de Nili aliorumque stuminum Origine, Cap. 18.]
[Footnote B:Aristophanes in Nubibus.]
ButVossiusI find, tho' he will not allow theCranes, yet upon second Thoughts did admit ofPygmieshere: For this Story of thePygmiesand theCraneshaving made so muchnoise, he thinks there may be something of truth in it; and then gives us his Conjecture, how that thePygmiesmay be thoseDwarfs, that are to be met with beyond the Fountains of theNile; but that they do not fightCranesbutElephants, and kill a great many of them, and drive a considerable Traffick for their teeth with theJagi, who sell them to those ofCongoand thePortuguese. I will give youVossius'sown words;Attamen(saith[A] he)ut solent fabellæ non de nihilo fingi & aliquod plerunque continent veri, id ipsum quoque que hìc factum esse existimo. Certum quippe est ultraNilifontes multos repeririNanos,qui tamen non cum Gruibus, sed cum Elephantis perpetuum gerant bellum. Præcipuum quippe Eboris commercium in regno magniMacokiper istos transigitur Homunciones; habitant in Sylvis, & mira dexteritate Elephantos sagittis conficiunt. Carnibus vescuntur, Dentes verôJagisdivendunt, illi autemCongentibus & Lusitanis.
[Footnote A:Isaac Vossius ibid.]
Job Ludolphus[A] in hisCommentaryon hisÆthiopick Historyremarks, That there was never known a Nation all of Dwarfs.Nani quippe(saithLudolphus)Naturæ quodam errore ex aliis justæ staturæ hominibus generantur. Qualis verô ea Gens sit, ex qua ista Naturæ Ludibria tantâ copiâ proveniant, Vossium docere oportelat, quia Pumiliones Pumiles alios non gignunt, sed plerunque steriles sunt, experientia teste; ut planè non opus habuerunt Doctores Talmudici Nanorum matrimonia prohibere, ne Digitales ex iis nascerentur. Ludolphusit may be is a little too strict withVossiusfor calling themNani; he may only mean a sort of Men in that Country of less Stature than ordinary. AndDapperin his History ofAfrica, from whomVossiustakes this Account, describes such in the Kingdom ofMokoko, he callsMimos, and tells us that they killElephants. But I see no reason whyVossiusshould take these Men for thePygmiesof the Ancients, or think that they gave any occasion or ground for the inventing this Fable, is there was no other reason, this was sufficient, because they were able to kill theElephants. ThePygmieswere scarce a Match for theCranes; and for them to have encountered anElephant, were as vain an Attempt, as thePygmieswere guilty of inPhilostratus[B] 'who to revenge the Death ofAntæus, having foundHerculesnapping inLibya, mustered up all their Forces against him. OnePhalanx(he tells us) assaulted his left hand; but against his right hand, that being the stronger, twoPhalangeswere appointed. The Archers and Slingers besieged his feet, admiring the hugeness of his Thighs: But against his Head, as the Arsenal, they raised Batteries, the King himself taking his Post there. They set fire to his Hair, put Reaping-hooks in his Eyes; and that he might not breath, clapp'd Doors to his Mouth and Nostrils; but all the Execution that they could do, was only to awake him, which when done, deriding their folly, he gather'd them all up in his Lion's Skin, and carried them (Philostratusthinks) toEuristhenes.' ThisAntæuswas as remarkable for his height, as thePygmieswere for their lowness of Stature: ForPlutarch[C] tells us, thatQ. Steroriusnot being willing to trust Common Fame, when he came toTingis(nowTangier) he causedAntæus'sSepulchre to be opened, and found his Corps full threescore Cubits long. ButSteroriusknew well enough how to impose upon the Credulity of the People, as is evident from the Story of hiswhite Hind, whichPlutarchlikewise relates.
[Footnote A:Job Ludolphus in Comment, in Historiam Æthiopicam, p.m. 71.]
[Footnote B:Philostratus. Icon. lib. 2. p.m. 817.]
[Footnote C:Plutarch. in vita Q. Sertorij.]
But to return to ourPygmies; tho' most of the great and learned Men would seem to decry this Story as a Fiction and mere Fable, yet there is something of Truth, they think, must have given the first rise to it, and that it was not wholly the product of Phancy, but had some real foundation, tho' disguised, according to the different Imagination andGeniusof theRelator: 'Tis this that has incited them to give their several Conjectures about it.Job Ludolphusfinding what has been offered at in Relation to thePygmies, not to satisfie, he thinks he can better account for this Story, by leaving out theCranes, and placing in their stead, another sort of Bird he calls theCondor. I will give you his own words:Sed ad Pygmæos(saith [A]Ludolphus)revertamur; fabula de Geranomachia Pygmæorum seu pugna cum Gruibus etiam aliquid de vero trahere videtur, si pro GruibusCondorasintelligas, Aves in interioreAfricamaximas, ut fidem penè excedat; aiunt enim quod Ales ista vitulum Elephanti in Aerem extollere possit; ut infra docebimus. Cum his Pygmæos pugnare, ne pecora sua rapiant, incredibile non est. Error ex eo natus videtur, quod primus Relator, alio vocabulo destitutus, Grues pro Condoris nominârit, sicutiPlautusPicos pro Gryphilus, & RomaniBoves lucas pro Elephantis dixere.
[Footnote A:Job Ludolphus Comment, in Historiam suam Æthiopic. p. 73.]
'Tis true, if whatJuvenalonly in ridicule mentions, was to be admitted as a thing really done, that theCranescould fly away with aPygmie, as ourKitescan with a Chicken, there might be some pretence forLudovicus's CondororCunctor: For he mentions afterwards[A] out ofP. Joh. dos SantosthePortuguese, that 'twas observed that one of theseCondorsonce flew away with an Ape, Chain, Clog and all, about ten or twelve pounds weight, which he carried to a neighbouring Wood, and there devoured him. AndGarcilasso de la Vega[B] relates that they will seize and fly away with a Child ten or twelve years old. ButJuvenal[C] only mentions this in ridicule and merriment, where he saith,
Adsubitas Thracum volucres, nubemque sonoramPygmæos parvis currit Bellator in armis:Mox impar hosti, raptusque per aera curvisUnguibus à fævâ fertur Grue.
[Footnote A:Job Ludolphus ibid. pag. 164.]
[Footnote B:Garcilasso de la Vega Royal Comment, of Peru.]
[Footnote C:Juvenal Satyr. 13vers. 167.]
Besides, were theCondorsto be taken for theCranes, it would utterly spoil thePygmæomachia; for where the Match is so very unequal, 'tis impossible for the Pygmies to make the least shew of a fight.Ludolphusputs as great hardships on them, to fight theseCondors, asVossiusdid, in making them fightElephants, but not with equal Success; forVossius'sPygmiesmade great Slaughters of the Elephants; butLudolphushisCranessweep away thePygmies, as easily as anOwlwould aMouse, and eat them up into the bargain; now I never heard theCraneswere so cruel and barbarous to their Enemies, tho' there are some Nations in the World that are reported to do so.
Moreover, theseCondor's I find are very rare to be met with; and when they are, they often appear single or but a few. NowHomer's, and theCranesof the Ancients, are always represented in Flocks. ThusOppian[A] as I find him translated into Latin Verse:
Et velut Æthiopum veniunt, Nilique fluentaTurmalim Palamedis Aves, celsoeque per altumAera labentes fugiunt Athlanta nivosum,Pygmæos imbelle Genus, parvumque saligant,Non perturbato procedunt ordine densæInstructis volucres obscurant aëra Turmis.
To imagine theseGruesa single Gigantick Bird, would much lessen the Beauty ofHomer's Simile, and would not have served his turn; and there are none who have borrowed Homer's fancy, but have thought so. I will only farther instance inBaptista Mantuan:
Pygmæi breve vulgus, iners Plelecula, quandoConvenere Grues longis in prælia rostris,Sublato clamore fremunt, dumque agmine magnoHostibus occurrit, tellus tremit Indica, clamantLittora, arenarum nimbis absconditur aër;Omnis & involvit Pulvis solemque, Polumque,Et Genus hoc Hominum naturâ imbelle, quietum,Mite, facit Mavors pugnax, immane Cruentum.
[Footnote: AOppian lib. I. de Piscibus.]
Having now considered and examined the various Opinions of these learned Men concerning thisPygmaeomachia; and represented the Reasons they give for maintaining their Conjectures; I shall beg leave to subjoyn my own: and if what at present I offer, may seem more probable, or account for this Story with more likelyhood, than what hath hitherto been advanced, I shall not think my time altogether misspent: But if this will not do, I shall never trouble my head more about them, nor think my self any ways concerned to write on this Argument again. And I had not done it now, but upon the occasion of Dissecting thisOrang-Outang, orwild Man, which being a Native ofAfrica, and brought fromAngola, tho' first taken higher up in the Country, as I was informed by the Relation given me; and observing so great a Resemblance, both in the outward shape, and, what surprized me more, in the Structure likewise of the inward Parts, to aMan; this Thought was easily suggested to me, That very probably thisAnimal, or some other such of the sameSpecies, might give the first rise and occasion to the Stories of thePygmies. What has been the [Greek: proton pheudos], and rendered this Story so difficult to be believed, I find hath been the Opinion that has generally obtained, that thesePygmieswere really a Race oflittle Men. And tho' they are onlyBrutes, yet being at first call'dwild Men, no doubt from the Resemblance they bear toMen; there have not been wanting those especially amongst the Ancients, who have invented a hundred ridiculous Stories concerning them; and have attributed those things to them, were they to be believed in what they say, that necessarily conclude them realMen.
To sum up therefore what I have already discoursed, I think I have proved, that thePygmieswere not anHumane SpeciesorMen. And tho'Homer, who first mentioned them, calls them [Greek: andres pygmaioi], yet we need not understand by this Expression any thing more thanApes: And tho' hisGeranomachiahath been look'd upon by most only as a Poetical Fiction; yet by assigning what might be the true Cause of this Quarrel between theCranesandPygmies, and by divesting it of the many fabulous Relations that theIndian Historians, and others, have loaded it with, I have endeavoured to render it a true, at least a probable Story. I have instanced inCtesiasand theIndian Historians, as the Authors and Inventors of the many Fables we have had concerning them: Particularly, I have Examined those Relations, where Speech or Language is attributed to them; and shewn, that there is no reason to believe that they ever spake any Language at all. But theseIndian Historianshaving related so many extravagant Romances of thePygmies, as to render their whole History suspected, nay to be utterly denied, that there were ever any such Creatures asPygmiesinNature, both byStraboof old, and most of our learned men of late, I have endeavoured to assert the Truth of theirbeing, from aTextinAristotle; which being so positive in affirming their Existence, creates a difficulty, that can no ways be got over by such as are of the contrary Opinion. ThisTextI have vindicated from the false Interpretations and Glosses of several Great Men, who had their Minds so prepossessed and prejudiced with the Notion ofMen Pygmies, that they often would quote it, and misapply it, tho' it contain'd nothing that any ways favoured their Opinion; but the contrary rather, that they wereBrutes, and notMen.
And that thePygmieswere reallyBrutes, I think I have plainly proved out ofHerodotusandPhilostratus, who reckon them amongst thewild Beaststhat breed in those Countries: For tho' byHerodotusthey are call'd [Greek: andres agrioi], andPhilostratuscalls them [Greek: anthropous melanas], yet both make them [Greek: theria] orwild Beasts. And I might here add whatPausanias[A] relates fromEuphemus Car, who by contrary Winds was driven upon some Islands, where he tells us, [Greek: en de tautais oikein andras agrious], but when he comes to describe them, tells us that they had no Speech; that they had Tails on their Rumps; and were very lascivious toward the Women in the Ship. But of these more, when we come to discourse ofSatyrs.
[Footnote A:Pausanias in Atticis, p.m. 21.]
And we may the less wonder to find that they callBrutes Men, since 'twas common for theseHistoriansto give the Title ofMen, not only toBrutes, but they were grown so wanton in their Inventions, as to describe several Nations ofMonstrous Men, that had never any Being, but in their own Imagination, as I have instanced in several. I therefore excuseStrabo, for denying thePygmies, since he could not but be convinced, they could not be suchMen, as theseHistorianshave described them. And the better to judge of the Reasons that some of the Moderns have given to prove the Being ofMen Pygmies, I have laid down asPostulata's, that hereby we must not understandDwarfs, nor yet a Nation ofMen, tho' somewhat of a lesser size and stature than ordinary; but we must observe those two Characteristicks thatHomergives of them, that they areCubitalesand fightCranes.