when that ? author wrote. .^afiwithfendifig :dfl athisjfii^e- in-thb
prefent [ m&rer enlighten'd ;v4ge( are 'mw$i»bliged 4b Hifflj #>'r^ Ms
induftfy,' :^ d ^ judidibas;:phl©j3vg>tioris.,. The; fum ief.- what oh'd
relates» ii® that- that «ylfeMtibe coafts;
Norway tell uSj of a ver)?. ftrange ophsenomenofi p;namely,thdt
MffeMifh thqlb l ^ ;a}Snake t?.©©i &etj|M'g|!lS&dila;@»iiet rbdndy
whi^sMy^rl® th f e h a ^ ^ S it^ lh e uocksp and~-®nder; the^Gl®,-
ahbut Bergte, '(halt 1® tljisihb er®s|iaBd3ghesaAtriini:=l®pOEi-light;
nights ';td devour ^ jfe ^ ^ fcee^ ran d rfw in e .f$m dlfeJitA gies^fd
the’jfea, and catches Star-fife,, Grabs j. e£e; ?;Itnhas a mane tW6
feet Jong ^ it is (.covered with.lfoles^ rirncUibas vfiferyheyeS: it
difturbs Mips, and Taifes itfelf np Jite i a mafli | 3$®d-®Aetiiii©s
fe^ps,rfbm^ -of,, the* ijign, fi-pm, the, deck«” ,{»Sek farth at «wtiteSp,
who, in the remainder of the chapter,’ fpeaks'df that great- W&teiS
ferpetxt in Miofen on HedemarkenySthat: foreiolS^fche king’s death^
and the u'gijfea§ "«jha^geg ..that, were ^tq>, happen, according »to the
feperftitions notions: of that age. Lj
V ' s i ' C T. " x ;3"
BejfotShJ leafe this may; be , proper* ito«^nfw^*a’
queftibn thatymay the p u t by feme peoplepuamely, what realon
«anbe afligned why this Snake of foch*lhxtraordfnaryMkey jfpp«
The North feould; bje ifemsd in : ike North * v *Fb«|* BjB^^S^aPPall
accounts from lea-faring people, it.Mis never -been leen any where?
pi»». ej{g- Thofe Who. have failed in pAe®f&s iil^ditferefit
the globe, have,. in their rjmisrnalsyy taken Ipartie|iilar notice of
©thet Sea-monfters j b u t ,not; qi^ of tHem'r®©n#bnsbfihis,n To'
this I anfwer, that when the thing is confirmed by 'UhqUemdn^
able evidence, and is found to be true,; then this--objedtion
requires no other .anfwer, than , that the Lord of-nature- difeoles
of the abodes of his various creatures, iinf’diffierent' »parts; of the
globe, according .to his wile .purpoles and defign&j the • realbn- bf
his proceedings cannot, nor ought to be comprehended by us£
f|fhydpes notithe Rain-deer thrive in any other climate,-except
on th e ; cold, and. bleak mountains of the; North?;» -Whydoes
the enormous Whale keep only in thole icy regions that are
contiguous to the pole ? Or, why are the Indies and Egypt the
only , places where the Crocodile exhibits his hideous form, and
terrifies the. unwary traveller? No other realon pan be afligned
but this, namely, becaufe the wile Creator has thought fit that
it feould be lb j and whatever he wills is right, and ordered for
the heft.
While
While Ijirn fpeakin^qf Egypt, I recollea from th e aflbciation^ge
% » £ - ^ n o t ; read 'o f MyBeaIfopents:M pW
,tkofe parts of th e gjobe, yet‘I fiqd” that in*Egypt, Jand other
- M Jp are fqundm- freM'waiyr. lakes 'and river! a
feepies of Sqrp^nrt/^lmofl; aS Jar^e asrthat which I am „-treating
of, iajfdi even more 'danp^ernM.sWIl
% ^ ift.jNalfiiib . gii.--cap. xiy. “ Megafthenes
fcribit, lu India ferpentes ‘in 'tantam magnitudineiWaloltefcere,’ ut
1 -M4 °s<- - bauriar^f „ee^yos- taurQfdqe.; Metrodorus circa Rhyndacum
amnem in Ponto ut •fuperybjames,1 quair^mvis V$e perniciterque
* S f bauflutr^ptas,abfprJaeant. , NpW'efTin Pupicis bellis ad flu-
^ e^.L%Ara4am a Rfgulp l^nperatore haliftis tormentifaue ut oppi-
^ “a^hquod expqgnata.]lerpens cxxl pedum jtengSmchnis. Pellis
fiiui ^^iJlseque ufqi^' ’acT |>ellqm Nu^antinum' cluravefe Roms in
his fi^lepi in fItaliam appellats Bos, in tantam
Vatil^
is-fu c c q ,, unde noi^en: tfaxere. (Cffiterorum t animalium, qus
modo conve£fa undique Italis contigere fspius, formas nihil' atti-
net, fcrupulofe referre. ’ ’
What is here related, fconcerning , ^.'Serpent that was’ killed
neaf the river Bagrada in Africa, feems almoll incredible^»; though* *
..it «.confirmed by Livy in his aoth decade, primi belli Punici,
and by Valer. Max. Lib! k cap. ult.T 5 ne .could hardly be able
jta comprehend or belieyp^hafe^rpent^oulcl % p : ha whole Roma,
p army, and difpute their p a fE |e * ^ o A '- a ^ e r ; or that it
killed many of the people, who, with their,bell; weapons, could
hardly wound i t : but we fee on what iauthoriiies';it‘*is''fupported.
S.tillmore ftrange is that ftory Which Diodprus Sicufes, Lib. m/ re-
^hich,;thbugh but fmall
|u. comparifon of thofe wp haye^bjien fpeaking .pf, y rt 'is in appearance
too, large to be caught, and carriecf alye ?tb Alexandria,
;tp baj)re|ented, to king Ptplpmy, MelSecond.
This: great-priacg^w^^emiuklt _for- his r.nriofity. h* ^ de-
flrous of . feeing every thing that was ftrange or force. Thofe
that brp.ught;,him elephants, o r, any .other uncommon animals,
were liberally .rewarded,. By this means the Greeks became acquainted
;with many,riling^th.a,t were before -utterly unknown to
them. Such a .laudable curiofity, and fo noble a Ipirit in a king
to reward all thofe that contributed.to pleafe and inftrua him’
prevailed upon a company of huntfmen to attempt to bring him
the aforefai^ great Serpent, rwhich lived chiefly in the water, but
ftrayed afhore from its proper element a1 confiderable diftance
Part II. H h h every
a other