Gualteri Mapes. De nugis curialium distinctiones quinque

Cap. i.]
DE NUGIS CURIALIUM.
sint. Unde tristes hypocritse, laeti semper deicolse. Judex qui dicit
bonum malum et malum bonum eequaliter satis secundum se mo-
destus est molestis ; et etiam fit tam continue leetitiee bonis inhabi-
tatio Spiritus Sancti causa, moestitiae raalis inflatio squalidi ser-
pentis, qui dum aberrat pectus prava pensantis allia sibi nociva
compilat, quae comedendo delectant, comesta foetent ; hsec allia
nobis in terra potissimum ille propinat qui nobis invidit ab initio.
Cujus delectat decupla displicet Dominum disciplina. Quid autem
est quod a pristina forma viribus et virtute facti sumus degeneres,
csetera queeque viventia nullatenus a prima deviant donorum
gratia. Creatus est Adam statura gigas * et robore, factus est et
angelicus mente, donee subversus est; vita cujus licet ab eeterna
facta sit temporalis, et ab Integra mutilata, multo longevitatis est
levata solatio, perduravit in posteros ilia diu morum, virium,
virtutum, et vitee felicitas. Sed circa tempora prophetee Domini
David earn ipse descripsit annorum octoginta, quae fuerat octin-
* It was an article of popular belief in
the middle ages that Adam was created of
gigantic stature. This legend was of
Oriental origin. The rabbinical writers
tell us that after his expulsion from Para-
dise, when his stature was diminished, he
was, according to different authorities, one,
two, three, or nine hundred cubits high.
See Bartoloccii Bibliotheca Rabbinica, i.
p. 65. The mark of his feet and measure of
his body were said to be preserved in Ceylon
(Serendib). Fabric. Codex Pseudipigr. Vet.
T. vol. i. p. 30, vol. ii. p. 30. See also
D'Herbelot, Biblioth^que Orientale, vol. i.
p. 95, and vol. iii. p. 309. The beds of stone
pretended to be shown in Palestine as those
of Adam and Eve were thirty feet long.
Fabric. Codex Pseud, vol. i. pp. 58, 87.
Montfaucon, Biblioth. Coisliniana, p. 413,
describes a tract in Greek, in a MS. of the
twelfth century, giving a legendary account
of the shape and stature of Adam, the Pro-
phets, Christ, Paul, and the Fathers, entitled
E/c tS)v 'EXttiou rov 'Pcojiaiov dp)(^aio\oyov^evav
€KK\r]a-ia(rTiKfjs laTopias Trept
XapaKTrjpcov ampaTLKOiv, A note of si-
milar personal descriptions will be found
in the Reliquige Antiquse, vol. i. p. 200,
where Moses is said to have been 13 feet 8^
inches high, Christ 6 feet 3 inches, and the
Virgin Mary 6 feet 8 inches. The following
extract gives also a curious account of the
giants of legendary history. " Tres gi-
gantes robustissimi in mundo fuerunt fa-
mosi, Nembro divus, qui post diluvium
turrim ad coelum erexit. Calosius longis-
simus, qui ante diluvium maria et flumina
sine nave perrexit pede. Herculesis, qui
inter AfFricam et Europam pontem super
mare facere voluit, sed non fecit." Pseud-(?)
Isidorus de Numero, MS. Reg. 5 E. vi.
fol. 57, r".