Читать книгу The Totall Discourse of the Rare Adventures & Painefull Peregrinations. The Long Nineteene Yeares Travayles from Scotland to the most famous Kingdomes in Europe, Asia and Affrica онлайн

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The poore Slavonians being fatigated in their hunger-starving Boat, with extraordinary paines (for we had three daies calme, which is not usually seene in these Seas) were enforced to repose all night at the barren Ile of St. Andrew: This Ile is of circuite foure miles, but not inhabited: The excessive raine that fell in the evening, made us goe on shoare, to seeke the coverture of some rocke; which found, we lay all night on hard stones, and with hungry bellies: for our provision was spent. The breach of day giving comfort to our distressed bodies, with favourable windes at the Garbo e ponente, we set forward, and about midday we arrived in the Port of Lesina, of [II. 52.]which the Ile taketh the name.

This Ile of Lesina is of circuite, a hundred and fifty miles, and is the biggest Iland in the Adriaticke Sea: It is exceeding fertile, and yeeldeth all things plentifully, that is requisite for the sustenance of man. The City is unwalled, and of no great quantity, but they have a strong fortresse, which defendeth the Towne, the Haven, and the vessels in the Roade. The Governour, who was a Venetian, after he had enquired of my intended voyage, most courteously invited me three times to his Table, in the time of my five dayes staying there: And at the last meeting, he reported the story of a marvellous mis-shapen creature borne in the Iland, asking if I would goe thither to see it: wherewith (when I perfectly understood the matter) I was contented: The Gentleman honoured me also with his company, and a horse to ride on, where when we came, the Captaine called for the father of A Monster borne in Lesina.that Monster, to bring him foorth before us. Which unnaturall Childe being brought, I was amazed in that sight, to behold the deformity of Nature; for below the middle part, there was but one body, and above the middle there was two living soules, each one separated from another with severall members. Their heads were both of one bignesse but different in Phisnomy: The belly of the one joyned with the posterior part of the other, and their faces looked both one way, as if the one had carried the other on his backe, and often before our eyes, he that was behind, would lay his hands about the necke of the formost. Their eyes were exceeding bigge, and their hands greater then an Infant of three times their age. The excrements of both creatures issued foorth at one place, and their thighes and legges of a great growth, not semblable to their age, being but sixe and thirty dayes [II. 53.]old; and their feete were proportionably made like to the foot of a Cammell, round and cloven in the middest. They received their food with an insatiable desire, and continually mourned with a pitifull noyse; that sorrowfull man told us, that when the one slept, the other awaked, which was a strange disagreement in Nature. The Mother of them bought dearely that birth, with the losse of her owne life; as her Husband reported, unspeakeable was that torment she indured, in that woefull wrestling paine. I was also informed afterwards, that this one, or rather twofold wretch lived but a short while after we saw them.