Northern Europe - The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques And Discoveries Of The English Nation - Volume 1 - Collected By Richard Hakluyt
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For We Haue
Also A Law Among The Canons Apostolicall, Which Forbiddeth To Eat Things
Strangled:
In the obseruing of which canons, antiquity hath seemed to be
very deuout.
Moreouer, we will make a distinction of times also, that it may seeme no
strange accident in the time of famine, though many things are, and haue
bene vsed by a great number of men to satisfie their hunger, which at other
times are scarse meat for dogges. As very lately in the yeere 1590 we heard
concerning the citizens of Paris, being enuironed with the most streite
siege of Henrie the fourth, King of Nauarre, suffering (as Petrus
Lindebergius speaketh) the famine of Saguntum; insomuch that they did not
onely eate their horses, but also taking the flesh of dead men, and beating
their bones to powder in a morter, they mingle therewith a bandfull or two
of meale, esteeming it dainties. And it is well knowen also of other
nations who in the like vrgent necessities haue liued by eating of mise,
cats and dogs. In like maner sometimes are we Islanders constrained to doe,
not being besieged by our enemies (although hitherto we haue abstained from
mans flesh, yea, and to our knowledge, from dogs, mise, and cats) for
whereas we prouide things necessary for food out of the land and sea, and
no sustenance, or very little is brought vnto vs by strangers: so often as
God withholdeth his gifts of land and sea, then must follow and ensue a
dreadfull scarsity of victuals, whereupon the inhabitants are sometimes
vexed with grieuous famine.
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