_To the Editor._
Sir,--Mr. Brydone, in the quotations you have made,[205] appears to
doubt the accuracy of the stories relating to Charybdis. I never
recollect to have heard mention of the name of Colus, but apprehend he
was the same as the famous Sicilian diver, Nicolo Pesce. Associated with
Charybdis, some notice of this extraordinary man may not be
uninteresting.
The authenticity of this account depends entirely on the authority of
Kircher. He assures us, he had it from the archives of the kings of
Sicily; but its having so much of the marvellous in it, many have been
disposed to doubt its accuracy. Historians are too fond of fiction, but
we should by no means doubt their sincerity, when we find them on other
subjects not contemptible authorities.
“In the time of Frederic, king of Sicily, (says Kircher,) there lived a
celebrated diver, whose name was _Nicholas_, and who, from his amazing
skill in swimming, and his perseverance under the water, was surnamed
the _fish_. This man had from his infancy been used to the sea; and
earned his scanty subsistence by diving for corals and oysters, which he
sold to the villagers on shore. His long acquaintance with the sea at
last brought it to be almost his natural element. He was frequently
known to spend five days in the midst of the waves, without any other
provisions than the fish which he caught there, and ate raw. He often
swam over from Sicily into Calabria, a tempestuous and dangerous
passage, carrying letters from the king. He was frequently known to swim
among the gulfs of Lipari, no way apprehensive of danger.
“Some mariners out at sea one day observing something at a distance from
them, regarded it as a sea-monster; but upon its approach it was known
to be Nicholas, whom they took into their ship. When they asked him
whither he was going in so stormy and rough a sea, and at such a
distance from land, he showed them a packet of letters, which he was
carrying to one of the towns of Italy, exactly done up in a leather bag,
in such a manner that they could not be wetted by the sea. He kept them
company for some time in their voyage, conversing and asking questions;
and, after eating with them, took his leave, and jumping into the sea,
pursued his voyage alone.
“In order to aid these powers of enduring in the deep, nature seemed to
have assisted him in a very extraordinary manner; for the spaces between
his fingers and toes were webbed as in a goose: and his chest became so
very capacious, that he was able, at one inspiration, to take in as much
breath as would serve him a whole day.
“The account of so extraordinary a person did not fail to reach the king
himself; who commanded Nicholas to be brought before him. It was no
easy matter to find Nicholas, who generally spent his time in the
solitudes of the deep; but, at last, after much searching, he was
discovered, and brought before his majesty. The curiosity of this
monarch had long been excited by the accounts he had heard of the bottom
of the gulf of Charybdis; he now therefore conceived that it would be a
proper opportunity to obtain more certain information. He therefore
commanded the poor diver to examine the bottom of this dreadful
whirlpool; and, as an incitement to his obedience, he ordered a golden
cup to be thrown into it. Nicholas was not insensible of the danger to
which he was exposed; dangers best known only to himself, and therefore
he presumed to remonstrate; but the hopes of the reward, the desire of
pleasing the king, and the pleasure of showing his skill, at last
prevailed. He instantly jumped into the gulf, and was as instantly
swallowed up in its bosom. He continued for three quarters of an hour
below, during which time the king and his attendants remained on shore
anxious for his fate: but he at last appeared, holding the cup in
triumph in one hand, and making his way good among the waves with the
other. It may be supposed he was received with applause when he came on
shore; the cup was made the reward of his adventure; the king ordered
him to be taken proper care of; and, as he was somewhat fatigued and
debilitated with his labour, after a hearty meal he was put to bed, and
permitted to refresh himself with sleeping.
“When his spirits were thus restored, he was again brought before the
king, to satisfy his curiosity with a narrative of the wonders he had
seen; and his account was to the following effect:--He would never, he
said, have obeyed the king’s commands, had he been apprized of half the
dangers that were before him. There were four things, he said, which
rendered the gulf dreadful, not only to men but to the fishes
themselves. 1. The force of the water bursting up from the bottom, which
required great strength to resist. 2. The abruptness of the rocks, which
on every side threatened destruction. 3. The force of the whirlpool
dashing against these rocks. And, 4. The number and magnitude of the
polypous fish, some of which appeared as large as a man; and which,
every where sticking against the rocks projected their fibrous arms to
entangle him. Being asked, how he was able so readily to find the cup
that had been thrown in, he replied, that it happened to be flung by
the waves into the cavity of a rock against which he himself was urged
in his descent. This account, however, did not satisfy the king’s
curiosity. Being requested once more to venture into the gulf for
further discoveries, he at first refused: but the king, desirous of
having the most accurate information possible of all things to be found
in the gulf, repeated his solicitations; and to give them greater
weight, produced a larger cup than the former, and added also a purse of
gold. Upon these considerations the unfortunate diver once again plunged
into the whirlpool, and was never heard of more.”
This is Kircher’s account, some assertions of whom will undoubtedly
excite incredibility in the minds of all. I do not wish to offer any
remarks, but leave your readers to form their own opinions.
People, by being accustomed to the water from their infancy, may often,
at length, not only be enabled to stay much longer under water, but
putting on a kind of amphibious nature, have the use of all their
faculties as well under the water as on the dry land. Most savage
nations are remarkable for this; and, even among civilized nations, many
persons are found capable of continuing submerged for an incredible
time.