CANNIBALS, is an appellation given to those sa vages who feed on human flesh.
Much incredulity has been displayed concerning the existence of men who could devour their own species, and the fact has been considered so abhorrent to the laws of nature, so offensive to the Deity, and so impro bable in itself, that the possibility of it has been keenly denied. It has been maintained also, that loathsome dis eases would be generated by feeding on human flesh, and that inevitable destruction would follow ; for such %%ere the consequences of compelling animals of the 'ante tribe to subsist on each other, that they either be came ferociously mad, or wasted away and died. Yet it must be admitted, that the opinions of those who have argued in this manner have resulted, more from their aversion to credit such an atrocity, as degrading to man kind, the chosen work of the Creator, than front philo sophical considerations. Authentic history, and present xperienee, equally prove, that there arc not only cruel and sanguinary races of cannibals, but that, even among the more civilized part of mankind, individuals repeated ly resort to banquets of human flesh, in situations of ex treme necessity.
A belief in the existence of cannibals has prevailed in all ages of the world ; and, in the writings of the an cients, we find whole tribes, or nations, characterised as corn eaters. lIerodotus, "Meta, Strait°, and Pliny, speak of such, either from their own knowledge, or the report of others, and describe the particular regions in which they dwelt. Ilerodotus, who is entitled to the greatest credit, from the extent of his travels, the accuracy of °hie' tattoos, and e:prcially her modt rn in vestigations or hi.; geography bate gi% ell it «.licobora.. lion, :diodes to a nation, app Arendy in India, tsill«1 &ale, ur Callannx, who regularly Lined the more aged among themselve s, amid de -.our( d it lent, S ymhi ue., also, by abnost 11111vC1 I c our IlITC1Ire, 'ATM to !rove Ilf•ell c (-AIM' /11% ; and the aothorii y of Isphorns, tidal s, tl it they human flesh, though they ah I tined from of Ierodotus sots of an adjoinim; ,epsrate and distinct from the Scythian ., using a Imguage
of tl•ir apparel, V. ho ere the rudest of mankind. 'they led 1, final life, obeyed no laws, d on 1111111:M fieS11. Sorb national charac•ezistirs nin,t be Iiewed as different from t lose 'accidental cis( unistances, which, from temporary reven-c, or tirecs„Ity, I, tie mankind to devour their owl sin eis The Jews, in the time of Trajan, for example, arc stated to have ex •rcised unheard of el ; they are said to have killed 40,000 men in Egypt, Cyrene, surd t'y ; fed on their flesh, besmeared their fires will( their blood. and clothed themselves in their skins : )ct they do no come under the denomination of cannibals.
In Europe, however, there arc strong indications of their existence, long subsequent. to the Christian xra. St Jerome, in his writing:, against Jovinian, plainly de clares, that it was the custom of sonic of the British tribes, or those from Britain in another country, to feed on their own species. Though his description of the people is not void of obscurity, his words can admit of no doubt. " Why should I refer to other nations, when I myself, while a youth in Gaul, have seen the .(//tiestei, a British tribe, eating human flesh ? Should they find shepherds tending- their herds of swine, or cattle, and flocks of sheep in the woods, they are wont to e tit off the fleshy parts of the men, and the breasts of the women, which are esteemed the most delicious food." St Je rome lived in the fourth century. But to descend still lower, we find traces of the same barbarous custom in Scotland, at a far later period. During a war with Eng land, the '' men of Galloway" committed the most hor rible atrocities. They not only slaughtered the inno cent, without distinction of sex or age; but they cut out the bowels, devoured the flesh, and drank the blood of their victims mixed with water. Their ravages were carried far into the country, until the imaders were met, and defeated at the battle of the Standard in 11.38.