Homo longus raro sapiens

Tall men are rarely found to be wise. The Spaniards say, El grande de cuerpo, no es muy hombre. That is, the robust man is rarely a great man; and the Scotch, fat paunches bode lean pates. Livy seems also to patronise the opinion, «men of great stature and bulk», he says, «appear more formidable, than they are found to be on trial». His observation, however, may be supposed to relate rather to their courage or bodily strength, than to their genius or understanding. «Sir Francis Bacon being asked by King Jamnes, what he thought of the French ambassador; he answered, that he was a tall proper man. I, his Majesty replied, but what think you of his head-piece? is he proper for the office of ambassador? Sir, said Bacon, tall men are like houses of four or five stories, wherein commonly the uppermost room is worst furnished». And Burton says, that «commonly your vast bodies and fine features are sottish, dull, and heavy spirits». Yet, notwithstanding this coincidence of opinion, of these different countries and persons, and the suffrages of others might perhaps be joined; the observation will be found to be much oftener contradicted than confirmed; and almost everyone's experience will tell him, that wit and judgment are promiscuously distributed, and fall as often to the lot of the tall and the robust as to those of an opposite stature and bulk.