THE Antalope, called in Latine Calopus, and of the Graeci­ans Analopos or Aptolos: Of this Beast there is no mention 40 made among the auncient Writers, except Suidas and the Epistle of Alexander vnto Aristotle, interpreted by Corneli­us Nepotius. They are bred in India and Syria, The contrey of their abod and Breed. neere the Ri­uer Euphrates, and delight much to drinke of the cold wa­ter thereof: Their bodie is like the body of a Roe, and they haue hornes growing forth of the crowne of their head which are very long and sharpe; so that Alexander affir­med they pierced through the sheeldes of his Souldiers, and fought with them very irefully: at which time his company slew as he trauelled to India, eight thousand, fiue hundred, and fifty; which great slaughter may be the occasi­on why they are so rare and sildome seene to this day, by cause thereby the breeders and 50 meanes of their continuance (which consisted in their multitude) were weakened and destroyed. Their hornes are great and made like a saw, and they with them can cut asun­der the braunches of Osier, or small trees, whereby it commeth to passe that many times their necks are taken in the twists of the falling boughes, whereat the Beast with repi­ning cry, bewrayeth himselfe to the Hunters, and so is taken. The vertues of this Beast are vnknowne, and therefore Suidas sayth an Antalope is but good in parte.

AN Ape called in Latine Simia, and sometimes Simim and Si­miolus; Cycero. Claudian. Martial. Horace. of the Greeke word Simos (Viz:) signifieng, the flatnesse of the Nostrils, for so are an Apes: and called of the Haebrewes Koph, and plurally Kophin; as is by S. Ie­rom translated, 1 King. 10.22. From whence it may be pro­bably coniectured, came the Latine words Cepi & Cephi, for Apes that haue tailes.Of the name Sometimes they are called of the 40 Haebrewes Bogiah, and of the Chaldees Kophin. The Italians Samada Maionio, & Bertuccia, and a Munkey Gatto Maimone. The auncient Graecians Pithecos and the later Mimon, and Arkobizanes, by reason of his imitation. The Moores Bugia, the Spaniards Mona, or Ximio, the French Singe, the Germaines Aff, the Flemishe Simme or Schimmekell, the Il­lirians Opieze, and generally they are held for a subtill, ironical, ridiculous and vnprofita­ble Beast,The smal vse of apes. whose flesh is not good for meate as a sheepe, neither his backe for burthen as an Asses, nor yet commodious to keepe a house like a Dog, but of the Graecians termed Gelo­topoion, made for laughter.

Athanaeus. Anacharsis the Philosopher, being at a banquet wherein diuers iesters were brought in 50 to make them merry, yet neuer laughed, among the residue, at length was brought in an Ape,Apes made for laughter. at the sight whereof hee laughed hartily; and being demaunded the cause why hee laughed not before, aunswered; that men do but faine merriments, whereas Apes are natu­rally made for that purpose. Moreouer Apes are much giuen to imitation and derision, and they are called Cercopes, Qualities of apes. because of their wicked crafts, deceipts, impostures and flatte­ries: wherefore of the Poets it is fained that there were two bretheren most wicked fel­lowes, [Page 3] that were turned into Apes, and from their seate or habitation came the Pithecusan Islands, which Virgill calleth Inarime: for Arime was an old Hetrurian word for an Ape, and those Islands being the seates of the Varinus, Docibility of apes. Gyants (who being by God ouerthrowen for their wickednes) in derision of them Apes were planted in their roomes. Apes haue beene taught to leape, singe, driue Wagons, raigning and whipping the Horses very artificially, and are very capable of all humaine actions, hauing an excellent memory either to shew loue to his friends, or hatefull reuenge to them that haue harmed him, but the saying is good that the threatning of a flatterer, and the anger of an Ape are both alike regarded.Hurts recei­ued by apes. It delighteth much in the company of dogs and young Children, yet it will strangle young 10 Children if they be not well looked vnto. A certaine Ape seeing a Woman washing her Child in a basen of warme water obserued her diligently,An History. and getting into the house when the Nurse was gone, tooke the childe out of the Cradle, and setting water on the fire, when it was hot, stripped the Childe naked, and washed the childe therewith vntill it killed it.

The countries where Apes are found, are Lybia and all that desart Woods betwixt Egypt, Aethiopia and Libia; and that parte of Caucasus which reacheth to the red Sea.Countries breeding Apes. In India they are most aboundant, both Redde, blacke, greene, dust-colour, and white ones, which they vse to bring into Citties (except Red ones, who are so venereous that they will rauish their Women) and present to their Kings, which grow so tame, that they go vp and downe the streetes so boldly and ciuilly as if they were Children,Booke of Voyages. frequenting the Mar­ket 20 places without any offence: whereof so many shewed themselues to Alexander stan­ding vpright, that he deemed them at first to be an Army of enemies, and commaunded to ioyne battell with them, vntill he was certified by Taxilus a King of that Countrey then in his Campe, they were but Apes.

In Caucasus there are trees of Pepper and Spices whereof Apes are the gatherers,Labour of Apes. liuing among those trees: for the Inhabitants come and vnder the trees make plaine a plotte of ground, and afterward cast thereupon boughs and braunches of Pepper and other fruites, as it were carelesly; which the Apes secretly obseruing, in the night season they gather togi­ther in great aboundance all the braunches loaden with Pepper, and lay them on heapes vppon that plot of ground, and so in the morning come the Indians and gather the Pepper 30 from those boughes in great measure, reaping no small aduantage by the labor of Apes, who gather their fruites for them whiles they sleepe: for which cause they loue them and de­fend them from Lyons, dogges, and other wilde Beasts. In the region of Basman subiect to the great Cham of Tartaria, are many and diuers sorts of Apes, very like mankinde, which when the Hunters take, they pull off their haires al but the beard and the hole behinde, and afterward dry them with hot spices, and poudering them, sell them to Marchants, who car­ry them about the world, preswading simple people that there are men in Islands of no grea­ter stature. To conclude,Diuersity of apes. there are Apes in Trogloditae which are maned about the necke like Lyons, as big as great Bel-weathers. So are there some called Cercopitheci, Munkyes, Choeropitheci, Hog-Apes, Cepi, Callitriches, Marmosits, Cynocephali, of a Dog and an Ape, Satyres, and Sphinges, of which we will speake in order for they are not all alike, but some re­semble 40 men one way, and some another:Chymaera. as for a Chymaera which Albertus maketh an Ape it is but a figment of the Poets. The same man maketh Pigmaees a kinde of Apes, and not men, but Niphus proueth that they are not men bycause they haue no perfect vse of reason,lib. 7.1. de animal. no modesty, no honesty, nor iustice of gouernment, and although they speake yet is their language imperfect; and aboue all they cannot bee men because they haue no Religion,Pygmaeys. which (Plato saith truely) is propper to euery man. Besides, their stature being not past three foure, or fiue spans long, their life not aboue eight yeares, and their imitation of man, do plainely proue them rather to be Apes then men: and also the flatnesse of their Noses,Onesicritus. their Combats with Cranes & Partridges for their egges and other circumstances I wil not stand vpon, but follow the description of Apes in general. Apes do outwardly resemble men very 50 much, and Vesalius sheweth, that their proportion differeth from mans in moe things then Galen obserued, as in the muscles of the breast, & those that moue the armes,The anato­my of apes. the elbow and the Ham, likewise in the inward frame of the hande, in the muscles mouing the toes of the feete & the feete and shoulders, & in the instrument mouing in the sole of the foote, also in the fundament & mesentary, the lap of the liuer, & the hollow vain holding it vp, which mē haue not; yet in their face nostrils, eares, eye-lids, breasts, armes, thumbes, fingers & nailes, [Page 4] they agree very much. Their haire is very harsh & short, and therfore hairy in the vpper part like men, and in the neather part like Beasts: they haue teeth before and behinde like mē, ha­uing a round face, and ey-lids aboue and beneath, which other Quadrupedes haue not. Poli­tianus saith that the face of a Bull or Lyon is more comely then the face of an Ape, which is liker a mans. They haue two Dugs, their breasts & armes like men, but rougher, such as they vse to bend as a man doth his foote. So their hands, fingers and nails, are like a mans but ru­der and nimbler, and nature hauing placed their Dugs in their breast, gaue them armes to lifte their young ones vp to sucke them: Their feete are propper and not like mans, hauing the middle one longest, for they are like great handes, and consist of fingers like handes, but they are alike in bignesse, except that which is least to a man is greatest to an Ape, whose 10 sole is like the hand but that it is longer, and in the hinder part it is more fleshie, somewhat resembling a heele, but put backward it is like a fist.

They vse their feete both for going and handling; the neather parts of their armes, and their thighes are shorter then the proportion of their elbowes and shins: they haue no Na­uel, but ther is a hard thing in that place; the vpper part of their body is far greater then the neather, like other Quadrupedes, consisting of A porportion betweene fiue and three: by rea­son whereof they grow out of kinde, hauing feete like hands and feete. They liue more downeward then vpward, like other foure footed Beasts, and they want Buttocks (al­though Albertus saith they haue large ones) they haue no taile, like 2. legged creatures, or a very small signe thereof. The genitall or priuy place of the female is like a Wo­mans,20 but the Males is like a dogges: their nourishment goeth more forward then back­ward, like the best horses, and the Arabian Seraph, which are higher before then behinde, and that Ape whose meate goeth forward by reason of the heate of heart and Lyuer, is most like to a man, in standing vpright: their eyes are hollow, and that thing in men is accounted for a signe of a malitious minde, as little eies are a token of a base and abiect spirit. Men that haue low and flat Nostrils are Libidinous as Apes that attempt women, and hauing thicke lippes the vpper hanging ouer the neather, they are deemed fooles, like the lips of Asses and Apes. Albertus saith, he saw the heart of a Male Ape, hauing 2. tops of snarp ends, which I knowe not whether to terme a wonder or a Monster. An Ape and a Cat haue a small backe, and so hath a weake hearted man, a broad and strong 30 back signifieth a valiant and magnanimous mind. The Apes nailes are halfe round, and when they are in copulation they bende their Elbowes before them, the sinewes of their hinder ioynts being turned cleane about, but with a man it is cleane otherwise. The vaines of their armes are no otherwise dissected then a mans, hauing a very small and ridiculous crooked thumbe, by reason of the Muscles which come out of the hinder part of the Leg into the middle of the Shinne, and the fore muscles drawing the leg backe­ward, they cannot exactly stand vpright, and therefore they runne and stand, like a man that counterfaites a lame mans halting.

The disposi­tion of ApesAnd as the body of an Ape is Ridiculous, by reason of an indecent likenesse and imi­tation of man, so is his soule or spirit; for they are kept only in rich mens houses to sport 40 withall, being for that cause easily tamed, following euery action he seeth done, euen to his owne harme without discretion. A certaine Ape after a shipwracke swimming to land,An History. was seene by a Countreyman, and thinknig him to be a man in the water, gaue him his hand to saue him, yet in the meane time asked him what Countrey man he was, who answered, he was an Athenian: well, saide the man, dost thou know Piraeus (which was a port in Athens) very well,Places of their abode. saide the Ape, and his wife, frends and children, where at the man being moued did what he could to drowne him. They keep for the most part in Caues and hollow places of hils, in rocks and trees, feeding vpon Apples and Nuts, but if they finde any bitternesse in the shel, they cast all away. They eate Life and picke them out of heads and garments.Food of apes. They will drinke wine till they be drunk, but if they 50 drink it oft they grow not great, specialy they lose their nails as other Quadrupedes do. They are best contented to sitte aloft, although tied with chaines. They are taken by laying for them shoos and other things, for they which hunt them will anoint their eies with water in their presence, and so departing, leaue a pot of lime or Hony in stead of the water;The manner of taking Apes. which the Ape espying, commeth and anointeth her eies therewith, and so being not able to see, doeth the hunter take her. If they lay shooes they are leaden ones, [Page 5] to heauy for them to weare, wherein are made such deuises of Ginnes, that when once the Ape hath put them on, they cannot be gotten off without the help of man: So like­wise for little Bags made like Breeches, wherewithall they are deceiued and taken.Procreation of apes. They bring forth young ones for the most part by twins, whereof they loue the one and hate the other; that which they loue they beare in their Armes, the other hangeth at the dams back, and for the most part she killeth that which she loueth, by pressing it to hard: afterward, she setteth her whole delight vpon the other.

The Egyptians when they discribe a father leauing his inheritance to his sonne that he loueth not, picture an Ape with hir young one vpon her backe. The male and female 10 abide with the young one, and if it want anything, the male with fist and irefull aspect punisheth the female. When the Moone is in the waine they are heauy and sorrowful,Secretes in their nature. which in that kinde haue tailes; but they leape and reioyce at the change: for as other Beasts so doe these, feare the defect of the starres and planets. They are full of dissimu­lation, and imitation of man, they readiler folow the euill then the good they see.their imitati­on. They are very fierce by nature, and yet tamed forget it, but still remaine subiect to madnesse.their loue. They loue Conies very tenderly, for in England an old Ape (scarse able to goe) did de­fend tame Conies from the Weasell, as Sir Thomas Moore reported.th [...]ir [...]eere. They feare a shel fish and a snaile very greatly, as appeareth by this History.

20 In Rome, a certaine Boy put a snaile in his hat and came to an Ape, who as he was ac­customed, leapes vpon his shoulder and tooke off his hat to kil Life in his head, but espy­ing the snaile, it was a wonder to see with what hast the Ape leaped from the Boyes shoulder, and in trembling manner looked backe to see if the snaile followed him: also when a snaile was tied to the one end of another Apes chaine, so that he could not chose but continually looke vpon it, one cannot imagine how the Ape was tormented there­with, finding no meanes to get from it, cast vp whatsoeuer was in his stomaeke, and fell into a grieuous feuer till it was remoued from the snaile,an antiquity. and refreshed with Wine and water. Cardane reporteth that it was an ancient custome in former time when a parra­cide was executed, he was (after he was whipped with bloody stripes) put into a sacke, with a liue Serpent, a dog, an Ape and a Cocke: by the Serpent was signified his ex­treame 30 malice to mankinde in killing his father, by the Ape that in the likenesse of man he was a Beast, by the dog how like a dog he spared none, no not his owne father, and by a cocke his hatefull pride, and then were they altogether hurld headlong into the Sea. That he might be deemed vnworthy of all the Elements of life, and other blessings of nature.

A Lyon ruleth the beasts of the earth, and a Dolphin the beasts of the sea, when the Dol­phin is in age and sicknes, she recouereth by eating a sea-ape: and so the Lyon by eating an ape of the earth, and therefore the Egiptians paint a Lyon eating an ape, to signifie,the medicin of apes. a sicke man curing himselfe. The hart of an ape sod and dried, whereof the weight of a groat drunk in a draught of stale Hunny, sod in water, called Mellicraton, strengthneth the heart, em­boldneth it, and driueth away the pulse and pusillanimity thereof: sharpeneth ones vnder­standing, 40 and is soueraigne against the falling euill.

THe Asse is called in Latine Asinus, in Greeke Oros and Killos, by rea­son of his labour in bearing burthens, and of some Megamucos be­cause of his vnpleasant voyce:Of the name and the rea­sons thereof. Of other Cochutons, or Canthon, from whence commeth Cantharus, that is, a Scarabee or Fl [...]e, bred of the dung of Asses. The Haebrues call it Chamor, Deuteron. 5.50 and the Persyans Care, the latter Haebrues doe indifferently take Gajedor, Ʋarinus. Tartak, and caar for an Asse: the Italyans Lasino, the Spani­ardes Asno, Epethites of in Asse. the French Vng asne, the Germans Esel, Mul, Mulle-re­sel, and the Illyrians Osel; the which beast is intituled or phrased with many epithites a­mong Poets; as, slow, burthen-bearing, back-bearing, vile, cart-drawing, mill-labou­ring, sluggish, crooked, vulgar, slow-paced, long-eared, blockish, braying, ydle, deuill-haired, [Page 21] filthy, saddle-bearer, slow-foot, four-foot, vnsauoury, and a beast of miserable condition; beside many other such titles in the Greeke. Yet this silly beast hath among the Astronomers found more fauour, for in the signe Cancer there are two starres called the two Asses, placed there as some say, by Bacchus, Pliny. Asses in coe­lestial signes. Hyginus. who in his fury which Iuno laid vp­on him, trauailing to the Dodanaean Temple of Apollo to recouer his wits, by the counsel of the Oracle, came to a certaine lake of water, ouer which he could not passe; and mee­ting there two Asses, tooke one of them, vpon whose backe hee was safely carried ouer dri-foote. Afterward, when he had recouered his wits, in thankfulnesse for that good turne, he placed the two Asses among the starres.

10 Howsoeuer this may be a fabulous commendation of this beast,Numb. 22 yet holy Writ tea­cheth vs, that an Asse saw an Angell, and opened his mouth in reproofe of his mayster Balaam: and our most blessed Sauiour rode on an Asse to Ierusalem to shew his humility: and Sampson out of the iaw-bone of an Asse, quenched his thirst.Morals of the discourses of asses. Apuleius in his eleuen bookes of his golden Asse, taketh that beast for an Emblem, to note the manners of mankind; how some by youthfull pleasures become beasts, and afterward by timely re­pentant old-age, are reformed men againe: Some are in their liues Wolues;Proclus. som Fox­es, some Swine, some Asses, and so other may be compared to other beasts: and as Ori­gen saith, onely by pleasure is a man a horse or Mule, when a beastly soule liueth in a hu­maine shape. This world is vnto them an inchanted cup of Circes, Beroaldus wherein they drinke 20 vp a potion of obliuion, error, and ignorance; afterwards brutizing in their whole life, till they tast the Roses of true science and grace inlightning their minds, which is theyr new recouery of humane wit, life, and vnderstanding.

Asses are bred in Arcadia, wherefore prouerbially,Countries breeding asses. the best Asses are signified by the Arcadian Asse, and the greatest Asses by the Acharnican Asse. In Timochain of Persya, are very beautifull Asses, whereof one hath beene sold for thirty pounds of siluer.Paul vene [...] ▪ Pondera: Likwise in Rea, in Italy, in Illiria, Thracia and Epirus, there are Asses but very small ones, although all other cattell there are very large. In India, among the Psillians, they are not greater then Rams, and generally all their cattell are of a very small growth. In Scythia, Pontus, Aelianus. Celta, and the regions confining them, are no Asses bred, by reason of extreamity of 30 cold, for Asses are very impatient of cold. In Misia there are also asses, but their flankes are crooked and indented as if they were broken; whereupon a prouerbiall common speech ariseth (one hauing a broken flanke) for a Missian Asse.

Asses are ingendred both by their owne kind and also by horses, for they choose stal­lions and put them to their Asses, who haue large bodies, wel set legs, strong neckes,Their breed. broad and strong ribbes, brawny and high creasts, thighes full of sinewes, and of black or flea-bitten colour (for a Mouse-colour is not approued) wherefore he that will haue a good flocke of Asses, must looke that the male and female be sounde, and of a good age, that they may breed long time, and out of a good seminary, as of Arcadia or Rea: Palladius. for as the best Lampreyes are in Sicilia, and the delicate fish Helops, in Rhodos and not else where; so are best Asses in these forenamed places. When they make choise of a Stalli­on, 40 they looke principallie that he haue a great head: An asse is more desirous of copu­lation then a horse, and both male and female doe couple at thirtie moneths,Absirtus. although it proue not, vntill three yeares, or three and a halfe.Aristotle Pliny. Men say that Anna the father in law of Esau, did first inuent the copulation of horses and Asses togither: for as a horsse doth couer a shee asse, so an asse will couer a Mare, and an asse will sooner fill the lust of a Mare, then a horsse.

If a horsse couer a female asse which hath beene entred by a male asse, he cannot al­ter the seed of the asse: but if an asse couer a Mare which a horsse formerly entred,Pliny he will destroy the seed of the horsse, so that the Mare shall suffer abortment,Leonicen [...] by reason that the seed genitall of an Asse is more frigide then a horses: The Mares of Elis cannot 50 at all conceiue by asses copulation, and there is more aborments falleth out by commix­tion of horsses with asses, or asses with Mares, then when euery kind mingleth amongst themselues. It it but a superstition of some,Pliny Aristotle which affirme that an asse cannot conceiue for so many yeares, as she hath eaten graines of barly corne defiled with womens pur­gation, but this is certaine, that if an asse conceiue not at the first loosing of hir teeth, she [Page 22] remayneth barren. They are not coupled in generation in the Spring aequinoctium like Mares and other beasts, but in the Sommer Solstice, by reason of their colde natures, that they may bring forth their yong ones about the same time, for in the twelfe month after their copulation,Aristotle Varro. they render their foles. If the males be kept from labour they are the worse for generation, wherefore they are not to be suffered ydle at that time, but it is not so with the female, she must rest, that the Fole may be the stronger: but presentlie after she is couered she must be coursed and driuen to and fro, or else she will cast forth againe the receiued seed.Pliny

The time that she goeth with yong is according to the male kind by which shee is co­uered, for so long as the male lay in the belly of his damme, so long will the Asse carrie 10 her yong before deliuerance: but in the stature of body, strength, and beauty, the yong one taketh more after the female, then the male. The best kind of Asses are the foles of a wilde Asse and a tame female-Asse. They vse when an asse is foaled, to take it from the damme, and put it to sucke a Mare, that it may be the greater, which fole is called Hippo­thela, Pliny that is, a Horse-suckling, and Mares will not be couered by Asses, except by such an one as was a horse-suckling. A she-asse will engender till she bee thirty yeares olde, which is her whole life long,Aelianus. but if she conceiue often, she will quickly be barren: wher­of their keepers must take such care, that they cause them to be kept from often copu­lation.

They will not fole in the sight of man, or in the light, but in darknesse; they bringe 20 forth but one at a time, for it hath not been heard of in the life of man, that an asse hath euer brought forth twinnes. Assoone as they are conceiued they haue milke in theyr vd­ders, but some hold not vntill the tenth moneth. They loue their yong ones very ten­derly, for they will run through fire to come at them, but if there be any water betwixt them, it cooleth their affections, for of all things they loue not to wet their feet. They will driue their young ones from sucking at the sixt moneth, because of the pain in their vdders, but their keepers weane them not till a whole yeare after their foaling. Their milke is so thicke that it is vsed in stead of sodder: a Mares is more thin, and a Camels is thinnest of all. It is mortall to their yong ones to tast the dammes milke for two dayes after their foling, for the food is so fat that it breedeth in their mouthes the colostracion or 30 Beestings.

Touching their seuerall parts,Aelianus. they haue teeth on either chap like a man and a horsse, an Asse and a Mule haue 36. teeth, and ioyned neere togither: the bloud of Asses and Bulles is the thickest of all other,Ab [...]ertus. as the bloud of man is the thinnest: His head is great and his eares long and broad: both male and female loose their fore-teeth in the thirtith moneth of their age,Pliny. and the second to the first, in the sixt moneth, their third & fourth teeth are called Gnomons, that is, Regulars, because by them there is a tried rule to know their age; and those teeth also they lose in the sixt moneth. The hart of an Asse is great, as all other fearefull beasts haue: The belly is vniforme as in other beasts that haue a so­lide or whole hoofe. It wanteth a gall, and hath two vdders betwixt the thighes, the for­part 40 of the backe neere the shoulders is weakest, and there appeareth the figure of a Crosse,Plutarch. Pliny. Ioan: A [...]o­ [...]ach. and the hinder part neere the loynes is stronger. The hoofes are whole and not parted: the Stygean water is so cold that nothing can hold it, except the hoofe of an asse or Mule; although Aelianus affirme, that it cannot bee contained but in the hornes of Scythian asses. Their tayles are longer by one ioint then a horsses (though not so hairy.) They are purged with monthly courses more then sheepe or Goats, and the vrine of the female is more thin than the males. If an Asse was hindered by any disease from making water, [...] certaine superstitious persons for the ease of the beast, muttered this charm: Gal­lus bibit & non meijt, myoxus meijt & non bibit: that is,

They will eate Canes or Reedes,Their meate. which to other beasts is almost poison: wherefore in old time an Asse was dedicated to Bacchus as the canes wer sacred vnto him; and at the time of their copulation they giue them herbe Basill to stir vp their lust: They will be sa­tisfied with any neuer so base food, as chaffe, whereof there is abundance in euery coun­trey, [Page 23] young thornes and fruites of trees, twigges of Osier,Philemon died with laughing when he saw an asse eate figs. or a bundle of boughes to browse vpon: insomuch as Q. Hortensius was wont to say, that he had more care that his Barbels should not hunger in his fish-pools, then his Asses in Rosea: but the young ones newly weaned must be more tendered, for they must be fed with hay, chaffe or barley,Ʋal: Man: greene corne, or barley bran. Asses will hardly drinke but at watering places in their folds, or such as they haue been accustomed withall, and where they may drink without wetting their feet; and that which is more strange, they cannot be brought to goe ouer hollow bridges, through which the water appeareth in the chinks of the plankes, & when in trauaile they are very thirsty, they must be vnladen and constrained to drink: yea, He­rodotus 10 reporteth, that there are certaine Asses among the African shepheardes, which neuer drinke. When they sleepe they lie at length, and in their sleepe conceiue manie forceable dreames, as appeareth by the often beating backe their hinder legs, which if they strike not against the vaine ayre but against some harder substance, they are for euer vtterly lamed.

When the Asses of Thuscia haue eaten Hemlocke, or an herbe much like vnto it,Mathaeolus. they sleepe so long and strangely, that oftentimes the countreymen begin to fleay them, and on the sudden their skins halfe taken off and the other halfe on, they awake, braying in such horrible maner, that the poore men are most dreadfully affrighted therwith. Their voice is very rude and fearefull, as the Poet said: ‘20 Quirritat verres, tardus rudit, oncat assellus.’ and therefore the Graecians to expresse the same haue feigned many new wordes and cal it Ogkethmos, as the Latines Rudere, that is, to vtter forth a voice in a base and rude ma­ner. The Poets feign, that at that time when Iupiter came to warre with the Gyantes,Eratosthenes Bac­chus and Vulcan, the Satyres and Sileni assisted and attended him, being carried vpon As­ses. When the time came that the battell began, the Asses for very feare brayed most horribly, whereat the Gyantes not being acquainted with such strange and vnknowne voyces and cries, tooke them to their heeles and so were ouercome.

In the sacrifices of the Goddesse Vacuna, an Asse was feasted with bread, and crowned with flowers, hung with rich Iewels and Peytrels,Ouid. because (as they saye) when Priapus 30 would haue rauished Vesta being asleepe, she was suddenly awaked by the braying of an Asse, and so escaped that infamie: And the Lampsaceni in the disgrace of Priapus did of­fer him an asse. But this is accounted certaine, that among the Scythians by reason of colde, an Asse is neuer heard nor seene; and therefore when the Scythians set vppon the Persyans, their horsses will not abide the braying of Asses,Lanctantius. wondring both at the strang­nesse of an Asses shape, and rudenesse of his crie: wherefore there are certaine birds, re­sembling in their chattering the braying of Asses, and are therefore tearmed Onocra­tuli.

When an asse dieth, out of his body are ingendred certaine Flies, called Scarabees. They are infested with the same diseases that horsses be, and also cured by the same mea­nes (except in letting of bloud) for by reason their vaines be small and their bodies cold,A good hors leach is a good asse­leach. Vegetius. 40 in no case must any bloud be taken from them.

Asses are subiect to madnesse when they haue tasted of certaine herbes growing neer Potnias; as are Beares, Horsses, Leopardes and Wolues: they only among al other hai­rie beasts are not trobled with either tikes, or lice, but principally they perish by a swel­ling about the crowne of their pasterne, or by a Catarhe called Malis, which falling down vpon their liuer they die, but if it purge out of their nostrils they shall be safe: and Colu­mella writeth that if sheepe bee stabled where Mules or Asses haue beene housed, they will incur the scab: There is great vse made of the skins of Asses, for the Germans doe make thereof a substance to paint and write vpon, which is called Eselshut. The Arabians 50 haue a cloth called Mesha, made of Asses and Goats haire, whereof the inhabitauntes of their deserts make them tents and fackes. It is reported that Empedocles was called Coly­sanemas, because when the Agrigentines were trobled with winds by hanging about their cittie innumerable Asse-skins, he safe-guarded them from the windes: wherupon some haue thought (but falsly) that there was some secret in asses skinnes, against outragious Tempestes.

[Page 24] P [...]ny.The bones of Asses haue beene vsed for pipes, the Artificers make more reckoning of them then of the bones of Hartes, and therefore Esop in Plutarch wondereth that so grosse and dull a creature, should haue such shrill and musicall bones; and the Busirites called the Phylosophers Naucratites, because they played musick vpon Asses bones, for they cannot abide the sound of a trumpet, because it resembleth the voice of an Asse, who is very hatefull to them for Typhons sake.

Macenas allowed the flesh of young Asses to be eaten, preferring it before the flesh of wilde asses, and this custome also preuailed at Athens, where they did eat the flesh of old Asses, which hurteth the stomach, hauing in it no good iuice or sweetnesse, and is verye hard to be digested. In like sort about the coasts of Alexandria, men vse to eate the flesh 10 of Asses,G [...]l [...]nus. which begetting in their body much melancholike and adusted humor, causeth them to fall into the Elephantia or spotted leprosie.

Asses are tamed at three yeares old, and taught for those businesses which they must be applied vnto, some for the mill, some for husbandry and the plough, some for bur­thens and carriage, some for the wars, and some for draught. Merchants vse Asses to carry their wine, oyle, corne, and other things to the sea-side; wherefore the countrey man maketh principall account of this beast for his carriage too and fro, being fit to ca­rie both on his necke and on his backe:Co [...]l [...]mella with them they go to market with their wares, & vpon them bring home their houshold necessaries.

They grinde in their milles and fetch home their corne, they plough their lande, as in Campania, Lib [...]a and Batia, where the ground is soft, and in Bizantium that fruitful coun­trey,Pliny. Mulis [...]quis [...] in familia sunt. which repayeth the husbandmans labor with increase of an hundred and fifty times more then the seed, and where in drie-weather their ground is not arable with the whole strength of Buls, yet after a little rain, one Asse in one end of a yoke, and an old woman at the other end, doe easily draw the plough, and open the earth to sow their seed: wher­fore cato said merrily, that Mules, Horsses and Asses, keepe no holli-daies, except they be such Asses as keepe within dores.Ad haec v [...]ehi cula non ni­nua pondere tr [...]hit. In like sort they draw from place to place the carts of Bakers, or carts laded with any other carriage, if it be not ouergreat.30

The people carmani (by reason they want horsses) vse Asses in their warres, so also do the Saracori, who neuer vse them in milles or any such base works, but vpon them vnder take all their martiall perils.Strabo. There was a custome amongst the cumani, that when a wo­man was taken in adultery,Aelianus. she was led to the market, and there set vpon a bare stone, af­terward she was set vpon a bare Asses backe, and so carried throughout the citty, then brought backe againe to the former stone for a publike spectacle to all the citty,Su [...]as whereby she remained infamous all her life after, and was called Onobatis, that is; one that had ridden an Asse: and the stone whereupon she stood, was accounted an vnlucky, and an odious place for all posterity. In like sort among the Parthians it was held a disgracefull thing to ride or be carried vpon a bare Asses backe.Anatolius The dung of Asses is pretious for 40 a ga [...]den, especially for Cabadges; and if an apple tree be diyng, it may be recouered by washing it in Asses dung by the space of six daies, and some haue vsed to put into Gar­dens the skull of a mare,H [...]n [...] caput Ar [...] nudum c [...]ie sertur [...], T [...]henus finisse Tages in [...]mute ruris or she-asse that hath beene couered in copulation, with perswa­sion that the gardens will be the more fruitfull.

Asses are of very foolish condicions and slender capacity, but yet very tame, not re­fusing any manner of burthen although it breake his backe: being loaded it will not out of the way for any man or beast, and it only vnderstandeth the voice of that man, with whom it is laboured, knowing also the way whereunto it is accustomed. Ammonianus was in such loue with an Asse, and holding him of so great capacity, that he had one continually to heare his Lectures in Phylosophie. Gallen affirmeth, that an Asse vnderstan­deth 50 genus species & indiuidium, S [...]nda [...], because if you shew him a Camell that neuer saw one be­fore, he is terrified and cannot indure his sight: but if he haue been accustomed to such a sight, if you shew him neuer so many, he is not moued at them. In like sort, hee know­eth men in generall, being not affraid of them, but if he see or heare his keeper, he know­eth him for his keeper or maister.

[Page 25]There was a cunning player in Affrica, in a citty called Alcair, Leo Affric: who taught an Asse diuers strange tricks or feats; for in a publicke spectacle, turning to his Asse (being on a scaffolde to shew sport) said; The great Sultan purposeth to builde him a house, and shall neede all the Asses of Alcair to fetch and carry wood, stones, lime, and other necessaries for that bu­sines: presently the Asse falleth downe, turneth vp his heeles into the aire, groneth, and shutteth his eies fast, as if he had bene dead: while he lay thus, the player desired the be­holders to consider his estate, for his Asse was dead, he was a poore man, and therefore moued them to giue him money to buy another asse. In the meane time hauing gotten as much mony as he could, he told the people he was not dead, but knowing his maisters po­uerty 10 counterfaited in that maner, whereby he might get mony to buy him prouender, and therefore he turned againe to his Asse and bid him arise, but he stirred not at all. Then did he strike and beate him sore (as it seemed) to make him arise, but all in vaine, the asse lay still.

Then saide the player againe, our Sultan hath commaunded that to morrow there be a great triumph without the cittie, and that all the Noble women shall ride thither vppon the fairest asses, and this night they must be fed with Oates, and haue the best Water of Nilus to drinke: At the hearing whereof, vp starteth the asse, snorting and leaping for ioy: then said the plaier, the gouernor of this towne hath desired me to lende him this my asse for his old deformed wise to ride vpon, at which words the asse hangeth downe his eares, and vn­derstanding 20 like a reasonable creature, beganne to halt as if his legge had beene out of ioynt: why but saide the plaier, haddest thou leifer carrye a faire young Woman? The asse wagged his head in token of consent to that bargaine, goe then (said the player) and among all these faire Women chuse one that thou mayest carry; then the asse looketh round about the assemblye, and at last went to a sober Woman and touched her with his nose, whereat the residue wondered and laughed, shutting vppe the sport, with cry­inge out; An asses Woman, an asses Woman, and so the player went vnto another towne.

Such thinges doe serue to teach vs that asses are not altogither indocible, besides in their owne nature they knowe how to refresh themselues in their Wearinesse by wallo­wing 30 on the grounde, and being ouercome with melancholy humour,Aelianus. they naturally looke for the hearbe Citterach or Finger-ferne to cure them. When the asses of Maurusium are bound to a iourney, they set forwarde so fast,Aelianus that a man would thinke they rather flewe then ranne, but being ouerwearied they are so abased that they send foorthe teares, and then are they drawen at Horsses tayles to their iourneyes end.

The asse is neuer at peace with the Cro, because it longeth for the asses eyes; likewise the bird Salem, for when the asse commeth to the thornes to rub himselfe where the said birde buildeth her nest, the asse spoyleth it, wherefore the said birde maketh continuall assault vppon him. In like sort the Colota or Stellio, for it sleepeth in the maungers, and 40 creepeth vp into the asses nose to hinder him from eating.

The Woolfe is also an enimy to the asse, for he loueth his flesh, and with small force doeth he compasse the destruction of an asse, for the blockish asse when he seeth a wolfe,Aelianus▪ layeth his head on his side, that so he might not see, thinking that because he seeth not the Wolfe, the Wolfe cannot see him; but the wolfe vpon this aduantage setteth vppon the beast on the blind side, and easily destroyeth the couragelesse asse. Another argu­ment of an asses stupidity, is that he careth not for his owne life, but will with quietnesse starue, if meat be not laide before him. Wherefore it is apparant that when a dull schol­ler not apt to learne is bid to sell an asse to signifie his blockishnes, is no vaine sentence;Aristo [...] therefore they which resemble asses in their head, round forehead, or great face, are said to be blockish; in their fleshy face, fearefull; in broad or great eies, simple; and like to be stone 50 mad, in thicke lips, and the vpper hanging ouer the nether, Fooles; and in their voyce, contumelius and disdainefull. To conclude, the ancients haue made many significati­ons of asses and their shapes, making a man with an asses head to signifie; First, one igno­raunt of manners, histories and countryes. Secondly, immoderate riot of stubborne [Page 26] persons in scripture is deciphered in an Asse. Thirdly, impudency and shamelesnesse, because an Asse will not for any stripes forsake his owne waies.

Fourthly, the Iewish people, who like Asses could not vnderstand euident truth of Christ in the plaine text of Scripture, wherefore our sauiour secretly vpbraided their dulnes, when he rode vpon an Asse. Fiftly, the Egyptians by an Asse, noted a man with­out all diuine knowledge; wherefore they vsed to take an Asse and follow him with all de­spight, beating him from place to place till hee brake his owne necke; for they beleeued, that an asse was possessed of a deuill. Sixtly, Indocibility, by an asse bridled. Seuenthly, the snares of flatterers; for their priestes set an asse betweene flowers and oyntmentes, neither of both pertaining to an asses skill, teaching thereby, how mighty men fall by 10 treachery of flatterers. Eightly, a woman dissembling her Praegnancy. Ninthly, by a man, weauing a cord, and an asse behind him biting it asunder, they signifie, a painefull husband, and a prodigall wife. Tenthly, a good vine-dresser, for when an asse did bite off the braunch of a vine, it was obserued that the next yeare the vine was more fruitfull: finally base seruility, trifling sluggishnes, good fortune, tyrants, and fooles are Hierogli­phically comprized vnder the discourse of asses.

Touching such medicinall vertues as haue bene tried and founde to be in the seuerall parts of Asses, by learned and approued writers, now in the conclusion of this historye they shall be briefely remembred, and so this narration be finished.

A draught or two of the same water whereof an Asse or an Oxe hath drunke, will ease 20 the head-ach, the forehead of an asse tyed to the flesh of one that hath the falling euill, cureth him;Marcellus Pliny. and the braine of an asse steeped in sweet water and infumed in leaues, wher­of taken for certaine dayes, halfe an ounce, easeth the falling euill: the number of which daies cannot be lesse then thirty, but this is very ridiculous, that if a man hurt by a scor­pion,Pliny. do whisper his harme in the eare of an asse, presently the hurt ceaseth. When one is vexed with a quotidian feuer, with three drops of blood out of the vaine of an Asses eare, put into eighteene ounces of water and drunke by the patient, easeth that paine.

The liuer of an asse burnt, driueth away venomed things, and the same dried and beat to pouder;Haly. helpeth the cough and shortnes of breath, and rosted to be eaten, if it bee eaten 30 fasting it is good against the falling euill. Other say, if it be mixed with Opponax, and in­stilled into the mouth forty daies togither, defendeth infants from the aforesaide sick­nes.Pliny. Also the hart of a male blacke asse, eaten with bread at the euening, in the first or se­cond day of the moone, is good against the falling euill. The liuer dryed with parsely, & three walnuts clensed from the pill and put into hony, is marueilous good for one that is liuer sicke,Marcellus the ashes of it mixt with oyle, taketh away Wens; and the ashes of the liuer and the flesh is good against the chapping,Auicen. clefts, or slifters in the body, which come by cold: but Dioscorides; whom I rather follow, attributeth both these vertues to the ashes of the hoofe. He which is sicke of the milt, may be holpe with the old milt of an asse, if he eat thereof euery day dried and fasting, he shall find case by it within three dayes. The 40 same first dryed and then steeped in water,Sextus maketh the dugs full of milke, so also doeth the spleene,Rasis. and the spleene with sewet of a beare, and oyle made as thicke as hony, by annointing the eyelids therewith, restoreth the haires which are wanting. The reynes ineretatrated,Marcellus. brused, and put into new pure wine, do help the bladder, and stay the in­continency of the vrine. The same dried, burned, and beaten into very small pouder, whereof a nut shell full put into two cups of pure wine and drunke off, cureth the stran­gury.

PlinyIt is thought that with the pouder of the Asses genitall, the haire may be made grow thicker: and the same beaten with leade and oyle, and annointing the heade where gray haires are shauen off, keepeth it from more graye haires. The stones of an Asse 50 kept in salt and sprinkled in a potion of asses milke or Water, helpeth the fallinge euill. The gall of an asse or a bull, either of them, seuerally broke into water, taketh away the spots in the face, if after the patients skin be pilled, he must keepe himselfe from sun and wind.

The blood of an asse staieth the flux of blood cōming from the skin or films of the brain; [Page 27] and two or three drops of the same drunke with wine, cureth a quotidian feuer:Eseulapius. Pliny. the selfe same thing is reported of the bloud let out of the veine in the eare. The bloud of the foale of an Asse with wine, cureth the Kinges evill. The froath or scum of Nitre with the fat of an Asse or the fatte of a Sowe, cureth the bitinges of Dogges:Dioscorides and if there bee any scarres in the body, the fatte maketh them of the same colour with the residue of the bodye: And if one vexed with the falling euill, be annointed with the suet or fat of an Asse it will ease them very much, likewise the marrow of Asses helpeth the scabs from a man, and with the suet the places infected with Catthars, Leprosies, or Scarres,Rasis. re­ceiue their former colour: and the skinne laid vpon young infants,Pliny maketh them with­out 10 feare. And if the bill of a Heron wrapped in an Asses skinne, bee bound to ones fore­head, it prouoketh sleepe.

A palsie man will fall downe if he tast of the perfume made of the haires of an Asse or Mule. The ashes of the haires of Asses, stayeth bleeding;Trallianus. and the same hath the more force if they be of a male, and be mixed with vineger and laide in wooll to the yssue blee­ding. The bones of an Asse broken and sod,Pliny. are very soueraigne against the venom of a sea-Hare-fish. The poulder of an Asses hoofe drunke a moneth togither, two spoon­fuls at a time, helpeth the falling euill very greatly: and the same mixed with oyle,Galenus. hel­peth the kings euill; and being put vpon Kibes or Chil-blanes, cureth them. The hoofs of Asses burned and beaten to poulder, giuen to them that haue the falling euil in drink,Myrepsus. 20 helpeth them speedily; also a burned hoofe is mingled with many medicines▪ to cure the swelling of the Nauell in children, and the hoofs perfumed procure speedy deliuerance in trauaile of yong, that the dead thing may come forth, otherwise it is not vsed,Aetius. for it will kill the liuing yong ones.

The dust thereof with the milke of an Asse, by annointing cureth the scars and webs of the eies, and as Marcellus saith, only the parings of an Asses hoofe scraped and ming­led with a womans milke; and they say, that if an Epilectick man weare a ring made of an asses hoofe wherin is no blacknes, it will preserue him from falling. The poulder of an asses hoofe burned and beaten, laide in vineger and made in little bals, and one of them put into the mouth and there held, helpeth the loosnesse and paine in the teeth.Galen. There 30 is a collection of certaine hard matter about an asses legges, called Lichen, which if it be burned and beaten and put into old oyle, will cause haires to grow out of baldnes, and it is of such force, that if it be applyed to a womans cheek, it will produce the same effect, and mingled with vineger, it raiseth vp the lethargike man.

And if a man take the ring-wormes growing naturally on Asses legges,Marcellus and shredding them into pouder put them in vineger, it staieth all paine in the heade, which maketh one sleepy. The flesh of Asses sod in pottage helpeth them that haue the Phthisis or disease of the Lungs, and there are some which prescribe the taking of Asses flesh, or the blood of Asses mingled with vineger to be taken forty daies togither against the falling euill.Pliny. The milke of an asse mingled with hony and drunke, loosneth the bellie, and therefore Hypocra­tes gaue it for a gentle purgation being moister then anie other kind of milke, and fitter to 40 take downe the bellie. It will also ease the tooth-ache, if the teeth be washed in it,Archigenes and fa­sten them that are loose, being verie good to wash the teeth withall. Galen gaue asses milk mixt with honie, to one in a consumption when he came newly from a bath, and therfore it is giuen in feuers hecticks and all consuming diseases because the substance of it is fitter for detersion then nutriment: when the brests are in paine, by drinking asses milke they be holpe, and the same mingled with honie, causeth womens purgation, by drinking asses milke an exulcerat stomacke is relieued: likewise all other pains in the stomack, which come of sadnesse or sorrow, sighing, and desperation:Pliny. and Heraclides gaue asses milke with anni­seed to one that had his lights stopped, and it is likewise commended against the cough, extenuation, spitting of blood, dropsie and hardnes of the spleene, but it is not good for a 50 weake head troubled with giddines or noise, yet will it loosen the hardnes of the bellie in a feuer.

It is also priuately vsed against eating of morture, white lead, sulphur, and quicksiluer; and when a mans meate doeth not neither nourish nor disgest, let him drinke Asses milke safelie, and it is also good to gargarize in sore chappes or throates. Likewise in [Page 28] a seuer when there is no head-ache. [...]. The auncient in old time gaue Asses milke to children before meat,Galenus. and for want thereof Goats-milke: for sore mouths, it must be gargarized. It is very profitable against the collicke and bloudy Flixe, if honie be put thereunto; the loos­nes or desire of stoole is taken away by drinking Asses milke: the whay or milke of an Asse did Hyppocrates prescribe against the consumption of the raynes or backe, and the same with a root of a pomgranat against the loosenes and other diseases of the belly to be drunke.

PlinyAlso there are examples where the whay of Asses milke haue helped the gowt, both in hand and foot: sweet water with Asses milk is wholsome against poyson of Hen-bane, & o­ther poysons,Pliny. but it must be vsed new or else soone after warmed: This milke will wake wo­mens skins whiter,Pliny. wherefore, Poppea, the wife of Domitius Nero carried about with her in 10 her progresse fifty milche Asses, wherewith she did vse to bath her selfe.

The vrine with the owne dung, healeth straight shooing, scabs in a man, and the rough­nesse of the nayles. It taketh away the scurffe of Oxen. It is giuen in drinke, to cure them that haue ache in their raines, and with Pepper-wort it is profitable against suppurations and apostems in the flesh.Dioscorides If any be hurt by the starres, wash them in asses stale, mingled with Spiknard: Galen. the same force hath it against cornes and all hardnesse or thickenesse of skinne. The dung of asses new with oyle of Roses,Pliny. distilled warme into the eares, helpeth deasenes, and pushes or suddaine boyles of the heade, are cured with the ioyce of asses dung, and of sea-oynions beat to pouder,Marcellus and the fat of beefe, layed to the boyles like a plaister: both the dung of asses and horsses eyther raw or burnt mingled with Vineger, restrayneth blee­ding 20 both in fluxes and wounds,Dioscorides vsed like a plaister, being new and mingled with vineger, and for the bleeding at the nose, snuffe in the ashes of asses dung burnt to powder. The dung of asses cureth the Piles,Aetius. and the same dried and moistened in wine being drunk of cat­tell which are stung with scorpions, cureth them if it be at grasie; and it is found true by long experience, that the dung of an asse rubbed, in quantity two sponfuls, and taken euery day, deliuereth one from the falling euill.

This is good against the gall and running ouer thereof, if it be mingled with warme wine,30 pepper, and hony. The Syrians call the dung of a young Foale which it first casteth vp after the foaling, Polean; and giue it against the sicknesse of the milk. ‘In sapa decoctum colo megnopere prodest.’ The same is good against the collicke and the bloody flixe. The iuyce of asses dung, asses milke, and sweet wine, annointed on the sick member, cureth the gowt: and the same stay­eth the flowers of women with childe, the iuyce heereof cureth the closing vp of the eyes in the night. The skinne wherein the young foale lyeth in the dammes belly being smelled vnto, by him that hath the falling euill, it easeth him. Anaxilaus hath reported, that if the excrements of a Mares copulation be burned, there will appeare monstrous shapes of Horsses heads. If a horsse haue a web in his eye, mingle togither the milke of an asse, the blood of a Doue, and the dew of Cabadges, and anoint him therewith: and there be some 40 which take of the dirt where an asse hath made water in the way, and therewith annoint the scabbes of sheepe for their recouery: but when one is stroken with a scorpion, the asses dung must be presentlye applyed, or else it profiteth nothing in that malady.

THe Badger could neuer find a Greeke name, although some through ignoraunce haue foisted into a Greeke dictionary Melis, whereas in truth that is his Latine word, Mele or Me­les, and so called, because aboue all other things, he loueth 30 hony; and some later writers call him Taxus, Tassus, Taxo, and Alber. Magnus dax [...]s. But wheras in the scripture some translate Tesson, Tahas, or Tachasch; and plurally Techaseim, Badgers, yet is not the mater so cleare, for there is no such beauty in a badgers skin, as to couer the Arke, or to make princes shooes thereof: therefore some Haebrews say, that it signifieth an Oxe of an exceeding hard skinne. Onkelus translateth it Sasgona, that is, a beast skinne of diuers colours, Symcehus, and Aquila a iacinct colour, which cannot be; but the Arabians Darasch, and the Persians Asthak, yet it may be rather saide, that those skinnes spoken of Exod. 25. Numb. 4 Ezek. 26. be of the Linx, or some such other spot­ted 40 beast; for Tachasch commeth neere Thos, signifying a kind of Wolfe not hurtfull to men, being rough and hairy in winter, but smooth in summer.

The Italians call a Badget Tasso, the Rhetians, Tasch: the French Tausson, Taixin, Tasson, Tesson, and sometime Grisart, for her colour: sometimes Blareau, and at Parris Bedouo. The Spaniardes, Tasugo, Texon, the Germans Tachs, or Daxs, the Illyrians Gezwecz.

Badgers are plentiful in Naples, Sicilly, Lucane, and in the Alpine and Heluetian coasts, so are they also in England. In Lucane there is a certaine wilde beast, resembling both a beare and a Hog, not in quantity, but in forme and proportion of body;Countrey of breed. Caelius Curio. which the refore may be fitly called in Greeke Suarctos, for a Gray, in short legs, eares, and feet, is like a beare, but in fatnes like a swine. Therefore it is obserued, that there be two kinds of this 50 beast, one resembling a Dog in his feet, which is cald Canine, the other, a hog in his clo­uen hoofe, and is cald Swinish: also these disso [...] the fashion of their snowt,Diuersitie of kindes. one resem­bling the snowt of a Dog, the other of a swine, and in their mear, the one eating flesh and carrion like a Dogge, the other roo [...]s and fru [...] like a hog, as both kinds haue bene found in Normandy and other parts of France and [...]. This beast diggeth her a den or caue in the earth and there liueth, neue [...] comming forth but for meat and easement, which it [Page 34] maketh out of his den: whē they dig their den, after they haue entred a good depth for auoi­ding the earth out, one of them falleth on the backe, and the other laieth all the earth on his belly, and so taking his hinder feet in his mouth, draweth the belly-laden-badger out of the caue,A secret in their manner of digging. Isidorus. Albertus. which disburdeneth her cariage, and goeth in for more till all be finished and emptied. The wily Foxe neuer maketh a Denne for himselfe, but finding a badgers caue, in her absence, layeth his excrement at the hole of the denne, the which when the Gray returneth, if she smell (as the sauour is strong) she forbeareth to enter as noisome, and so leaueth her elaborate house to the Fox. These badgers are verie sleepie, especiallie in the day time, and stirre not abroad, but in the night, for which cause they are called Lucifuga: that is;Their meate Auoyders of the light. They eat honie, and wormes, and hornets, and such like thinges,10 because they are not verie swift of foot to take other creatures. They loue Orchards, vines, and places of fruits also, and in the autumne they grow therewith verie fat.

They are in quantitie as big as a Fox, but of a shorter and thicker bodie; their skin is hard, but rough and rugged, their haire harsh and stubborn, of an intermingled grisard colour, sometime white, sometime blacke, his backe couered with blacke, and his bellie with white, his head from the top thereof to the ridge of his shoulder, is adorned with strakes of white and blacke, being blacke in the middle and white at each side. He hath verie sharpe teeth, and is therefore accounted a deepe-biting beast. His back is broad, his legs (as some say) longer on the right side then on the left, and therefore he runneth best when he getteth to the side of a hill,Cardanus. or a cart-road-away. His taile is short but hairy, and of diuers colours, hauing 20 a long face or snowt like the Zibethus: his forelegs being a full spanne long, and the hinder legs shorter short eares and little eies, a great bladder of gall, a body verie fat betwixt the skin and the flesh, and about the heart; and it is held that this fat increaseth with the Moon, and decreaseth with the same, being none at all at the change: his forelegs haue verie sharp nailes, bare and apt to dig withall, being fiue both before and behind, but the hinder verie short ones and couered with haire. His sauour is strong, and is much troubled with lice about his secrets, the length of his bodie from the nose which hangeth out like a hogges nose to the taile or rumpe, is some thirtie inches and a little more, the haire of his back [...] three fingers long, his necke is short and a like a Dogs: both male and female haue vnder 30 their hole another outwardlie,Her defence against Hun­ters & theyr Dogs. but not inwardlie in the male. If she be hunted out of her denne with hounds, she biteth them greeuouslie if she lay hold on them, wherefore they a­uoide her carefully, and the hunters put great broade collars made of a Graies skinne about their Dogges necke, to keepe them the safer from the Badgers teeth: her manner is to fight on her backe, vsing thereby both her teeth and her nailes, and by blowing vp her skinne aboue measure after an vnknowne manner, she defendeth her selfe against the strokes of men and the teeth of Dogges: wherefore she is hard lie taken, but by deuises and ginnes for that purpose inuented; with their skinnes they make quiuers for arrows, and some shepheards in Italy vse thereof to make sacks, wherein they wrappe themselues from the in­iury of raine.Badg [...] eaten. Platina.

In Italy and Germany they eate Grayes flesh, and boile with it peares, which maketh the 40 flesh tast like the flesh of a Porcupine.Medicine made of Bad. The flesh is best in September if it be fat, and of the two kindes, the swinish badger is better flesh then the other. There are sundry vertues con­fected out of this beast; for it is affirmed, that if the fat of a badger mingled with crudy ho­ny,Gratius and annointed vpon a bare place of a horsse, where the former haires are pulled off, it will make new white haires glowe in that place:Brasanolus. and it is certaine (although the Graeci­ans make no reckoning of Badgers grease) yet it is a verie soueraigne thing to soften, and therefore Serenus prescribeth it to annoint them that haue feuers or inflamations of the bodie, ‘Albertus.Nec spernendus adeps dederit▪ quem hestia melis.’ And not to be dispised for other cures: as for example, the easing of the paine of the raines 50 if it be giuen in a glister, and likewise the fat of a dogge and a badger mingled togither, doe loosen contracted sinnewes.

The ashes of a badger is found to helpe the bleeding of the stomacke, and the same sod and drunke, preuenteth daunger by the biting of a mad dogge: and Brunfelsius affirmeth, that if the blood of a badger be instilled into the hornes of cattell with salt, it keepeth them [Page 35] from the murrain, and the same dryed and beat to pouder doth wonderfully help the lepro­sie. The braine sod with oyle easeth all aches, the liuer taken out of water,Bottillus. helpeth swellings in the mouth; and some affirme, that if one weare sole [...] made of Badgers skins in their Shooes, it giueth great ease vnto the gowt. The biting of this beast is venemous, bicause it feedeth vpon all venemous meates which creepe vpon the earth,Brasanolus. although Arnoldus be of a contrary iudgement: and of this beast I can report no other thing worth the no­ting, saue that the Noble family of the Taxons in Ferraria, tooke their name from this creature.

[Page 36] A Beare is called in the Haebrew Dob, and plurally Dobi [...], of the Arabians Dubbe, of the Chaldeans Duba, Aldub and Da­boube;Of the name of the Graecians Arctos, of some Dasyllis, because of the roughnes of his haire, of other Beiros, and Monios signifieth a solitary Beare. The Latines call him Vrsus, which some coniecture to be tanquam orsus, signifieng, that it is but begunne to be framed in the dammes belly, and prefected after the littering thereof. The Italians call it Orso, so also the Spaniards; the French, Ours, the 10 Germans Baer, and Beer: the Bohemians Nedwed, the Po­lontans Vuluuer: and the attributes of this beast are many among authors, both Greeke and Latine:Epithites of the beare as Aemonian beares, armed, filthy, deformed, cruell, dreadfull, fierce, greedy, Callidonian, Erymanthean, bloody, heauy, night-ranging, lybican, menacing, Numidian, Ossaean, headlong, rauening, rigide and terrible beare; all which serue to set forth the nature heereof, as shall be afterward in particular discoursed.

First,Of the kind; of Beares Agricola. Albertus. therefore concerning seuerall kinds of beares, it is obserued, that there is in ge­nerall two; a greater, and a lesser; and these lesser are more apt to clime trees then the other, neither do they euer grow to so great a stature as the other. Besides there are Beares which are called Amphibia; because they liue both on the land and in the sea, hun­ting 20 and catching fish like an Otter or Beauer, and these are white coloured. In the Ocean Islands toward the North, there are bears of a great stature, fierce and cruell, who with their forefeet do breake vp the hardest congealed yse on the sea, or other great Waters, and draw out of those holes great aboundance of fishes:Ol [...]uis. and so in other frozen seas are many such like, hauing blacke clawes, liuing for the most part vpon the seas, except tempestuous weather driue them to the land.

In the Easterne parts of India there is a beast in proportion of body verie like a Beare, yet indued with no other quality of that kind, (being neither so wild, nor rauenous, nor strong) and it is called a Formicarian Beare,A Formica­rian Beare. Cardanus. for God hath so prouided, that whereas that countrey is aboundantly annoyed with the Emmets or Ants, that beast doth so prey 30 and feede vpon them, that by the strength and vertuous humour of his tongue, the sillie poore inhabitants are exceedingly relieued from their greeuious and daungerous num­bers.

Beares are bred in many countries, as in the Heluetian alpine region, where they are so strong and full of courage,Countrey of breed. that they can teare in pieces, both Oxen and Horsses, for which cause the inhabitants study by all means to take them. Likewise there are Beares in Persia, which doe rauen beyond all measure, and all other; so also the beares of N [...]mi­dia, Marcellinus. which are of a more elegant forme and composition then the residue;

And wheras Pliny affirmeth, that there are no beares in Affrick, he mistook that country for Creet, and so some say, that in that Island be no Wolues, vipers, or other such vene­mous creatures, whereof the Poets giue a vaine reason, because Iupiter was borne there: but, we know also, that there be no beares bred in England.

In the countrey of Arabia, from the promontory Dira to the South, are beares which liue vpon eating of flesh,Volaterran [...] being of a yellowish colour, which do farre excel all other bears, both in actiuity or swiftnes, and in quantity of body. Among the Roxolani and Lituani­ans, are beares, which being tamed are presents for princes. Aristotle in his wonders repor­teth,a secret in the natures of Beares. that there are white beares in Misia, which being eagerly hunted, do send forth such a breath, that putrifieth immediately the flesh of the Dogges, and whatsoeuer other beast 50 commeth within the sauour thereof, it maketh the flesh of them not fit to be eaten: but if either men or dogs approach or come nigh them, they vomit forth such aboundance of Plegme, that either the hunters are thereby choaked or blinded.

Thracia also breedeth white Beares, and the King of Aethiopia in his Haebrew Epistle which he wrote to the Bishop of Rome affirmeth, that there are Beares in his countrey: [Page 37] In Musconia are Beares, both of a snow white, yellow, and dusky colour, and it hath bene seene that the Noble womens chariots drawne by six horsses, haue beene couered with the skinnes of white beares, from the pasterne to the head: and as all other creatures doe bring forth some white, and some blacke, so also do Beares, who in generall doe breede and bring forth their young in all cold countries, some of a dusky and some of a browne blacke colour.

A Beare is of a most venereous and lustfull disposition,Lust of beare for night and day the females with most ardent inflamed desires, doe prouoke the males to copulation; and for this cause at that time they are most-fierce and angry.

Phillippus Cosseus of Constance, did most confidently tell mee, that in the Mountaines 10 of Sauoy, a Beare carried a young maide into his denne by violence,Gillius. A History where in venereous manner he had the carnall vse of her body, and while he kept her in his denne, he dailye went foorth and brought her home the best Apples and other fruites he coulde get, pre­senting them vnto her for her meat in very amorous sort; but alwaies when hee went to forrage, hee rouled a huge great stone vppon the mouth of his denne, that the Virgin shoulde not escape away: at length her parentes with long search, founde their little Daughter in the Beares den, who deliuered her from that sauage and beastuall captiuity.Time of their copulation.

The time of their copulation is in the beginning of winter, althogh sometime in Sum­mer, (but such young ones seldome liue) yet most commonly in February or Ianuary. 20 The manner of their copulation is like to a mans, the male mouing himselfe vpon the belly of the female, which lyeth on the earth flat vpon the backe, and either embraceth other with their forefeet: they remaine verie long time in that act, inasmuch as if they were verie fat at their first entrance, they disioine not themselues againe till they he made leane.

Immediately after they haue conceiued, they betake themselues to their dennes,Pliny. where they (without meate) grow very fat (especially the males) onely by sucking their fore­feet. When they enter into their denne, they conuey themselues in backward,a secret that so they may put out their footsteps from the sight of the hunters. The males giue great ho­nor to the females great with young, during the time of their secrecie, so that,Honor to the female. although 30 they lie togither in one caue, yet doe they part it by a diuision or small ditch in the midst, neither of them touching the other. The nature of all of them is, to auoid cold, and ther­fore in the winter time do they hide themselues, chusing rather to suffer famine then cold;auoiding of cold. lying for the most part three or foure moneths togither and neuer see the light, whereby their guts grow so empty, that they are almost closed vp and sticke togither.

When they first enter into their denne, they betake themselues to quiet and rest, sleeping without any awaking, for the first fourteene daies, so that it is thought an easie stroke can­not awake them. But how long the females go with young is not certaine,Time of bea­ring the yong beares. some affirm 3. moneths, others but 30. daies, which is more probable, for wild beasts doe not couple themselues being with young (except a Hare and a Linx) aad the beares being (as is al­ready said) verie lustull, to the intent that they may no longer want the company of their 40 males, do violently cast their whelps and so presently after deliuery, do after the maner of conies betake themselues to their lust, & norishing their yong ones both togither: & this is certaine, that they neuer come out of their caues, till their young ones be thirtie daies old at the least, and Pliny precisely affirmeth,The bignesse of a beare-whelpe. that they litter the thirtith daie after their conception; and for this cause, a beare bringeth forth the least whelpe of all other great beastes, for their whelpes at their first littering are no bigger then rats, nor longer then ones finger. And whereas it hath beene beleeued and receiued, that the whelpes of bears at their first littering are without all forme and fashion, and nothing but a little congealed blood like a lumpe of flesh; which afterwarde the old one frameth with her tongue to her 50 owne likenes, as Pliny, Solinus, Aelianus, Orus, Oppianus, and Ouid haue reported, yet is the truth most euidently otherwise, as by the eye witnes of Ioachimus Rhetichus, and other,Beares not so vnperfect as some haue re­ported is disproued: onlie it is litterd blind without eies, naked without haire, and the hinder legs not perfect, the forefeet folded vp like a fist, and other members deformed by reason of the imoderate humor or moystnes in them which also is one cause, why the womb of the beare cannot retaine the seed to the perfection of her young ones.

[Page 38] Number of yong one [...]They bring foorth sometimes two, and neuer aboue fiue, which the old beare dailye keepeth close to her brest, so warming them with the heat of her body and the breath of her mouth, till they be thirty daies old; at what time they come abroad, being in the be­ginning of May, which is the third moneth from the spring. The old ones being almost dazled with long darkenes, comming into light againe seeme to stagger and reele too and fro, and then for the straightnesse of their guts, by reason of their long fasting doe eat the herbe Arum, commonly called in English Wake-Robbin or Calues-foot, being of very sharpe and tart taste,Remedy in Nature. which enlargeth their guts, and so being recouered, they re­maine all the time their young are with them, more fierce and cruell then at other times. And concerning the same Arum, called also Dracunculus and Oryx, there is a pleasaunt 10 vulgar tale, whereby some haue conceiued that Beares eat this herbe before their lying secret; and by vertue thereof (without meat, or sence of cold) they passe away the whole winter in sleepe.

There was a certaine cow-heard in the Mountains of Heluetia, which comming downe a hill with a great caldron on his backe, he saw a beare eating of a root which he had pul­led vp with his feet;a fabulous tale yet vul­garly belee­ued. the cowheard stood still till the beare was gone, and afterward came to the place where the beast had eaten the same, and finding more of the same roote, did likewise eat it; he had no sooner tasted thereof, but he had such a desire to sleepe, that hee could not containe himselfe, but he must needs lie down in the way and there fell a sleep, hauing couered his heade with the caldron, to keepe himselfe from the vehemency of 20 colde, and there slept all the Winter time without harme, and neuer rose againe till the spring time: Which fable if a man will beleeue, then doubtlesse this hearbe may cause the Beares to be sleepers, not for fourteene dayes, but for fourescore dayes toge­ther.

The meat of Beares.The ordinary food of Beares is fish: for the Water-beare and others will eate fruites, Apples, Grapes, Leaues, and Pease, and will breake into bee-hiues sucking out the ho­ny;Horat: Vespertinus circumgemit vrsus ouile. Likewise Bees, Snayles, and Emmets, and flesh if it bee leane or ready to putrifie; but if a Beare doe chaunce to kill a swine, or a Bull, or Sheepe, he eateth them presentlie, whereas other beasts eate not hearbes if they eate flesh: likewise, they drinke water, but not like other beastes, neither sucking it or lapping it, but as it were, euen bitinge at 30 it.Of the quan­tity & partes of Beares.

Some affirme, that Beares doe waxe or growe as long as they liue, that there haue beene seene some of them fiue cubits long; yea I my selfe saw a Beares skinne of that length, and broader then any Oxes skinne.

The parts or members.The head of a Beare is his weakest part (as the hande of a Lyon is the strongest) for by a small blow on his head he hath often bene strucken deade, the bones of the head being verie thinne and tender: yea more tender, then the beake of a Parrot. The mouth of a Beare is like a Hogges mouth, but longer; being armed with teeth on both sides, like a saw, and standing deepe in his mouth, they haue verie thicke lippes, for which cause, hee cannot easily or hastily with his teeth breake asunder the hunters nettes, except with his 40 forefeet.

His necke is short, like a Tygers and a Lyons, apt to bend downeward to his meat, his bellie is verie large, being vniforme, and next to it the intrals as in a Wolfe: It hath also foure speanes to her Paps. The genitall of a Beare after his death waxeth as hard as horn, his knees and elbowes are like to an Apes, for which cause they are not swift or nimble: his feete are like handes, and in them and his loines is his greatest strength, by reason whereof, he sometimes setteth himselfe vpright vppon their hinder legges: the pasterne of his legge being fleshy like a cammels, which maketh them vnfit for trauell, they haue sharpe clawes, but a verye small taile as all other longe hayred creatures haue.50

They are exceeding full of fat or Larde-greace, which some vse superstitiouslie beaten with oile,a superstitius vse of Beares larde or fat. wherewith they annoint their grape-sickles when they go to vintage, perswading themselues that if no bodie know thereof, their tender vine braunches shall neuer be con­sumed by catterpillers.

Other, attribute this to the vertue of Beares blood, and Theophrastus affirmeth, [Page 39] that if beares grease be kept in a vessell, at such time as the beares lie secret,A secret. it will either fill it vp, or cause it to runne ouer. The flesh of beares is vnfit for meat,Meat of bea­res flesh. yet some vse to eat it, after it hath bene twice sodde; other eat it baked in pasties, but the truth is, it is better for medicine then food. Theophrastus likewise affirmeth, that at the time when beares lie secret, their dead flesh encreaseth which is kept in houses,another se­cret but beares forefeet are held for a verie delicate and vvell tasted foode, full of svveetnes, and much vsed by the German Princes.

The skinnes of Beares are vsed in the farre Northerne regions for garmentes in the Winter time, which they make so artificially,The skinnes. couering themselues with them from the crowne of the head to the feete, that (as Munster affirmed) some men deceiued with that 10 appearaunce, deemed the people of Lapponia to be hairy all ouer▪ The souldiors of the Moores weare garments made of Lyons pardals, and beares skinnes, and sleepe vppon them; and so is it reported of Herodotus Megarensis the Musitian, who in the day time wore a Lyons skin, and in the night lay in a Beares skin.

The constitution of the body of a Beare is beyond measure Phlegmatique, because he fasteth in the Winter time so long without meate: His voyce is fierce and fearefull in his rage, but in the night time mournefull, being giuen much to rauening. If a Beare doe eat of Mandragoras, hee presently dieth, except he meete with Emmets, by licking of whome he recouereth: so likewise, if he be sicke of a surfet.

20 A Beare is much subiect to blindnesse of the eyes, and for that cause they desire the hiues of Bees, not onely for the hony, but by the stinging of the bees, their eies are cu­red. It hath not bene seene that a female Beare was taken great with young, which com­meth to passe, by reason that they goe to their Dennes so soone as they are conceiued, and come not out thence till they haue littered: And because of the fiercenesse of this beast, they are seldome taken aliue, except they be very young:Taking of Beares. so that some are killed in the Mountaines by poyson, the Country being so steepe and rocky that hunters cannot followe them; some taken in ditches of the earth and other ginnes. Oppianus relateth, that neare Tygris and Armenia, the inhabitauntes vse this Stratigem to take Beares.

30 The people go often to the Wooddes to finde the Denne of the Beare, following a leam-hound, whose nature is so soone as he windeth the beast, to barke, whereby his leader discouereth the prey, and so draweth off the hound with the leame; then come the people in great multitude and compasse him about with long nets, placing certaine men at each end: then tie they a long rope to one side of the net as high from the ground as the small of a Mans belly: whereunto are fastned diuers plumes and feathers of vultures, swannes, and other resplendant coloured birdes, which with the wind make a noise or his­sing, turning ouer and glistering; on the other side of the net they build foure little houels of greene boughes, wherein they lay foure men couered all ouer with greene leaues, then all being prepared, they sound their Trumpets, and wind their horns; at the noise where­of the beare ariseth, and in his fearefull rage, runneth too and fro as if he sawe fire the 40 young men armed make vnto him, the beare looking round about, taketh the plainest way toward the rope hung full of feathers, which being stirred and haled by them that holde it, maketh the beare much affraid with the ratling and hissing thereof, and so flying from that side halfe mad, runneth into the nets, where the keepers entrap him so cunningly, that he seldome escapeth.

When a Beare is set vpon by an armed man, he standeth vpright and taketh the man betwixt his forefeet, but he being couered all ouer with yron plates can receiue no harm, and then may easily with a sharpe knife or dagger pierce thorough the heart of the beast.

50 If a shee beare hauing young ones be hunted, shee driueth her Whelpes before her vntill they be wearied, and then if she be not preuented, she climbeth vppon a tree, car­rying one of her young in her mouth and the other on her backe. A Beare will not wil­linglie fight with a man, but being hurt by a man, he gnasheth his teeth, and licketh his forefeete, and it is reported by an Ambassador of Poland, that when the Sarmatians finde a beare, they inclo [...] the whole Wood by a multitude of people, standing not aboue a [Page 40] cubit one from another, then cut they downe the outmost trees, so that they raise a Wall of wood to hemme in the Beares; this being effected, they raise the Beare, hauing cer­taine forkes in their hands made for that purpose, and when the Beare approacheth, they (with those forkes) fall vpon him, one keeping his head, another one leg, other his bo­dy, and so withforce muzzle him and tie his legges, leading him away. The Rhaetians vse this policy to take Wolues and Beares: they raise vp great posts, and crosse them with a long beame laded with heauy weightes, vnto the which beame they fasten a corde with meat therein, whereunto the beast comming, and biting at the meat, pulleth downe the beame vpon her owne pate.

The inhabitants of Heluetia hunt them with mastiffe Dogges, because they should not 10 kill their cattell left at large in the fielde in the day time; They likewise shoote them with gunnes, giuing a good summe of money to them that can bring them a slaine beare. The Sarmatians vse to take Beares by this sleight; vnder those trees wherein bees breed, they plant a great many of sharpe pointed stakes, putting one hard into the hole wherein the bees go in and out, whereunto the Beare climbing, and comming to pull it forth, to the end that she may come to the hony, and being angry that the stake sticketh so fast in the hole, with violence plucketh it foorth with both her forefeet, whereby she looseth her holde and falleth downe vpon the picked stakes, whereupon she dieth, if they that watch for her come not to take her off. There was reported by Demetrius Ambassador at Rome, from the King of Musco, A History that a neighbor of his going to seek hony, fell into a hollow tree 20 vp to the brest in hony, where he lay two days, being not heard by any man to complain; at length came a great Beare to this hony; and putting in his head into the tree, the poore man tooke hold thereof, wherat the Beare suddenly affrighted, drew the man out of that deadly daunger, and so ranne away for feare of a worse creature.

But if there be no tree wherein Bees doe breed neere to the place where the Beare a­bideth, then they vse to annoint some hollow place of a tree with hony, whereinto Bees will enter and make hony combes, and when the Beare findeth them she is killed as afore­saide. In Norway they vse to saw the tree almost asunder, so that when the beast clim­beth it, she falleth downe vpon piked stakes laid vnderneath to kill her: And some make a hollow place in a tree, wherein they put a great pot of Water, hauing annointed it with 30 hony,Herus. at the bottome whereof are fastened certaine hookes bending downeward, leauing an easie passage for the beare to thrust in her head to get the honie, but impossible to pull it foorth againe alone, because the hookes take holde on her skinne: this pot they binde fast to a tree, whereby the Beare is take [...] [...]liue and blinde folded, and though her strength breake the corde or chaine where with the pot is fastened, yet can shee not escape or hurt any bodie in the taking, by reason her head is fastened in the pot.

Poli [...].To conclude, other make ditches or pits vnder Apple trees, laying vpon their mouth rotten stickes, which they couer with earth, and strawe vppon it herbes, and when the beare commeth to the Apple tree, she falleth into the pit and is taken.

The herbe Wolfebanie or Libardine is poison to Foxes, Wolues, Dogs, and Beares,40 and to all beasts that are littered blind, as the Alpine Rhaetians affirme. There is one kinde of this called Cyclamine, which the Valdensians call Tora, and with the iuice thereof they poi­son their darts, whereof I haue credibly receiued this story; That a certain Valdensian, see­ing a wilde beare hauing a dart poysond heere with, did cast it at the beare being farre from him, and lightly wounded her, it being no sooner done, but the beare ran too and fro in a wonderfull perplexitie through the woods, vnto a verie sharpe cliffe of a rocke, where the man saw her draw her last breath, as soone as the poison had entered to her hart, as he afterward found by opening of her bodie. The like is reported of henbane, another herb: But there is a certaine blacke fish in Armenia full of poison, with the pouder whereof they poison figs,Aelianus and cast them in those places where wilde beastes are most plentifull, which 50 they eat and so are killed.

Concerning the industrie or naturall disposition of a beare, it is certaine that they are very hardlie tamed, and not to bee trusted though they seeme neuer so tame; for which cause there is a storie of Diana in Lysias, that there vvas a certaine beare made so tame, that it vvent vppe and dovvne among men and vvoulde feed [...] vvith them, taking [Page 41] meat at their handes, giuing no occasion to feare or mistrust her cruelty: on a daye, a young mayde playing with the Beare, lasciuiously did so prouoke it, that he tore her in pieces; the Virgins brethren seeing the murther, with their Dartes slew the Beare, whereupon followed a great pestilence through all that region: and when they consul­ted with the Oracle, the payn in God gaue answeare, that the plague could not cease; vn­till they dedicated some virginnes vnto Diana for the Beares sake that was slaine; which some interpreting that they should sacrifice them: Embarus vpon condition the priest-hoode might remaine in his family, slewe his onely daughter to end the pestilence, and for this cause the virgins were after dedicated to Diana before their mariage, when they 10 were betwixt ten and fifteene yeare olde, which was performed in the moneth of Ianuary, otherwise they could not be married: yet beares are tamed for labours, and especially for sports among the Roxolani and Libians, being taught to draw water with wheeles out of the deepest wels; likewise stones vpon sleds to the building of wals.Albertus.

A prince of Lituania nourished a Beare very tenderly, feeding her from his table with his owne hand, for he had vsed her to be familiar in his court, and to come into his owne chamber when he listed, so that she would goe abroad into the fields and woods, retur­ning home againe of her owne accord, and would with her hand or foote rub the Kinges chamber doore to haue it opened, when she was hungry, it being locked: it happened that certaine young Noble men conspired the death of this Prince,A History and came to his 20 chamber doore, rubbing it after the custome of the beare, the King not doubting anye euill, and supposing it had bene his beare, opened the doore, and they presently slewe him.

There is a fable of a certaine wilde beare of huge stature,Caelius which terrified all them that looked vppon her, the which Pythagoras sent for, and kept to himselfe, verie familiarly vsing to stroke and milke her; at the length when he was wearie of her, he whispered in hir eare and bound her with an oath, that being departed she shuld neuer more harm any liuing thing, which saith the fable, she obserued to her dying day. These beares care not for any thing that is dead, and therefore if a man can hold his breath as if he were deade, they will not harme him, which gaue occasion to Esope to fable of two companions and 30 sworn friends, who trauelling togither met with a beare, wher at they being amazed, one of them ranne away and gate vp into a tree, the other fell downe and counterfetted him­selfe dead, vnto whome the beare came and smelt at his nostrils and eares for breath, but perceiuing none departed without hurting him: soone after the other friend came down from the tree, and merrily asked his companion what the beare saide in his eare, marrye (quoth he) she warnd me that I should neuer trust such a fugitiue frend as thou art, which diddest forsake me in my greatest necessity: thus far Esop.

They will bury one another being dead, as Tzetzes affirmeth, and it is receiued in ma­ny Nations, that children haue bene Nursed by beares: Parris throwne out of the cittie,Varrinus. was nourished by a Beare. There is in Fraunce a Noble house of the Vrsons, whose firste founder is reported to haue bene certaine yeares togither nourished by a beare, and for 40 that cause was called Vrson: and some affirme, that Arcesius was so being deceiued by the name of his mother who was called Arctos, a beare: as amonge the Latines was Vrsula. And it is reported in the yeare of our Lord 1274. that the Concubine of Pope Nicholas (being with childe as was supposed) brought forth a young Beare, which she did not by any vnlawful copulation with such a beast, but onely with the most holy pope;Sebast. frāk: and con­ceiued such a creature, by strength of imagination, lying in his pallace, where she sawe the picturs of many bears; so that the holy father being first put in good hope of a son, & afterward seeing this monster (like himselfe Reuel. 13.) for anger and shame defaced all his pictures of those beasts. There is a mountaine called the mountaine of beares in Cy­zicus, 50 betwixt Chersonesus and Propontus; so called, because as some haue affirmed, Helice and Cynosura were turned into beares in that place, but the reason is more probable, be­cause it was full of beares, or else because it was so high that it seemd to touch the Beare-starre.

There is a constellation called the beare in the figure of seauen Starres like a Carte, whereof foure stande in the place of the wheeles, and three in the roome of Horsses. [Page 40] [...] [Page 41] [...] [Page 42] The Septentrions call them Triones, Higinus. that is yoked Oxen. But there are two beares, a greater and a lesser. The greater is called Callisto after the name of Lytaons daughter, who raigned in Arcadia, whereof many giue diuers reasons. For they say Callisto was a companion of Diana, & vsed to hunt with her being verie like vnto her, and one day Iupiter came to her in the likenes of Diana and deflowred her, and when she was with childe, Diana asked her how that happened, to whom Callisto answeared, that it happened by her fact: wherewith the Goddesse being angry, turnd her into a beare, in which shape she brought forth Arcas, and they both wandring in the woodes, were taken and brought for a presente vnto Lycaon her father; And vpon a day the beare being ignorant of the law, entered into the temple of Iu­piter Lycaeus, and her sonne followed her, for which the Arcadians would haue slaine them 10 both, but Iupiter in pittie of them tooke them both into heauen and placed them among the starres.

Other say that Callisto was turned into a beare by Iuno, whom afterward Diana slew, and comming to knowledge that it was Callisto, she placed her for a signe in heauen, which is called Vrsa Maiore, the great beare; which before that time was called Hamaxa: but the rea­son of these fables is rendred by Palaephatus, because that Callistus going into a Beares den was by the beare deuoured, and so her foolish companions seeing none come foorth but the Beare, fondly imagined that the Virgin was turned into a beare.

There is another constellation next to the great Beare, called Arctophylax, Bootes, or the little beare, in whose girdle is a bright starre called Arcturus, and from this constella­tion 20 of beares, commeth the denomination of the Artique and Antarctique pole. Other affirme, that the two Beares were Helice and Cynosura, the two Nurses of Iupiter, because sometime they are so named; the cause whereof is apparant in the Greeke tongue, for He­lice is a starre, hauing as it were a taile roled vp, and cynosura, a taile at length like a Dogge. They are also nourished for sport, for as their bodies doe in one sort resemble Apes, so do also their dispositions being apt to sundrie gestures and pastimes, lying vpon their backes, and turning their hands and feete, rocke themselues vpon them as a woman rocketh her childe in a cradle; but principallie for fight: for which occasion they were preserued of old time by the Romaines: For when Messala was Consull, Aenobarbus Domitius presented in one ring or circle, an hundred Beares, and so many hunters with them.30

They will not willinglie fight with a man, although men may do it without hurt, for if they annoint or sprinkle the mouthes of Lyons or Beares with Vitrioll or copperas, it will so bind their chappes togither, that they shall not be able to bite, which caused Martiall to write thus:

Alexander had a certaine Indian dog giuen vnto him, to whom was put a bore and a beare to fight withall, but he disdaining them, woulde not once regard them, but when a Lyon came,Fight of Beares. he rose vp and fought with him. Beares, they wil fight with Buls, Dogges, and hor­ses: when they fight with bulles, they take them by their hornes, and so with the weight of their bodie, they wearie and presse the beast, vntill they may easilie slaie him: and this fight 50 is for the most part on his backe. A Rhinoceros set on by a bear in a publicke spectacle at Rome, did easilie cast him off from the hold he had on his horne. She doth not aduenture on a wilde bore, except the bore be a sleepe or not seeing her. There is also a mortall hatred be­twixt a horse and a beare, for they know one another at the first sight; and prepare to com­bat, which they rather act by policie then by strength: The beare falling flat on his backe, [Page 43] the horsse leaping ouer the beare, which pulleth at his guts with her forefeet nailes, and is by the heeles of the horsse wounded to death, if he strike the beare vpon his head. Also beares feare a sea-calfe, and will not fight with them if they can be auoided, for they knowe they shalbe ouercome.

Great is the fiercenes of a beare, as appeareth by holie scripture Osee 13. I will meet them as a beare robbed of her whelpes (saith the Lorde) and will teare in pieces their froward heart: And Ch [...]sai telleth Absalon. 2. Sam. 17. Thou knowest that thy father and the men that bee with him be most valiant and fierce like a shee beare robbed of her Whelpes: for a shee beare is more couragious then a male.

10 There is a filthy nation of men called Taifah, who are giuen vnto a sodomiticall bug­gery, to commit vncleanenes man with man, and especially with young boyes; but if any of them take a wilde bore, or kill a Beare, he shall be exempted from this kind of beastly impudicitie. Heliogabalus was woont to shut vp his drunken friends togither, and suddenly in the night would put in among them Beares, Wolues, Lyons, and Leo­pards, muzled and disarmed, so that when they did awake, they should find such cham­ber fellowes, as they could not behold (if darkenesse did not blind them) without singu­lar terror; whereby manie of them fell into swoundes, sickenesse, extasie, and madnes.

Vitoldus King of Lituania, kept certaine Beares of purpose, to whom he cast all per­sons which spoke against his tirranie, putting them first of all into a Beares skinne;Aeneas Sil [...] whose 20 crueltie was so great, that if he had commaunded anie of them to hang themselues, they would rather obey him then endure the terror of his indignation. In like sort did Alexan­der Phaeraeus, deale with his subiects, as is reported by Textor Valentintanus, the Emperor nourished two beares deuourers of men, one of them called golden Mica, the other Inno­centia; which he lodged neere his owne chamber: at length after many slaughters of men, he let Innocentia goe loose in the wooddes for her good deserts, in bringing so ma­ny people to their funerals.

There are many naturall operations in Beares. Pliny reporteth, that if a woman bee in sore trauile of child-birth, let a stone or arrow which hath killed a man, a beare or a bore,Secrets ob­serued of Beares. be throwne ouer the house wherein the Woman is, and she shall be eased of her paine. There is a small worme called Voluox, which eateth the vine branches when they are yong, 30 but if the vine-seckles be annointed with Beares blood, that worme will neuer hurt them.Collumella If the blood or greace of a Beare be set vnder a bed, it will draw vnto it all the fleas, and so kill them by cleauing thereunto. But the vertues medicinall are very many:Arnoldus. Virtues me­dicinall. and first of all, the blood cureth all manner of bunches and apostems in the flesh, and bringeth haire vpon the eye-lids if the bare place be annointed therewith.

The fat of a Lyon is most hot and dry, and next to a Lyons, a Leopards; next to a Leo­pards, a Beares; and next to a Beares, a buls. The later Physitians vse it to cure conuulsed and distracted parts, spots, and tumors in the body. It also helpeth the paine of the loins, if the sicke part be annointed therewith, and all vlcers in the legges or shinnes, when a plaister is made thereof with bole-armoricke. Also the vlcers of the feet, mingled with al­lome. 40 It is soueraigne against the falling of the haire, compounded with wilde roses. [...]he Spaniards burne the braines of beares when they die in any publicke sports, holding them venemous, because being drunke, they driue a man to be as mad as a beare; and the like is reported of the heart of a Lyon, and the braine of a cat. The right eie of a beare dried to pouder, and hung about childrens neckes in a little bag, driueth away the terrour of dreames, and both the eyes whole, bound to a mans left arme, easetha quartanague.

The liuer of a sow, a lamb, and a bear put togither, and trod to pouder vnder ones shoos, easeth and defendeth cripples from imflamation: the gall being preserued and warmed in water, deliuereth the bodie from colde, when all other medicine faileth. Some giue it 50 mixt with Water, to them that are bitten with a mad Dogge, holding it for a singular re­medie, if the party can fast three daies before. It is also giuen against the palsie, the Kings euill, the falling sickenesse, an old cough, the inflamation of the eies, the running of the eares, the difficultie of vrine, and deliuery in child-birth, the Haemorrhods, the weaknes of the backe. The stones in a perfume, are good against the falling euill, and the palsie, and that women may go their full time, they make ammulets of Bears nails, and cause them to weare them all the time they are vvith child.

A Beuer is caled in Greeke Ca­stor, Of the name in Latine Fiber, in Itali­an Biuaro or Biuero, and Il castoreo, S [...]taticus. in Spanish castor: 10 in French Bieure, & some time castor, in Illyrian, Bobr, in Germaine Biber, all which wordes at the first sight seeme to be de­riued from the Latine: There is no certain word for it in Hebrew: in Ara­bia it is called Albedne­ster: it is also called in La­tine 20 canis Ponticus, but ca­nis fluuatilis is another beast, as we shall manifest in the succeding discours of an Otter: and the rea­son why in Latin it is cal­led Fibar is,The notatiō of Fibutirom [...]t Latine. because (as Varro saieth) it coueteth the sides, banks, or extre­mities of the riuer, as the 30 extremities or lappes of the eare and liuer, are cal­led fibrae, and the skirts of garments fimbriae: The notatiō of the Greek word Castor but the reason why the Graecians call it Castor, is not as the Latines haue supposed, because it biteth off his owne stones, quasicastan­dro seipsum, as shalbe ma­nifested 40 soone after, but of castrando, bicause for the stones therof it is hunted and killed, or rather of Gaster signifieng a belly, for that the body is long and almost all belly; or ra­ther bicause of the colour and ill sauour thereof

This Beauer is no other 50 then that which Aristotle calleth Latax, What matter [...]. and it diffe­reth from an Otter only in the tayle. Some com­pare a Beauer with a Bad­ger, [Page 45] but they attribute to him a longer

body and smoother hayre, but shorter and softer than a Badgers: their colour is somewhat yellow and white, aspersed with ash-colour, which stande out be­yonde the shorter hayres, double their length: they are neat and soft like vnto an Otters, and the haires length of the one and others colour, is not aequall. 10 Some haue seen them brown declining to blacke, which Albertus preferreth; & Siluius affirmeth, that his long hayres are like a Dogs,Countrey of breed. and the short ones like an Otter. They are most plentifull in Pontus, for which cause it is called canis Ponticus; they are also bred in the Ry­uers of Spaine, and in the riuer Marne in Fraunce, Padus in Italy, in Sauoy, in the Riuers Isara and Rhoan, and in the 20 Island called camargo, and in Heluetia, neere Arula, Vrsa and Limagus:Albertus. Like­wise throughout all Germany, Polonia, Sclauonia, Rushia and Prussia: & there are Beuers in the woods of Mosco and Lituania, of excellent perfection and stature aboue others, hauing longer white haires which glister aboue other. These beasts liue both in the water and on the land, for in the day time they keepe the water,They are lād & water bea. and in the nigh [...] they keepe the land, and yet without water they cannot liue, for they do participate much of the nature of fishes, as may be well considered by their hinder legs and taile.

Their quantitie is not much bigger then a countrey Dog, their head short, their ears 30 very small and round, their teeth very long,Their seueral partes, Siluius. Bellouius. the vnder teethe standing out beyond their lips three fingers breadth, and the vpper about halfe a finger, being very broade, croo­ked, strong and sharpe, standing or growing double verie deep in their mouth, bending compasse like the edge of an Axe, and their colour yellowish red, wherwith they defend themselues against beasts, take fishes as it were vpon hooks, and will gnaw insunder trees as big as a mans thigh: they haue also grinding teeth very sharpe, wherein are certaine wrinckles or foldes, so that they seeme to be made for grinding some hard substance, for with them they eate the rindes or barke of trees; wherefore the bitinge of this beast is very deepe, being able to crash asunder the hardest bones, and commonly he neuer lo­seth his holde vntill he feeleth his teeth gnash one against another. Pliny and Solinus af­firme, that the person so bitten cannot be cured, except he hear the crashing of the teeth 40 which I take to be an opinion without truth.

They haue certaine haires about their mouth, which seeme in their quantity or big­nesse to be rather horne they are so hard, but their bones are most harde of all and with­out marrow: Their forefeet are like a Dogs, and their hinder like a Gooses, made as it were of purpose to go on the land, & swim in the water; but the taile of this beast is most strange of all in that it commeth nearest to the nature of fishes, being without hayre and couered ouer with a skin like the scales of fish, it being like a soale, and for the most part six fingers broade and halfe a foot long, which some haue affirmed the beast neuer pul­leth out of the water; whereas it is manifest, that when it is very colde or the water fro­zen he pulleth it vp to his body, although Agricola affirme, that his hinder legs and taile 50 freeze with the water; and no lesse vntrue is the assertion, that they compell the Otter in time of colde and frost, to wait vpon their taile and to trouble the water so that it may not freeze round about them; but yet the Beuer holdeth the Otter in subiection, and eyther ouercommeth it in fight, or killeth it with his teeth.

This taile he vseth for a sterne when he swimmeth after fishe to catch them. There [Page 46] hath beene taken of them whose tayles haue waied foure pound waight, and they are ac­counted a very delicate dish, for being dressed they eate like Barbles: they are vsed by the Lotharingians and Sauoyens for meat allowed to be eaten on fish-daies, although the bo­dy that beareth them be flesh and vncleane for food.Bellonius. The manner of their dressing is, first roasting, and afterward seething in an open pot, that so the euill vapour may go away, and some in pottage made with Saffron; other with Ginger, and many with Brine: it is cer­taine that the tayle and forefeet tast very sweet, from whence came the Prouerbe, That sweet is that fish, which is not fishe at all.

These Beastes vse to builde them Caues or Dens neere the Waters, so as the Water may come into them,Their build­ing of Dens. or else they may quickly leape into the water, and their wit or natu­rall 10 inuention in building of their caues is most wonderfull: for you must vnderstand that in the night time they go to land, and there with their teeth gnaw down boughes & trees which they likewise bite verie short fitting their purpose, and so being busied about this worke, they will often looke vp to the tree when they perceiue it almost asunder, thereby to discerne when it is ready to fall, least it might light vpon their owne pates: the tree be­ing down and prepared, they take one of the oldest of their company, whose teeth could not be vsed for the cutting, (or as others say, they constraine some strange Beauer whom they meet withall) to fall flat on his backe (as before you haue heard the Badgers doe) and vpon his belly lade they all their timber, which they so ingeniously worke and fasten in­to the compasse of his legs that it may not fall, and so the residue by the taile, drawe him 20 to the water side, where these buildings are to be framed, and this the rather seemeth to be true,Albertus. Olaus mag: because there haue bene some such taken, that had no haire on their backes: but were pilled, which being espied by the hunters, in pitty of their slauery, or bondage, they haue let them go away free.

These beasts are so constant in their purpose, that they will neuer change the tree that they haue once chosen to build withall▪ how long time so euer they spend in biting downe the same, it is likewise to be obserued, that they neuer go to the same, during the time of their labour but in one and the same path, and so in the same, returne to the water againe. When they haue thus brought their wood togither, then dig they a hole or ditch in the banke side,Albertus. where they vnderset the earth to beare it vp from falling, with the aforesaide 30 timber:a secret and so they proceed, making two or three roomes like seuerall chambers, one aboue another, to the entent that if the water rise they may goe further, and if it fall they may discend vnto it. And as the husbandmen of Egypt doe obserue the buildings of the Crocodile, so do the inhabitants of the countrey where they breed, obserue the Beauers, that when they build high, they may expect an inundation and sowe on the Mountaines, and when they build lowe, they looke for a calme or drought, and plow the valleys. There is nothing so worthy in this beast as his stones, for they are much sought after and desi­red by all Merchants, so that they will giue for them any great price.

There is both in Male and Female, certaine bunches vnder their bellie as great as a gooses egge, which some haue vnskilfully taken for their coddes, and betweene these is 40 the secret or priuie part of both sexes; which tumours or bunches are nothing else, but a little fleshie bagge within a thin skinne, in the middle whereof is a hole or passage, out of the which the beast sucketh a certaine liquor,The Cods or stones of the beast Rondoletius. and afterward therewith annointeth euery part of her bodie that she can reach with her toong. Now it is verie plain that these bun­ches are not their coddes, for these reasons; because that there is no passage either of the seed into them, or from them into the yarde: Besides, their stones are found within their bodie; neither ought this to seeme strange, seeing that Hares haue the like bunches, and also the Moschus or Musk-cat: the female hath but one passage for all her excrements, and to conceiue or bring forth young ones.

It hath beene an opinion of some, that when a Beauer is hunted and is in danger to be 50 taken, she biteth off her owne stones,The Beauer doth not bite off her owne stones. knowing that for them only her life is sought, which caused Alciatus to make this Emblem.

Teaching by the example of a Beauer, to giue our pursse to theeues, rather then our liues, and by our wealth to redeeme our danger, for by this meanes the Beauer often es­capeth. There haue beene many of them founde that wanted stones, which gaue some strength to this errour, but this was exploded in auncient time for a fable; and in this and all other honest discourses of any part of Phylosophy, the onely marke wherat eue­rie good student and professor ought to ayme, must be veritie and not tales: wherin ma­ny of the ancient haue greatly offended (as is manifested by Marcellius Virgilius) especi­ally 10 Plato: and this poison hath also crept into and corrupted the whole bodie of religi­on. The Egyptians in opinion of the aforesaid Castration, when they will signifie a man that hurteth himselfe, they picture a Beauer biting off his owne stones.Herus. an Emblem. But this is most false, as by Sertius, Plinius, Dioscorides, and Albertus, is manifested: first, because their stones are verie small, and so placed in their bodie as are a Boares, and therefore impos­sible for them to touch or come by them: Secondly, they cleaue so fast vnto their back, that they cannot be taken awaie but the beast must of necessitie loose his life; and there­fore ridiculous is their relation, who likewise affirme, that when it is hunted (hauing for­merlie bitten off his stones, that he standeth vpright and sheweth the hunters that he hath 20 none for them, and therefore his death cannot profit them, by meanes whereof they are auerted, and seeke for another.

These Beauers eate fish, fruits, and the bitter rhindes of trees,Their food which are vnto them most delicate, especiallie Alderne, Poplar, and Willowe; wherevpon it is prouerbiallie said, of one that serueth another for gaine: Sic me subes quotidie vt fiber salicem, you loue me as the Beauer doth the Willow, which eateth the barke and destroieth the tree.

They are taken for their skins, tailes, and cods, and that manie waies;Their cause of taking and first of all when their caues are found, there is made a great hole or breach therein, wherinto is put a little dog, which the beast espying, flieth to the end of her denne, and there defendeth her selfe by her teeth, till all her structure or building be rased, and she laide open to her 30 enimies, who with such instruments as they haue present, beat her to death:A secret. some affirm that she rouzeth vp her body and by the strong sauour of hir stones she driueth away the Dogs, which may be probable if the stones could be seene. These dogges are the same which hunt wilde foule and Otters.

It is reported that in Prussia they take them in bow-nets, baited with the rinde of trees,Agricola. where into they enter for the food, but being entrapped cannot go forth againe. They cannot diue long time vnder water but must put vp their heads for breath, which being espied by them that beset them, they kill them with gun-shot, or pierce them with Ot­ter-speares, so that one would thinke seeing such a one in the water, that it was some hai­ry kind of fish; and his nature is, if he heare any noise to put his head aboue water, wher­by he is discouered and looseth his life. His skin is pretious in Polonia either for garment 40 or for gloues, but not so pretious as an Otters, yet is it vsed for the edging of all other fur-garments making the best shew and enduring longest; they are best that are blackest, and of the bellies which are like felt wooll, they make caps and stockings, against raine and foule weather.

The medicinall vertues of this beast are in the skin, the vrine, the gall and the cods:The medici­nall vertues; Albertus. Aetius. and first, a garment made of the skinnes is good for a paralitick person, and the skinnes burned with drie Oynions and liquid pitch, stayeth the bleeding of the nose, and being put into the soles of shooes easeth the gowt. The vrine preserued in the bladder, is an antidot against poyson, and the gall is profitable for many thinges,Pliny but especially being 50 turned into a glew it helpeth the falling euill. The genitals of a Beauer are called by the Phisitians Castoreum, Pliny. and therefore we will in this discourse vse that word for expressing the nature, qualities, remedies, and miraculous operation therof, wherfore they must be verie warily and skilfully taken foorth, for there is in a little skin compassing them about a certaine sweet humor (called Humor Melleus) and with that they must be cut out, the vt­ter skin being cut asunder to make the more easie entrance, and the Apothecaries vse to [Page 48] take all the fat about them, which they put into the oyle of the Castoreum, and sell it vnto fisher men to make baite for fishes. The females haue stones or Castoreum, as well as the males, but very small ones. Now you must take great heed to the choise of your Beauer, and then to the stones which must grow from one roote conioyned, otherwise they are not precious, and the beast must neither be a young one nor one very old, but in the meane betwixt both, being in vigour and perfection of strength.

The Beauers of Spaine yeeld not such vertuous castoreum as they of Pontus, and there­fore if it be possible,Hermolaus. The corrup­ting of Ca­storeum. take a Pontique Beauer, next one of Gallatia, and lastly of Affrique. Some do corrupt them putting into their skinne gumme and Ammomacke with blood, o­ther take the raines of the beast, and so make the castoreum very big, which in it selfe is but 10 small. This beast hath two bladders, which I remember not are in any other liuing crea­ture, and you must beware that none of these be ioyned with the castoreum. You may know if it be mingled with Ammoniacke by the tast, for although the colour be like, yet is the sauour different. Platearius sheweth, that some adulterate castoreum, by taking of his skinne, or some cod newly taken forth of another beast, filling it with blood, sinnewes and the pouder of castoreum, that so it may not want his strong smell or sauour: other fill it with earth and blood; other with blood, rozen, gumme, sinnewes and pepper, to make it tast sharp: but this is a falsification discernable, and of this sort is the castoreum that is sold at Venice, as Brasouala affirmeth: and the most of them sold at this day are bigger then the true castoreum, for the iust waight of the right stones is not aboue twelue ounces and a 20 halfe, one of them being bigger then the other, being sixe fingers bredth long, and foure in breadth. Now the substance contained in the bag is yellowish, solid like wa [...], and stick­ing like glew, not sharp and cracking betwixt the teeth (as the counterfait is.) These stones are of a strong and stinking sauour, such as is not in any other, but not rotten and sharpe as Grammarians affirme; yet I haue smelled of it dried, which was not vnpleasaunt, and things once seasoned with the sauour thereof, will euer tast of it, although they haue not touched it, but lie couered with it in the same boxe or pot; and therefore the castoreum of Persia is counterfeit, which hath no such smell, for if a man smell to the right castoreum, it will draw blood out of his nose.

After it is taken forth from the beast, it must be hung vp in some place to be dried in 30 the shadow, and when it is dry, it is soft and white: it will continue in strength sixe yeares, and some say seuen; the Persians affirme, that their castoreum will hold his vertue ten years; which is as false as the matter they speake of is counterfait. Archigenes wrote a whole booke of the vertue of this castoreum, whereunto they may resort, that require an exact and full declaration of all his medicinall operations: it shall onely be our purpose, to touch some generall heads, and not to enter into a particular discouery thereof.

Being so dried as is declared, it must be warily vsed, for it falleth out heerein as in o­ther medicinall subiects, that ignorance turneth a curing herbe or substance, into a vene­mous and destructiue quality; therefore we will first of all set downe the daungers to be auoyded, and afterward some particular cures that come by the right vse of it. Therefore 40 it must be vnderstood, that there is poyson in it, not naturally, but by accident; as may be in any other good and wholsome matter: and that especially in the smell or sauor ther­of,The dangers in the vse of Castoreum. Seruius. whereunto if a woman with childe doe smell, it vvill kill the child vnborne and cause abortement: for a vvomans womb is like a creature, nourished with good sauors, and de­stroyed with euill: therefore burning of fethers, shoo-soles, wollen clothes, pitch, Galba­num, gumme, onions, and garlike is noysome to them. It may be corrupted not onely as is before declared; but also, if it be shut vp close without vent into pure aner, when it is hanged vp to be dried, or if the bag be kept moyst, so that it cannot dry; and it is true (as Auicen saith) that if it be vsed being so corrupted, it killeth within a daies space, dri­uing one into madnesse, making the sicke person continually to hold forth his tongue, and 50 infecting him with a feuer by inflaming the bodie, loosing the continuitie of the partes, through sharp vapours arising from the stomack: and for a proofe that it will inflame, if you take a little of it mingled with oyle, and rubbe vpon any part of the bodie, or vpon your naile, you shall feele it.

But there is also a remedie for it being corrupted; namelie, Asses milke mingled with [Page 49] some sharpe sirrop of Citron, or if need require, drinke a dram of Philons Antidot at the most, or take butter and sweet water which will cause vomit, and vomit therewith so long, as you feele the sauour of the stone, and afterward take sirrop of Limmons or citrons: & some affirme vpon experience, that two penny waight of Coriander-seed, scorched in the fire, is a present remedy for this euill. And it is more straunge, that seeing it is in greatest strength, when the sauor is hottest, which is very displeasing to a mans nature in outward appearance, yet doeth it neuer harme a man taken inwardly, (being pure and rightly compounded] if the person be without a feuer, for in that case onely it doeth hurte in­wardly, otherwise apply it to a moist body lacking refrigeration, or to a colde body wan­ting 10 excalfaction, or to a colde and moist body, you shall perceiue an euident commo­dity thereby, if there bee no feuer: and yet it hath profited many where the feuer hath not bene ouerhot, as in extasies and lethargies, ministred with white pepper, and mel­licrate, and with Rose cakes laid to the necke or head. The same vertues it hath being out­wardly applied and mingled with oyle, if the bodies be in any heate, and purely without oile, if the body be cold, for in heating it holdeth the thirde degree, and in drying the se­cond. The maner how it is to be ministred is in drink, for the most part, the sweet lickor being taken from it, and the little skinnes appearing therein clensed away, and so it hath among many other these operations following. Drunke with vineger, it is good against al venim of Serpents, and against the chamelaeon, but with this difference, against the scor­pion 20 with wine, against spiders with sweet water, against the Lizzards with Mirtire, against Dipsas and cerastes, with Opponax, or wine made of Rew, and against other serpentes with wine simply. Take of euery one two drams, for a cold take it a scruple and a halfe in foure cups of wine, vsed with Ladanum, it cureth the Fistula and vlcers,Castoreo (que) graui mulier sopita recum bit. prouoketh neezing by smelling to it, procureth sleepe, they being annointed with it: maiden-weed & conserue of Roses, and being drunke in Water, helpeth Phrensie, and with the roses and Maiden-weed aforesaid, easeth head-ache: Being layd to the head like a plaster, it cureth all colde and windy affections therein, or if one drawe in the smoake of it perfumed, though the paine be from the mothers wombe, and giuen in three cups of sweete vineger fasting, it helpeth the falling sicknes, but if the person haue often fits, the same giuen in a glister, gi­ueth great ease: Then must the quantity be two drams of castoreum, one sextary of honey 30 and oyle, and the like quantity of water, but in the fit it helpeth with vineger by smelling to it. It helpeth the palsie, taken with Rew or wine▪ sod in Rew, so also all heart trembling, ache in the stomack, and quaking of the sinewes. It being infused into them that lie in Le­thargies with vineger and conserue of roses doth presently awake them, for it strength­neth the braine, and mooueth sternutation. It helpeth obliuion comming by reason of sicknes, the party being first purgd with Hiera Ruffi▪ castoreum▪ with oyle bound to the hin­der part of the head, and afterward a dram drunke with Mellicrate, also taken with oyle, cureth all conuulsion proceeding of cold humors, if the conuulsion be full and perfect, & not temporall or in some particular member, which may come to passe in any sicknes.

The same mixed with hony helpeth the clearnes of the eies, and their inflamations: 40 likewise vsed with the iuyce of Popie, and infused to the eares, or mixed with honey, hel­peth all paines in them. With the seed of hemlockes beaten in vineger, it sharpneth the sence of hearing, if the cause be colde, and it cureth tooth-ach infused into that eare with oyle on which side the paine resteth; for Hippocrates sent vnto the wife of Aspasius [com­playning of the paine in her cheeke and teeth] a little castoreum with pepper, aduising her to hold it in her mouth betwixt her teeth. A perfume of it drawne vp into the head & sto­macke, easeth the paines of the lights and intrals, and giuen to them that sigh much with sweet vineger fasting: it recouereth them. It easeth the cough and distillations of rhewme from the head to the stomacke, taken with the iuyce of blacke Popye. It is preseruative a­gainst inflamations & pains in the guts or belly] although the belly be swolne with colde 50 windy humors,] being drunke with vineger, or Oxycrate, it easeth the colicke giuen vvith annisse beaten smal, and two spoonfuls of sweet water: and it is found by experiment, that vvhen a horsse cannot make vvater, let him be couered ouer vvith his cloath,Vegetins. and then put vnderneath him a fire of coles, vvherein make a perfume vvith that castoreum till the hor­ses belly and cods smell thereof, then taking avvay the coles, vvalk the horsse vp & dovvn couered, and he vvill presently stale.

[Page 50]To soften the belly they vse Castoreum with sweet water two drams, and if it be not for­cible enough, they take of the root of a set cucumber one dram, and the some of salt Peter two drams. It is also vsed with the iuice of Withy and decoction of Vineger applied to the rains and genitall parts like a plaster against the Gonorrhaean passion. It will stir vp a wo­mans monethly courses, and cause an easie trauaile, two drammes being drunke in water with Penny-Royall. And if a Woman with childe goe ouer a Beauer, she will suffer abort­ment,A secret and Hypocrates affirmeth, that a perfume made with Castoreum, Asses dunge, and swines greace, openeth a closed wombe.

There is an Antidot called Diacostu, made of this castoreum, good against the Me­grim,10 falling sicknesse, apoplexies, palsies, and weakenesse of limmes, as may be seene in Myrepsus: against the impotency of the tongue, trembling of the members, and other such infirmities. These vertues of a Beauer thus described, I will conclude this discourse with a History of a strange beast like vnto this: related by Dunranus campus-bellus (a noble kni.) who affirmed,A miraculus history of a Monster. that there are in Arcadia, seuen great Lakes, some 30. miles compasse, and some lesse; whereof one is called Garloil, out of which in Anno 15.0 about the midst of Summer, in a morning, came a Beast about the bignes of a water dog, hauing feet like a Goose, who with his taile easily threw downe small trees, and presently with a swift pace he made after some men that he saw, and with three strokes he likewise ouerthrew three of them, the residue climbing vp into trees escaped, and the beast without any long tarrying, returned backe againe into the water, which beast hath at other times bene seene, and it is 20 obserued, that this appearance of the monster, did giue warning of some strange euils vp­on the Land: which story is recorded by Hector Boethius.

Of the name A Bison called of some Latines though corruptly Vrson, and Veson, of the Graecians Bisoon, of the Lituanians Suber, of 30 the Polonians Zuber, from whence some Latines deriued Zubro, for a Byson. Of the Germanes Visent, and Vaesent, & Wisent: a beast very strange as may appear by his figure prefixed▪ which by many authors is taken for Vr. [...], some for a Bugle, or wild Oxe, other, for Rangifer, and many for the beast Tarandus a Buffe. By reason whereof there are not many things, which can by infallible collection be lear­ned of this beast among the writers; yet is it truely and ge­nerally held for a kind of wild Oxe,Places of their breed. bred in the Northern parts of the world for the most part, and neuer tamed, as in Scythia, Moscouia, Hercynia, Thracia, and Brussia. But those 40 tall wilde Oxen which are said to be in Lapponia, Philostephan: The reason of their nam. and the Dukedome of Angermannia, are more truely saide to be Vrt, as in their story shall be afterward declared Their name is taken from Thracia, Ʋarinus. Stephanus a secret in the la [...]e Di­caea which was once called Bistonia, and the people thereof Bistones, from Bisto the sonne of Cicas and Terpsicores; and thereof came Bistonia Grues, cranes of Thracia, and Bistonia L [...]eus, for the lake or sea of Dicaea, neere Abdera, where neuer liuing thinge, or other of lesse weight was cast in, but it presently sunke and was drowned.

This Bison is called Taurus Paeonicus, the Paeonian-Bull, whereof I find two kinds, one of greater,Seural kinds and another of lesser size, called the Scotian or calydonian Bison, whereof you shall see the picture and qualities at the foot of this history.

The greater is as big as any Bull or Oxe, being maned about the necke and backe like a 50 Lyon, and hath haire hanging downe vnder his chin or neather lip like a large beard: and a rising or little ridge downe along his face, beginning at the height of his head, and con­tinuing to his nose very hairy;the great Bi­son his hornes great and very sharpe, yet turning vp towardes his back & at the points hooked like the wild goats of the alps, but much greater: they are black of colour,The seuerall parts. and with them throgh the admirable strength of his neck can he tosse into [Page 51]

10 20 the ayre, a horse and horseman both togither.The strēgth of this beast. They are as big as the Dextarij which are the greatest Stallions of Italy. Their face looketh downewarde, and they haue a straunge strength in their toong, for by licking they grate like a file any indifferent hard substance,the quantity of Bisons. The strength of their tung. but especially they can therewith draw vnto them any man or beast of inferiour condi­tion, whom by licking they wound to death.

30 Their haire is red, yellow, or black, their eyes very great and terrible; they smell like a Moschus or Musk-cat, and their mane reacheth ouer their shoulders, shaking it irefully when he brayeth; their face or forehead very broad, especially betwixt their hornes, for Sigismund king of Polonia, hauing killed one of them in hunting, stood betwixt his horns, with two other men not much lesser in quantity then himselfe, who was a goodly well pro­portioned and personable Prince.

There are two bunches on his backe, the former neare his shoulders, which is the higher, and the other neare the rumpe, which is somewhat lower. I haue seen the horns of a Byson, which was in the hands of a Gold-smith to lippe with Siluer and Gilt, that it might be fit to drinke in: it did bend like the talant of an Egle or Gryphin, or some raue­nous bird. The flesh in Summer time is most fat, but it tasteth so much of wild-garlicke,The flesh of this beast. Bonarus. Baro. 40 or ramsens, that it is not pleasant to eat, being full of small vaines and strings, and is ac­counted a noble and strong kind of flesh: the blood is the most purest in the world, excel­ling in color any purple, and yet for al that it is so hot that being let forth whē the beast di­eth, within two houres space it putrifieth, and the flesh it selfe in the coldest winter will not keepe sweet many houres, by reason of the immoderate heate thereof,a secret in the inward heat of this beast. if the Hunter do not presently after the fall of the beast, seperate from it the intrals: and which is most strange of all, being pierced aliue with any hunting speare, dart, or sworde, the weapon by the heate of the body is made so weake and soluble, that it commeth forth as flexible as lead: and to conclude, it is a most noble and fierce spirited beast, neuer afraid, or yeel­ding till breath fayleth, neither can he be taken with any nettes or ginnes, vntill they be 50 thoroughly wearied: Wherefore they which hunt him, must bee very strong, nimble,their hūting. and skilfull men, or else that sport will be their owne vndoing and ouerthrow.Sigism: baro.

Therefore when they go to hunt this Byson, they choose a place replenished with larg trees, neither so great that they cannot easily wind about them, nor so little that they shal [Page 52] not be able to couer theyr bodyes from the horne or tongue of the beast: behinde which the hunters place themselues out of sight: and then the Dogges rouze vp the beast, dri­uing him to that place where the hunters stand, whome the beast first espieth, to him hee maketh force, who must warily keepe the tree for his sheild, and with his speare wounde him where hee can, who will not fall without many mortall strokes, but waxe more and more eager, not onely with horne but with tongue, for if he can but apprehend any part of the hunters garment with his tongue, he looseth no holde but draweth him vnto him, and with his horne and feet killeth him: but if the fight be long, and so the hunter wearied and out of breath, then doth he cast a red cap vnto the beast, who maketh at it with head and feete, neuer leauing till it bee in peeces; and if another come to helpe him as hunters must, if they will returne aliue, then shall he easily draw the beast to combate, and forsake the first man, if he cry Lu-lu-lu.

In Phoci [...] is How Bisons are takē aliue Pausanias sheweth how these Bysons are taken aliue, in this sort. The hunters (sayth he) chuse out some steepe and slippery downe hill, whereupon they lay skinnes of beasts new­ly taken off, and if they want such, then annoint they old skins with oyle, and so leaue them spread vppon those sleeping or bending passages: then raise they the beasts, and with dogs and other means on horseback driue them along to the places where they laid their hides, and as soone as they come vpon the skins they slip and fall downe, rowling heade­long till they come into the valleys, from whence they constraine them back again some other way, three or foure times a day, making them fall downe the hils as aforesaid, and so wearying them with continual hunting, and fasting. At the last they come vnto them, when they are no more able to rise for faintnes, & giue them pine-Aples taken out of the shels, (for with that meat are they delighted) and so while they eagerly feed and ly weary on the ground,the medicins not knowne, they intoile them in bands and manacles, and lead them away aliue: The medicins comming from this beast may be coniectured to be more forcible, then of common and ordinarie oxen, but because they were not knowne to the Grecians and Arabians, and wee find nothing recorded thereof: we wil conclude the story of this great Bison; with a good opinion of the vertues, though we are not able to learne or discouer them to others.

A Buffe is called in Greeke Tarandos, and in Latine Tarandus, Of the name and kind of Buffes. which some haue corrupted barbarously, terming it Paran­drus 40 and Pyradus, and I coniecture that it is the same beast, which the Polonians call Tur or Thuro; howsoeuer other con­found this Tarandus with another beast, called Rangifer; and some with a kind of Vrus, which haue many properties in common with a Buffe, yet my reason, why the Polonian Tur can be no other then a Buffe, is because the head and mouth differeth from those beastes, and also by cause this is taken in Sarmatia, where the common people call it Daran or Da­rau, although the later writers call it Duran and Daran, and translate it a Bonnasus, which 50 can by no meanes agree with this beast; and the name of Daran is easily deriued from Ta­randus or Tarandos.

Also that the Polonion Tur should not be a Buffe, all that can be obiected, is, that the Hornes thereof are cragged or braunched, which thing Pliny attrybuteth to a Buffe▪ whereunto I answer, that the auncients did confound a Buffe with an Elke, and a Rangi­fer; for in the discription of an Elke they vary▪ diuers times mistaking one for another, by [Page 59]

reason that they wrote altogither by report, none of them being seene in their contries, and therefore may easilie be deceiued in a Buffe, as well as in an Elke. The chiefe authors of this opinion haue beene Sir Thomas Eliot, and Georgius Agricola, with whom I will not contend▪ nor with any other man that can giue better reason: for Pliny maketh a Buffe to be a beast proportioned betwixt an Hart and an Oxe, of which sort is not a Rangifer, as shalbe manifested; and if it be▪ yet can it neuer appeare that a Rangifer doth change co­lour like a Buffe, as also we will make more euident: So then, distinguishing a Buffe from a Rangifer, and presuming that the Polonian THVRO or Tur is a Buffe, we will proceed to his discription.

Pliny The seueral parts. Siluius. HesychiusThe head of this beast is like the head of a Hart, and his hornes branched or ragged; his body for the most part like a wilde Oxes, his haire deepe and harshe like a Beares, his hide is so hard and thicke▪ that of it the Scithians make breast-plates, which no dart can pierce through. His colour, for the most part like an Asses, but when he is hunted or fea­red, he changeth his hew into whatsoeuer thing he seeth; as among trees he is like them: among greene boughs he seemeth greene;a myracle in his colour. amongst rocks of stone, he is transmuted in­to their colour also; as it is generally by most writers affirmed: as Pliny & Solinus among the auncient; Stephanus and Eustathius, among the later Writers.

This indeed is the thing that seemeth most incredible, but there are two reasons which draw me to subscribe hereunto: first, because we see that the face of men and beasts tho­rough feare, ioy, anger, and other passions, doe quickly change; from ruddy to white, from blacke to pale and from pale to ruddy againe. Now as this beast hath the head of a Hart, so also hath it the feare of a Hart, but in a higher degree; and therefore by secret operation it may easily alter the colour of their haire, as a passion in a reasonable man, may alter the colour of his face.

The same thinges are reported by Pliny of a beast in INDIA called Lycaon, as shall be afterward declared; and besides these two, there is no other among creatures couered with haire, that chaungeth colour. Another reason forcing me to yeeld herunto is, that in the sea, a Polypus-fish, and in the earth among creeping things, a Chamaeleon, doe also change their colour in like sort and fashion: whereunto it may be replyed, that the Cha­maeleon and Polypus-fish, are pilled or bare without haire, and therefore may more easily [Page 57] be verse-coloured; but it is a thing impossible in nature, for the haire to receiue any tincture from the passions: but I answer, that the same nature can multiply and diminish her power in lesser and smaller Beastes, according to hir pleasure, and reserueth an ope­ration for the nayles, and feathers of Birds, and finnes and scales of Fishes, making one sort of diuers colour from the other: and therefore may and doth as forcibly worke in the haires of a buffe, as in the skinne of a Chamaeleon; adding so much more force to trans­mute them, by how much farther off they stand from the blood, like as an Archer, which setteth his arme and bow higher to shoote farther, and therefore it is worthy obseruati­on, that as this beast, hath the best defence by her skin aboue all other, so she hath the wa­kest 10 and most timerous heart aboue all other.

These Buffes are bred in Scithia, and are therefore called Tarandi Scithic;Countries of Buffes. they are al­so among the Sarmatians, and called Budini, and neere Gelonis, and in a part of Poland, in the Duchy of Mazauia, betwixt Oszezke and Garuolyin. And if the polonian Thuro before mentioned, haue a mane [whereof I am ignorant] then will I also take that beast: for a kind of Bison. In phrygia, there is a territory called Tarandros, Stephanus and peraduenture this beast had his name from that Contrey, wherein it may be he was first discouered and made knowne.

The quantity of this beast, exceedeth not the quantity of a wild Oxe,The quanti­ty or stature of a Buffe. whereunto in al the parts of his body he is most like, except in his head face, and hornes: his Legges and 20 hoofes are also like an Oxes. The goodnesse of his hide is memorable, and desired in all the cold countries of the world, wherein onely these beasts and all other of strong, thicke,The hide is most profita­ble to man hides are found, for the thinnest and most vnprofitable skinnes of beastes, are in the whot and warmer partes of the world: and God hath prouided thicke, warme, most commo­dious, and precious couers for those beasts that liue farthest from the Sunne. Where­upon many take the hides of other beastes for Buffe, for being tawed and wrought artifi­cially they make garmentes of them, as it is daily to be seene in Germany.

30 A Bugill is called in Latine Bubalus, and Buffalus: The seuerall names in French Beufle: in Spaninsh, Bufano: in German, Buffell: and in the Illirian tongue, Bouwoll. The Haebrewes haue no proper word for it, but comprehend it vnder To, which signifieth any kind of wild Oxen; for neither can it be expressed by Meriah, which signifieth fatted oxen; or Bekarmi, which sig­nifieth oxen properly; or Iachmur, which the Persians call Kutzcohi, or Buzcohi, and is vsually translated a wild-asse. For which beast, the Haebrewes haue many wordes: neither haue the Graecians any proper word for a vulgar Bugill, for Boubalos and Boubalis, are amongest them taken for a kind of Roe bucke. The origi­nall of the term Buba­lus So that this Bu­balus 40 was first of all some moderne or barbarous terme in Affrique, taken vp by the Itali­ans, & by them attributed to this beast, and many other for whom they knew no proper names. For in the time of Pliny, they vse to call strange beastes like Oxen or Buls, Vri; as now a daies (lead with the same errour, or rather ignorance] they call such Bubali or buf­fali. The true effigies of the vulgar Bugill, was sent vnto me by Cornelius Sittardus, a famous Physitian in Norimberge; and it is pictured by a tame and familiar Bugill, such as liueth among men for labour, as it seemeth to me. For there is difference among these beastes, [as Aristotle hath affirmed] both in colour, mouth, horne, and strength.

This vulgar Bugill,Of the vul­gar Bugill & hir parts is of a kinde of Wilde Oxen, greater and taller then the ordinary Oxen, their body being thicker and stronger, and their lims better compact together: 50 their skinne most hard, their other partes very leane, their haire short, small, and blacke, but little or none at all vpon the taile, which is also short and small. The head hangeth downward to the earth, and is but little, being compared with the reasidue of his body; and his aspect or face betokeneth a tameable and simple disposition. His forehead is [Page 58] broad and curled with haire, his hornes more flat then round, very long, bending toge­ther at the top,Pollonius. Vse of their hornes as a Goates doe backward: insomuch as in creete, they make bovves of them: and they are not for defence of the beast, but for distinction of kind and ornament. His necke is thicke and long, and his rump or neather part of his backe is lower then the residue, descending to the tayle. His Legs are very great, broad and strong, but shorter then the quantity of his body would seeme to permit. They are very fierce being tamed, but that is corrected by putting an Iron ring through his Nostriles,Erasmus. whereinto is also put a cord, by which he is lead and ruled, as a horse by a bridle (for which cause in Germany they call a simple man ouerruled by the aduise of another to his owne hurt, a Bugle, lead with a ring in his Nose.)10

His feete are clouen, and with the formost he will dig the earth, and with the hindmost fight like a horse, setting on his blowes with great force, and redoubling them againe if his obiect remoue not. His voice is like the voice of an oxe; when he is chased he runneth forth right,Albertus. The manner of his sight sildome winding or turning, and when he is angred he runneth into the Wa­ter, wherein he couereth himselfe all ouer except his mouth, to coole the heate of his blood;Nature of their breed­ing places Pet. crscent. for this beast can neither endure outward cold nor inward heate: for which cause, they breede not but in hot countries, and being at liberty are sildome from the waters. They are very tame, so that children may ride on their backes, but on a suddaine they will runne into the Waters, and so many times indaunger the childrens liues.

Of their yōg ones & milk.Their loue to their young ones is very great, they alway giue milke from their copu­lation 20 to their caluing; neither will they suffer a calfe of another kinde (whom they dis­cerne by their smell) to sucke their milke, but beate it away if it be put vnto them: where­fore their keepers do in such case, annoynt the calfe with Bugils excrement, and then she will admit her suckling.

Albertus. Their stren­gth in laborThey are very strong, and will draw more at once then two horsses; wherefore they are tamed for seruice, and will draw Waggons and plowes, and carry burdens also, but they are not very fit for carts: yet when they doe draw, they carry also great burthens or loads tyed to their backs with ropes and wantyghtes.Pet. crescent. At the first setting forward, they bend their Legges very much, but afterward they goe vpright, and being ouerloden they will fall to the earth, from which they cannot be raised by any stripes vntill their load or 30 carriage be lessened. There is no great account made of their hides, although they bee very thicke:Vse of theyr hydes Bellonius. Solinus reporteth, that the old Britons made boates of osier twigs or reedes, couering them round with Bugils skinnes, and sayled in them: and the inhabitants of the kingdome of a Caraiani, make them bucklers and shields of Bugils skinnes, which they vse in Warres, the flesh is not good for meate, which caused baptista Fiera to make this poem:

For they ingender melancholy and haue no good tast, being raw they are not vnplea­sant 40 to behold, but sod or rosted they shew a deformed substance. The milke of this beast maketh very hard cheese, which tasteth like earth.

The medicines made of this beast are not many: with the hornes or hoofes they make rings to weare against the cramp,The physick made out of Bugils and it hath been beleeued [but without reason] that if a man or a woman weare rings made of the hornes and hoofes of a bugill in the time of car­nall copulation, that they will naturally fly off from their fingers; whereas this secret was wont to be attributed to rings of Chrisolyts or Smaragde stones. To conclude, some teach husbandmen to burne the hornes or dung of their bugils on the windye side of their corne and plants, to keepe them from cankers and blasting: and thus much of the vulgar bugill, called bubalus recentiorum: whose beginning in this part of the world is vnknowne, al­though 50 in Italy and other parts of Europe they are now bred and fostered.

BEllonius reporteth, that he saw in Cair a small beast which was in all things like a little Oxe, of a beautifull body, full of flesh, well and neately limmed, which he could take for no other then the Affrican Oxe, or Bugill of the old Graecians, which was brought out of the kingdome of Asamia vnto the citty Cair. It was old, and not so big 10 as a Hart, but greater then a Roe;The country of this beast. he neuer in all his life tooke more pleasure to behold a beast, then in viewing the excellent beauty of euery part in this creature. His haire was yellowish, glistering as if it had beene combed and trimmed by the art of a Barber: vnder his belly it was somewhat more red and taunty then vpon his backe. His feete in all thinges like a vulgar Bugils, his Legges short and strong, the necke short and thicke, whereon the dewe-laps of his crest did scarce appeare. His head like an Oxes, and his hornes growing out of the crowne of his head, blacke, long, and bending like a halfe Moone; whereof he hath no vse to defend himselfe, or annoy another, by reason their points turne inward. His eares like a cowes, and shoulder blades standing vp a little aboue the ridge very strongly. His taile, to the 20 knees like a camelopardals, from whence hangeth some few blacke haires, twice so great as the haires in a horsses tayle. His voice was like an Oxes, but not so strong and loude: to conclude therefore, for his discription, if a man conceiue in his mind a little yellovv neate Oxe, with smooth haire, strong members, and high hornes aboue his head, like a halfe Moone, his minde cannot erre from the true and perfect shape of this beast. There was such a one to be seene of late at Florence, vnder the name of an Indian Oxe, sauing his head was greater and longer, his hornes not high nor bending together, but standing vp­right and a little wreathing into spires aboue their roote, and the hinder part of the back much lower then the shoulders, but it may be the obseruer of this beast fayled and tooke 30 not the true discription of it.

This creature or Affrican Bugill, must be vnderstood to be a Wilde beast,The nature of this beast. and not of a tame kind, although Bellonius expresseth not so much. Leo in his discription of Affrique, relateth a discourse of a certaine beast called Laut or Daut, who is lesse then an Oxe, but of more elegant feature, in his Legs, white hornes, & blacke nailes, which is so swift, that no beast can outrunne it except a Barbary horse: it is taken most easily in the Summer time: with the skinne thereof they make targets and shieldes, which cannot be pierced by any Weapon, except Gunshot: for which cause they fell them very deare; which is con­iectured to be the Bugill that Bellonius describeth, although it bee not iust of the same co­lour, which may vary in this beast as well as in any other, and I haue a certaine Manu­script without the authors name, that affirmeth there be bugils in Lybia, in likenes resem­bling 40 a Hart and an Oxe, but much lesser, and that these beasts are neuer taken asleepe, which causeth an opinion that they neuer sleepe; and that there is another Bugill beyond the Alpes, neere the Ryuer Rhene, which is very fierce and of a white Co­lour.

There is a horne in the towne-house of Argentine foure Romane cubits long,Of a strange horne in Ar­gentine. which is coniectured to be the horne of some Vrus [or rather as I thinke of some Bugill] it hath hung there at the least two or three generations, and by scraping it I found it to be a horne, although I forgat to measure the compasse thereof, yet bycause antiquity thought it wor­thy to be reserued in so honorable a place for a monument of some strange beast, I haue also thought good to mention it in this discourse: as when Phillip King of Macedon, did 50 with a Dart kill a Wilde Bull at the foote of the Mountaine Orbelus, and conse cated the hornes thereof in the Temple of Hercules, which were fifteene yards or paces long for posterity to behold.

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A Bull is the husband of a Cow, and ring-leader of the heard, [for which cause Homer compareth Agamemnon the great Emperour of the Graecian Armye to a Bull] reserued onely for procreation, and is sometimes indifferently called an 30 Oxe, as Oxen are likewise of authors taken for Buls Verg:

The Haebrewes call him Tor, or Taur; which the Chaldes cal Abir for a strong Oxe: so the Arabians Ta [...]; the Grae­cians Tauros; the Latines Taurus, the Itallians Toro, the French Toreau, the Germans ein Stier, ein vuncherstier, das vucher, ein mummelstier, ein hagen, The true aetymology o [...] the name Taurus. and ein hollen; the Illirians Vul and iunecz: by all which seuerall appellations it is e­uident, that the name Taurus in Latine is not deriued from Tannouros, the stretching out the tayle, nor from Gauros, signifieng proud; but from the haebrew Tor, which signifieth 40 great: vpon which occasion, the Graecians called all large, great, and violent thinges, by the name of Taurot, and that word Taurus among the Latines, hath giuen denomination to men, starres Mountaines, Ryuers, trees, ships, and many other things, which caused Ioachimus Camerarius to make thereof this aenigmaticall riddle.A Riddle vp on the word Taurus.

That is in diuers senses, Taurus was a Kings Pander, the roote of a tree, a Mountaine in cili [...]ia, a Bull, a Mountaine in name, a Starre or signe in heauen, and a Ryuer vpon the earth▪ so also we reade of Statilius Taurus, and Pomponius vitulus, two Romans. It was the 50 custome in those daies, to giue the names of beastes to their children, especially among the Trogloditae, and that adulterer which rauished Europa, was Taurus the King of Creete; or as some say, a King that came in a shipp, whose ensigne and n [...]me was the Bull; and o­ther affi [...]me, that it was Iupiter in the likenesse of a Bull, bycause he had so defloured Ceres when he begat Proserpina, and afterward defloured Proserpina his daughter, in the likenesse [Page 61]

10 20 of a Draggon. It is reported that when Achelous did fight with Hercules for Deianeira the Daughter of Oeneus king of Calydon, finding himselfe to be too weake to match Hercules, turned himselfe suddenly into a Serpent, and afterward into a bull; Hercules seeing him in that proportion, speedily pulled from him one of his hornes, and gaue it to Copia the 30 companion of Fortune, whereof commeth that phrase of Cornucopia. Afterward, Ache­lous gaue vnto Hercules one of the Hornes of Amalthea, and so receiued his owne againe, and being ouercome by Hercules, hid himselfe in the riuer of Thoas, which after his owne name bending forth into one horn or crook, was called Achelous. By these things the Po­ets had singular intentions to decipher matters of great moment vnder hidden and dark Narrations.

But there are foure reasons giuen, why riuers are called Taurocrani: that is, bul-heads.Reasons why riuers are called Taurocra­ni. First, because when they empty themselues into the Sea, they roare or bellow like buls, with the noise of their falling water: secondly, because they furrow the erth like a draught of oxen with a plow, and much deeper. Thirdly, because the sweetest and deepest pasturs vnto which these cattell resort, are neare the riuers. Fourthly, because by their crooking 40 and winding, they imitate the fashion of a horne, and also are impetuous, violent, and vnresistable.

The strength of the head and necke of a bul is very great,The strength and seuerall parte of Buls. and his forehead seemeth to be made for fight: hauing hornes short, but strong and piked, vppon which he can tosse into the aire very great and weighty beasts which he receiueth againe as they fall downe, doubling their eleuation with renewed strength and rage, vntill they be vtterly confoun­ded. Their strength in all the parts of their body is great, and they vse to strike backward with their heeles: yet is it reported by caelius Titormus a Neat-heard of Aetolia, The prodi­gious strēgth of tritormos. that being in the field among the cattell, tooke one of the most fierce and strongest buls in the heard by the hinder leg, and there in despight of the bull striuing to the contrary, held him with 50 one hand, vntill another bull came by him, whome he likewise tooke in his other hande, and so perforce held them both: which thing being seene by Milo Crotoniates, hee lifted vppe his handes to heauen, crying out by way of interogation to Iupiter; and sayinge: O Iupiter, hast thou sent another Hercules amongest vs? Whereupon came the common prouerbe of a strong armed man: This is another Hercules. The like storie is reported by [Page 62] Suidas of Polydamas, who first of all slew a Lyon, and after held a bull by the legge so fast, that the beast striuing to get out of his handes, left the hoofe of his foote behinde him.

The Epithites of this beast are many among writers, as when they call him br [...]n-footed, wilde, chearefull, sharpe, plower, warriour, horne-bearer, blockish, great, gli­stering, fierce, valiant, and louring, which seemeth to be natural to this beast; insomuch as the Grammarians deriue Toruitas, grimnes or lowring from Taurus a Bul, whose aspect carieth wrath and hatered in it: wherfore it is proverbially saide in Westphalia, of a low­ring and scouling countenance,The seuerall parts. Eir sich als ein ochs der dem, fleschouwer Entloffen ist: That is, he looketh like a bul escaped from one stroke of the butcher. Their hornes are lesser but stronger then Oxen or kie, for all beasts that are not gelded, haue smaller hornes and 10 thicker sculs then other, but the buls of Scithia as is said else-where, haue no horns. Their heart is full of nerues or sinnewes, their blood is ful of smal vaines, for which cause he in­gendreth with most speed, and it hardneth quickly. In the gal of a Bul there is a stone cal­led Guers, and in some places the gal is called Mammacur. They are plentiful in most coun­tries as is said in the discourse of Oxen,Countries of their best breed. but the best sort are in Epirus, next in Thracia, & then Italy, Syria, England, Macedonia, Phrigia, and Belgia: for the buls of Gallia are impay­red by labor, and the buls of Aethiope are the Rhinocerotes, as the buls of the woodes are Elephants.

Their time of copulatiō.They desire the Cow at eight monthes olde, but they are not able to fill her til they be two years old, and they may remaine tolerable for breeders vntil they be 12. and not past.20 Euery bul is sufficient for ten kie, and the buls must not feed with the kie, for 2. months before their leaping time, and then let them come together without restraint, and giue them pease,Their food for procrea­tion or barley, if theyr pasture be not good. The best time to suffer them with their fe­males, is the midst of the spring, and if the bul be heauy, take the taile of a hart and burne it to pouder, then mo [...]sten it in wine, and rubbe therewith the genitals of a bul, and he wil rise aboue measure into lust. Wherefore, if it bee more then tolerable, it must be alayed with oyle. The violence of a bul in the act of copulation is so great, that if he misse the fe­males genital entraunce,Quintilius he woundeth or much harmeth her in any other place, sending forth his seed without any motion except touching, and a Cowe being filled by him, hee wil neuer after leape her, during the time she is with calfe: wherefore the Egiptians deci­pher 30 by a bul in health, without the itch of lust, a temperate continent man, and Epictetus saying of Sustine and Abstine: that is: Beare and Forbeare, was emblematicaly described by a bull hauing his knee bound and tyed to a cow in the hand of the neat hearde, vvith this subscription. Hard fortune is to be endured with patience, and happines is often to be feard, for Epictetus said beare and forbeare, we must suffer many things, and withhold our fingers from forbidden fruites, for so the bull which swayeth rule among beasts, being bound in his right knee, abstaineth from his female great with young.

When they burne in lust, their wrath is most outragious against their companions in the same pasture, with whom they agreed in former times, and then the conquerour coup­leth with the cow:The fight or combat of Lul [...]es. but when he is weakened with generation, the beast that was ouercome,40 setteth vpon him a fresh, and oftentimes ouercommeth: which kind of loue-fight is ele­gantly described by Oppianus as followeth. One that is the chiefest ruleth ouer all the o­ther heard, who tremble at the sight and presence of this their eager King, and especi­ally the Kye knowing the insulting iealousie of their raging husband. When the heards of other places meete together, beholding one another with disdaineful countenances, and with their loughing terrible voices prouoke each other, puffing out their flaming rage of defiāce, & dimming the glistering light with their oftē dust-beating-feet into the aire, who presently take vp the challenge & seperate themselues frō the company, ioyning togither at the sound of their owne trumpets-loughing-voice, in feareful and sharp conflicts, not sparing, not yelding, not retiring, til one or both of them fal wounded to the earth: some­times 50 turning round, sometimes holding heads together, as if they were coach-fellowes: and as two mighty ships wel manned, with sufficient armes and strength, by force of winds and floods violently rushing one against another, doe breake and split asunder, with the horrible cry of the Souldiers, and ratling of the armour: so doe these Buls, with voice, Legges, hornes, and strength, like cunning and valiant Martialists, make the soundes of [Page 63] their blows to ring betwixt heauen and earth, vntill one of them be vaquished and ouer­throwne.

The poore ouercommed beast, with shame retyreth from the heard, and will no more appeare vntill he be enabled to make his party good against his triumphant aduersarye: then he feedeth solitary in the woods and mountains, for it is prouerbially said to signifie a single and vnmarried life, abijt taurus in siluam: that is, the bull is gone to the wood to liue solitarily without his female, often exercising himself like a studious champion against the day of a new combate, and when he findeth his strength increased, and his corage ar­med for the day of battaile, then roareth he in the woods and Mountains, to prouoke his 10 aduersary to answere; and perceiuing his own voice to be more fierce and violent then is his enimies, forth he proceedeth like some refreshed giant, confident in his strength, dis­cending to the lists of a second combate, where he easily ouer commeth the victor, weak­ned with copulation, and not excercised or fitted to such a tryall through fulnes and ve­nery: so the first that was vanquished becommeth conqueror.

The very same is in other wordes described by Virgill: Buls are enemies to all Beastes that liue vpon pray, as Beares, Lyons, and Wolues: when they fight with wolus they wind their tailes together, & so driue them awaie with their horns;Georg. 3 Their enmi­ty to other beasts. when the beare figh­teth with an oxe; she falleth on her backe watching opportunitie to take his hornes with her forefeet, which if she catch, with the weight of her body she wearieth the beast, who is 20 so earnest in combate with these beasts, that they will fight their tongues hanging out of their mouths. The Cro is enemy to buls and Asses, for in her flight she will strike at theyr eies, and it is easier for the Bul to be reuenged of a Lyon, then on such a bird: Red colour stirreth vp a Bul to fight, neither can the neat-heardes gouerne these with such facility as they do the femals, for when they wander and go astray, nothing can recall them but the voice of their females for copulation, which they vnderstande and heare, being a mile or two distant.

The voice of a bull is sharper and shriller then is the loughing of a cow, they are most couragious that haue short and thicke necks, and in their greatest wildnes, if their right knee can be bound, they will not stirre, or if they be tyed to a wilde figge-tree,Horus Apollo A secret in the taming of a Bull. which is so 30 fearfull to the nature of an oxe or bul, that it hath bene seen, how a very few sticks of that wood, haue sodde a great quantity of bulles fleshe in shorter time, then a farre greater number of other wood set on fire could perform: which caused the Egiptians in auncient time, to picture a Bull tyed to a wilde fig-tree, to signifie a man that changed his manners through calamity.

Out of the hides of buls, especially their eares, neckes, and genitals,Their hide [...] is most excellent glue confected, but for the most part it is corrupted; by seething with it olde leather of shooes or bootes: but that of Rhodes is without all fraud, fit for Phisitians and painters, & euermore the whiter the better, for that which is blacke is good for nothing: wherefore that which is made out of buls hydes, is so white, that it sendeth forth a brightnes, whose vertuous coniuction in conglutination is so powerfull, that it is easier to breake a whole 40 peece of wood then any part so glewed togither therewith: and for this inuention, wee [are saith Pliny] indebted to Dedalus the first author thereof. They vsed it in instruments of musicke, and such other tender and pretious actions.

The gall of an oxe put vpon copper or brasse, maketh it glister like Golde;Of the Gal. for which cause it is vsed by players, to colour their counterfeit crownes. The flesh of a bull is good for meat, but yet not so good as an oxe or cow;Of the flesh. yet did the Egyptians abstain from eating cowes flesh, and not from the flesh of buls.

These beasts are vsed in some places to plow, in some to fight, and it is reported by Eli­anus, that Mythridates King of Pontus, beside his guard of men, had also a guard of a bull, a horse, and a Hart, which he tamed with his owne hands; so that when his followers were a 50 sleep, if any stranger came near, they fayled not to awake him, by one of their seueral voi­ces. It is reported also, that if the Nostrils of a bull be annointed with oyle of Roses,Leo Affric [...] he wil presently loose his eye sight, and that in the Lake Asphaltites there can no liuing creature abide & yet many buls & camels svvim therin safely. It is but fabulous that ther wer Buls in Colchis which did breth out fire, except by that fiction the poets vnderstood, the beastly [Page 64] rage of the rich inhabitants.The sacrifi­cing of Buls. Touching the sacrificing of buls, it vvas also the custome of the old Egyptians to sacrifice a Bull vnto Epaphus: and their manner was, first of all to try him whether it were fit for sacrifice, by laying meale before them, whereof if they re­fused to tast, they were adiudged not apt for the Temple.

The Druidae call a generall sacrifice Viscum, whereby they affirme all greeuances may be cured.Caelius. G [...]raldus. Pliny First they prepared a banquet with sacrifice vnder some tree, then broght they two white buls fastened togither by the horns, and then they gaue a drinke to any barren creature, Woman or bruit beast, holding religiously, that by that drinke they shoulde be made fruitfull and free from al poison: Vnto so great a height did the folly of blinde 10 people arise, to put religion in euery vnreasonable inuention, vnder pretence of any good intention deuised by idolatrous priests. As often as they slew and offered a Bul, and pou­red Frankincense and wine vppon the hoast, they said; The bul is increased with Frankin­cense and wine, but the Ionians did best comfort themselues in their sacrifices where the Bul before his death did lough at the Altar:Pausanias. and the Messenians did bind their bul which was to be sacrificed to the Ghosts of Aristomene, vnto certaine Pillars in his sepulchre: if therefore the Bul did shake the pillar while he leaped to and fro to get liberty, they took it for a good signe or Omen, but if it stood imouable, they held it a mournful and lamen­table thing.

It is likewise reported by Varinus that when Agamemnon ignorantly kild one of the harts of Diana in Aulis, she was so wroth, that she stayed the winds from blowing vpon his na­uy,20 so as they could not stirre out of harbour: hereupon they went to the Oracle, where answere was giuen, that the goddesse was to bee pacified with some one of Agamemnons blood, therfore Vlisses vvas sent avvay to fetch Iphigenia, the dau. of Agam: from her mo­ther clitemnaestra, vnder pretence to be maried to achilles; but when she was ready to bee sacrificed, the goddesse took pittie on her, and accepted a bul in her steede, which ought not to bee thought incredible▪ seeing that in holy scripture a Ram was substituted in the place of Isaac.

They were wont also to sacrifice a bul to Neptune, and to al the riuers, because of that affinity which they held a bul hath with al Waters: and to apollo, according to this vir­gilian 30 verse, Taurus Neptuno Taurum tibi pulcher apollo. But vnto Iupiter it was vnaccusto­med to be offered, perhaps because he had often shevved himselfe in that likenesse, to ra­uish and defloure Women.Prouerbs of a Buli. There be certaine prouerbes of a bul, which are not altogi­ther impertinent in this place. First, it is commonly saide, that hee may beare a bul that hath born a calfe▪ wherby is meant, that he may be more subiect to filthines in age, which was so in youth. Quartilla was a woman of most vilde reputation for vncleannes, because she said, that when she was little, she lay with little ones like her selfe, and when she grevv bigger,Like the En­gl [...] [...]r [...]uerb [...] sky fall we shal haue [...]. she applied her selfe to the pleasure of elder men, grovving in filthines as she had increased in yeares. Likevvise they vvere vvont to say of an absurde or impossible thinge, that if a bul could reach his head ouer taygetus, hee might drinke of the riuer Eurota, and 40 the beginning of this prouerbe, was taken of an apothegme of Geradas, when his hoast vp­on a time did ask him vvhat punishment the Lacedemonians had appointed for adulterers, he aunsvvered there vvere no adulterers in Lacedemon, and therefore the punishment & question vvere fri [...]olous? his hoast replyed; but if there shoulde bee an adulterer there, vvhat punishment vvould they appoint for him? Marry [said Geradus) he shold pay such a bul as would reach ouer taygetus to drinke of the Water Eurota; whereat the host laugh­ed demaunding where such a bul could be found? then said Geradas, and vvhere can you find an adulterer in Lacede non, so putting off one absurdity vvith another. And thus much of the natures and properties of a bul in general. In the nexte place before this beast be turned into the Woods, vve vvil describe his medicinal vertues, and so let him 50 loose.

The pouder of a buls horn drunk in vvater stayeth a flux of blood and the loosnes of the bell [...] Sextus and Eseulapius say,The medi­cins o [...] Buls that if a buls horne be burned in a place where serpents abide i [...] driueth the navvay The blood of buls mingled vvith barley flovver, driueth a­vvay hardnes in the flesh, & being dryed cureth apostems in euery part of the body. It ta­keth away spots in the face, & kileth serpēts: It is cōmended warm against the gou [...], espe­cially [Page 65] in horses. It is not good for to drinke, beause it is easily congealed, except the lit­tle vaynes bee taken out. It is accounted among the chiefest poysons, and therefore it is thought by Plutarch, that Anniball poysoned himselfe by drinking Buls blood, being thereunto perswaded by his Seruant, for so dyed Themistocles: and Psammenitus King of Egypt, taken by Cambises, was constrained to drinke the blood of a Bull; where­vpon immediately he gaue vp the ghost. For remedy heereof, it is good to beware of vomitting, bycause the blood congealed in the stomach into lumps, stoppeth the throate; wherefore all those things which dissolue Milke in the stomach, are also medicinable a­gainst the blood of Buls. In these cases let the party be first of all purged by glister or o­therwise, and then annoynt the stomache and belly with barly meale and sweete Water, 10 laying it vnto them like a plaister: likewise Lupines, Oxymell, and nitre, are Soueraigne in this, as all Physitions know. The dry leaues of Neppe or Calamach is profitable against this Malady; so also are ashes made of the lees of wine burned.

The fat of a Bull is profitable to many thinges. First therefore, it must be plucked out warme from the raynes of a Bull and washed in a Ryuer or brooke of running Water,Dioscorides. pulling out the skinnes and tunicles, then melt it in a newe earthen pot, hauing cast a­mong it a little salt, then set in faire cold Water, and when it beginneth to congeale, rubbe it vp and downe in the hands, wringing out the water, and letting it soke in againe, vntill it appeare well washed; then boyle it in a pot with a little sweet wine and being sod­den let it stand all night: if in the morning it sauour strong, then poure in more Wyne, 20 seeth it againe, vntill that sauour cease, and so all the poyson be remoued: and beware of salt in it, especially if it be to bee vsed in diseases, whereunto salt is an enemy, but being thus vsed it looketh very white, after the same manner may be vsed the fat of Lyons, Le­opards, Panthers, camels, Boares, and Horsses.

The fat kall about the gutts melted in a frying pan, and annoynted vpon the geni­tals and brest, helpeth the Dysenterie. The marrow of a Bull beaten and drunke, cureth the payne in the small of the belly: and Rasis sayth, that if it be melted at a fire, and min­gled with one fourth parte of Myrrhe and oyle of bayes, and the handes and feete bee therewithall annoynted and rubbed, morning and euening; it helpeth the contractions of the Nerues and sinnewes.

30 The fat of a dormouse, of a hen, and the marrow of a Bull, melted togither, and pou­red warme into the eares, easeth their paine very much: and if the liuer of a Bull be broi­led on a soft fire, and put into ones mouth that hath the tooth-ache, the paine wil [...] goe a­way so soone as euer the teeth touch it. The gall of a bull is sharper then an Oxes, and it is mingled with honey for a wound-plaster, and in all outward remedies against poison. It hath also a quality to gnaw the deadnes or corruption out of wounds, and with the iuyce of leekes and the milke of Women, it is applyed against the Swine pox and fistulaes; but the gal alone rubbed vpon the biting of an Ape, cureth that Malady. Likewise, the vlcers in the head, both of men, women, and children. And if the woole of a hare be burned to ashes, and mingled with oyle of myrtles. Buls gall, and beaten alume, and so warmed and 40 annointed vppon the heade, it stayeth the falling away of the haire of the head.

With the gall of a Bull, and the white of an Egge, they make an eye-salue, and so an­noint therewith dissolued in water foure dayes togither; but it is thought to bee better with hony and balsam: and instilled with sweet new wine into the eares, it helpeth awaye the paines of them, especially running-mattry eares, with womans or Goats milke. It be­ing taken with hony into the mouth, helpeth the cliftes and sores therein; and taken with the water of new coloquintida and giuen to a woman in trauel, causeth an easie child birth. Galen was wont to giue of a buls gall the quantity of an almonde, with two spoonefuls of wine, called [Vinuus Lynghatum] to a Woman that hath her childe dead within her body, which would presently cause the dead Embrion to come forth. The genital of a red bull, dryed to pouder and drunke of a Woman, to the quantity of a golden Noble, it maketh 50 her to loath al maner of copulation but in men (as the later Phisitians affirme) it cau­seth that desire of lust to increase. The dung of a bul layed too warm, helpeth al hardnesse; and burnt to pouder, helpeth the member that is burnt. The vrine or stale of buls with a little Nitre taketh away scabs and Leprosies.

THere was (saith D. cay) a clouen footed beast brought out of the deserts of Mauritania into England, of the bignesse of a hinde, in forme and countenance betwixt a hinde and a cow,The description of this strange beast and therefore for the resemblance it beareth of both, I will call it Buselaphus, or Boniceruus, or Moschelaphus, or a cow hart; hauing a long and thinne head and eare, a leane and slender Leg and Shinne, so that it may seeme to bee made for chase and celerity. His taile not much longer then a foote,The name. but the forme thereof very like a cowes, and the length like a harts, as if nature seemed to doubt whether it 10 should encline to a cow or a hart: his vpper parts were yellowish and smooth, his neather partes blacke and rough; the haire of his bodye betwixt yellow and red, falling close to the skinne,The seuerall parts. but in his forehead standing vppe like a Starre; and so also about the hornes which were blacke and at the top smooth, but downward rough with Wrinkles meeting on the contrary part, and on the neerer side spreading from one another, twice or thrice their quantity. These hornes are in length one foote & a hand bredth, but three hand bredthes thicke at the roote, and their distance at the roote was not aboue one fin­gers bredth, so arising to their middle, and a little beyond where they differ or grow a­sunder three hands bredth and a halfe; then yeeld they together againe a little, and so with another crooke depart asunder the second time, yet so, as the tops of the hornes do 20 not stand asunder aboue two hands bredth, three fingers and a halfe. From the crowne of the head to the Nostrils, there goeth a blacke strake which is one foote, two palmes and one finger long, in bredth aboue the eyes where it is broadest, it is seuen fingers, in thicknesse one foote and three palmes, it hath eight teeth, and wanteth the vppermost like a cow,Pausamas. and yet cheweth the cud, it hath two vdders vnder the belly like a heyghfer that neuer had calfe, it is a gentle and pleasant beast, apt to play and sport, being not one­ly swift to runne, but light and actiue to leape: It will eate any thing, either bread, broath, salted or pouldred beefe, grasse or herbes, and the vse heereof being aliue is for hunting, and being dead the flesh is sweete and pleasant for meate.30

WE are now to describe those beasts which are lesse forraign and strange, and more commonly knowne to all nations, then any other foure-foo­ted Beast: for howsouer Bugils, Buffes, Lyons, Beares, Tigers, Beuers, Por­cupines and such other, are not alway found in euery nation, yet for the most part are Oxen, Kine, Buls, and Horsses, by the prouidence of Al­mighty God, disseminated in all the habitable places of the world: and to speake the truth, Oxen and Horsses were the first riches, and such things wherein our 40 elders gatte the first property, long before houses and landes: with them they rewarded men of highest desert, as Melampus who opened an oracle to Nelens that sought out the lost Oxen of Iphiclus. And Erix king of Sicily, so much loued the Oxen that Hercules reco­uered from Geryon, that when he was to contend with Hercules about these, he rather yel­ded to depart from his kingdome then from his cattell: and Iulius Pollux affirmeth, that there was an auncient coine of money, which was stamped with the figure of an Oxe, and therefore the cryer in euery publicke spectacle made proclamation, that he which deser­ued well, shold be rewarded with an ox, [meaning a peece of mony hauing that impresse vpon it: which was a piece of Golde compared in value to an English Rose-noble,] and in my opinion the first name of money among the Latines is deriued from Cattell for I 50 cannot inuent any more probable aetymologie of Pecunia, Pl [...]y. then from Pecus, signifying al manner of catell: howsoeuer it is related by some Writers, that on the one side of their coine was the kings face, and on the other an oxes picture; and that Seruius was the firste that euer figured mony with Sheep or oxen. Miron the great painter of Eleutheris, and dis­ciple of Agelas, made an heighfer or Cow of brasse, which all Poets of Greece haue cele­brated [Page 67]

[Page 68] in sundry Epigrams, because a calfe came vnto it to suck it, being deceiued with the proportion, and Ausonius also added this following vnto the saide calfe and cow, saying:

Whereunto the brazen cow is caused to make this answere following;

Whereby he derideth their vaine labours, which endeauor to satisfie themselues vppon mennes deuises,Valia. which are cold and comfortlesse without the blessing of almighty God. To begin therefore with these beastes it must be first of all remembred, that the name bos 10 or an oxe as we say in English,Of the name Bos. is the most vulgar and ordinarie name for Bugles, bulles, cowes, Buffes, and all great clouen-footed-horned-beasts; although in proper speech, it signifieth a beast gelded or libbed of his stones: and Boas signifieth a huge great Serpent whereof there was one found in Italy, that had swallowed a child whole without breaking one of his bones, obseruing also in oxen the destinction of yeares or age: which giueth them seuerall names, for in their young age they are called calues, in their second age Steeres, in their third Oxen, and the Latines adde also a fourth which they call V [...]tuli old oxen. These are also distinguished in sexe, the Male calfe is Vitulus, the Female Vitula, likewise Inueucas a Steere, and Inueuca an heighfer, Bos an oxe, and Vacca a cow, Taurus a Bull Taura a barren cow, and Horda a bearing or fruitefull cow: of whom the Romanes ob­serued 20 certaine festiuall daies called Hordicalia, wherein they sacrificed those cattell. The Latines haue also Vaccula and Bucula for a little cow,

And Bucalus or Bos Nouellus for a little oxe. Schor in Haebrew signifieth a Bull or oxe, Bakar heards, or a cow. Thor in the Chalday hath the same signification with Schor, and a­mong the latter Writers you may find Tora a masculine, and Torata a feminine, for a Bull and a cow, accustomed to be handled for labour. The Graecians call then bous & boes, the Arabians bakar: and it is to be noted that the holy scriptures distinguish betwixt tzon, sig­nifieng flockes of sheepe and Goates, & bakar for heards of cattel and Neate: and Me [...]a is 30 taken for Bugils, or the greatest oxen, or rather for fatted oxen, for the verbe Mara ▪ sig­nifieth to feed fat. Egela is interpreted Ierem: 46. for a young cow; and the Persians Gosa­lai: It is very probable that the Latin Vacca is deriued from the haebrew bakar, as the Sa­racen word baccara; so in Haebrew Para is a cow, and Par a Steere, and ben bakar the sonne of an oxe, or calfe: and wheras the Haebrews take Parim, for oxen in general, the chaldees translate it Tore, the Arabs Bakera, the Persians Nadgaeah, or Madagaucha, the Itallians call it bue, the French beuf, the Spaniard buey, the Germanes Ochs and Rind, the Illirians wull. Of the name of a Cow. The Italians call a cow Vacca at this day, the Gaecians bubalis, and Damalis or Da­malai [for a cow which neuer was couered with Bul, or tamed with a yoake] and Agelada. The French Vache, the Spaniardes Vaca, the Germanes; Ku, or Kuhe; and the cittizens of 40 Altina, ceua: from which the English word cow seemeth to be deriued, the Latine word is a young heighfer, which hath ceased to be a calfe.

There are oxen in most part of the world, which differ in quantity, nature, and man­ner,The diuersi­ty of Oxen in al cūtries. one from another, and therefore doe require a seuerall tractat. And first, their oxen of Italy are most famous, for as much as some learned men haue a [...]firmed, that the name Italia, Ʋarro. was first of all deriued of the Greeke word Italous, signifieng oxen; because of the aboundance bred and nourished in those parts, and the great account which the auncient Romanes made heereof,Oxē of Italy appeareth by notable example of punishment, who banished a certaine countrey man for killing an oxe in his rage, and denying that he eate thereof, as if he had killed a man: likewise in Italy theyr oxen are not all alike, for they of campania are 50 for the most part white and slender, yet able to manure the countrey wherein they are bred; they of Vmbria, are of great bodies, yet white & red coloured. In hetruria and Lati­nui, they are very compact and wel set or made, strong for labour, but the most stronge are those of Apennine, although they appeare not to the eie very beautifull.

The Egyptians which dwell about Nilus haue oxen as vvhite as snovv, and of exceeding [Page 69] high and great stature, (greater then the Oxen of Graecia) yet so meeke and gentle,Aristotle Oppianus. Aonia. Aelianus Leo Affric: that they are easily ruled and gouerned by men. The Aonian Oxen are of diuers colours, intermingled one within another, hauing a whole round hoofe like a horse, and but one horne growing out of the middle of their forehead.

The domesticall or tame Oxen of Affrique are so small, that one would take them for calues of two yeares olde,Affricā oxen the Affricans (saith Strabo) which dwell betwixt Getulia and our coast or countrey, haue Oxen and horses which haue longer lips and hoofes then other, and by the Graecians are tearmed Mecrokeilateroi.

The Armenian Oxen haue two hornes,Armenian Oxen. Aeliantus. but vvinding and crooking to and fro like 10 Iuye which cleaueth to okes, which are of such exceeding hardnesse that they wil blunt a­ny sworde that is stroke vppon them, without receiuing any impression or cut thereby. Some are of opinion, that the onely excellent breede of cattell is in Boeotia, neere the cit­ty Tanagra [called once Poemandra] by reason of their famous cattel,Varinus. Baeotiā oxen the which Oxen are called coprophaga, by reason that they will eate the dung of man; so also doe the Oxen of ciprus to ease the paines of their smal guts. The caricians in a part of Asia are not pleasant to behold, hauing shaggye haire, and bounches on either shoulders,Cariciā oxē. reaching or swel­ling to their Neckes; but those vvhich are either white, or blacke, are refused for labour.

Epirus yeeldeth also very great and large oxen, vvhich the inhabitants cal Pyrhicae, Epirus. be­cause 20 that their first stocke or seminary were kept by King Pirrhus: hovvsoeuer, other say that they haue their name of their fiery flaming colour; they are called also Larini of a village Larinum, or of Larinus, a chiefe Neat-heard: of whom Ahaeneus maketh mention, who receiued this greate breede of cartel of Hercules when he returned from the slaughter of Gerion: vvho raigned about Ambracia and Ampholochi, vvhere through the fatnesse of the earth and goodnesse of the pasture they grovv to so great a stature: other call them cestrini, I know not for vvhat cause, yet it may be probable that they are called Larini, Pliny Aristotle Theodore [...]. by reason of their broad Nostriles, for Rines in Greeke signifieth Nostrils: but the true cause of their great bone and stature is, bycause that neither sexe were suffered to couple one vvith another, vntil they vvere foure yeares old at the least, and therefore they vvere cal­led Atauri, and Setaeuri, and they vvere the proper goods of the King: neither could they 30 liue in any other place but in Epirus, by reason that the whole country is ful of sweete and deepe pastures.

Al the oxen in Eubaea are white at the time of their caluing,Eubaea Aelianus. and for this cause the poets cal that countrey Argiboeon. If that oxen or swine be transported or brought into Hispani­ola, Hispaniola Oxen. Pet▪ Martyr they grow so great, that the oxen haue beene taken for Elephantes, and their swine for Mules, but I take this relation to be hyperbolical.

There are Oxen in India which wil eate flesh like Wolues, and haue but one horne and whole hoofes: some also haue three hornes, there be other as high as Cammels,Rasis. Indian oxen C. Tesias Solinus. Pliny. Aelianus. and their hornes foure foote broad. There was a horne brought out of India to Ptolmy the se­cond, which receiued three Amphoraes of water, amounting the least too thirty english 40 gallons of Wine measure; whereby it may bee coniectured of how great quantity is the beast that bare it. The Indians, both Kings and people make no small reckoning of these beastes, [I meane their vulgar Oxen] for they are most swift in course, and wil runne a race as fast as any horse, so that in their course you cannot know an Oxe from a horse; waging both Gold and Siluer vpon their heads; and the Kings themselues are so much delighted with this pastime, that they follow in their Wagons, and will with their owne mouthes and handes prouoke the beastes to runne more speedily: and heerein the Oxe exceedeth a horse, bycause he wil not accomplish his race with sufficient celerity, except his rider draw blood from his sides with the spur, but the oxes rider neede not to lay any 50 hands or pricks at al vpon him, his onely ambitious nature of ouercomming [carrying him more swiftly then all the rods or spurs of the world could preuaile on him]: And of this game, the lowest of the people are also very greedy, laying many Wagers, making many matches, and aduenturing much time and price to see their euent.

Among the Indians there are also other oxen which are not much greater then great Goates, who likewise in their yoaks are accustomed to runne many races, which they per­forme [Page 70] with as great speede as a Getican horse:A [...]anus. and all these running Oxen must be vnder­stood to be wild Oxen.Leuctriā oxē Garamantae.

There bee Oxen in Leuctria [which Aristotle affirmeth] haue their eates and hornes growing both together forth of one stemme. The Oxen of the Garamants, and all other Neate among them, feede with their necks doubled backward, for by reason of their long and hanging hornes, they cannot eate their meate, holding their heads directly straight: The selfe same is reported of the beastes of Trogloditae:Solinus. Herodotus. in other things, they differ not from other oxen, saue onely in the hardnesse of their skinne, and these oxen are called Opisthonomi. Bangala. Aristotle 10

In the prouince of Bangala, are oxen [saith Paulus Venetus] which equall the Elephant in hight. The oxen in Mysia haue no hornes, which other affirme also of the Scithians, whereof they assigne this reason, because the vniuersall bone of the skull hath no Comis­sure or ioynt opened, and cannot receiue any humour flowing vnto it, by reason of the hardnesse resisting, and the vaines belonging to this bone are weaker and smaller then in other; for which also they are more vnfit to conuay nourishment to the place: and so the neck of these beastes, must needes be more dry and lesse stronge, bycause the vaines are very little. The oxen haue bunches growing on their backes like Cammels, and vpon them doe they beare their burdens, being taught by the discipline of men, to bend on their knee to receiue their load.

Aelianus. Nomadian Oxen.Among the Nomades [which winter their cattell about the Marishes of Maeotia] there 20 are also certaine cattell without hornes; whereof some are so naturally, the other haue their hornes sawed off, as soone as they grow forth, because of all the parts of their body, they onely can endure no cold.

Aelianus. Oppianus. Phrygian & Erythrean Oxen.There be oxen in Phrigia and Erithrea which are of a flaming red colour, of a very high and winding neck, their hornes are not like any other in the world, for they are mooued with their eares turning in a flexible manner sometyme one way and sometime ano­ther.

Aelianus Oxē of SyriaThe Syrian Oxen called Poellei are of great strength, hauing a broade forehead, strong hornes, and fearefull or courragious aspect, being neither too fat or too leane of their bodyes; and they are vsed both for War and also for running. The oxen of the Belgian 30 prouinces, especially in Fresland and Holland, are also of very great stature, for it hath beene found by good experience, that one of them hath waighed sixteene hundred pounds Troy waight:Belgian oxen Guicciardine and when the Earle of Hoochstate was at Machlin in Fresland, there was presented vnto him a great oxe which being killed, waighed aboue two thousand fiue hundred twenty and eight pound. The which thing being so strang as the like had not beene beforetime obserued; to the entent that succeeding ages might not mistrust such a memorable report, the said Earle caused the full Picture of the said oxe, to be set vp in his Pallace with an inscription of the day and year when this oxe was deliuered and killed.

THere be some of the late writers, which take the cacus spoken of by Virgill in his eight book of Aeneids, to be a wilde Beast, which Virgill describeth in these words:

That is, cacus was halfe a beast and halfe a man, who had a caue in the earth against the Sunne, his Denne replenished with the heades of men, and hee himselfe breathing 50 out fire, so that the earth was warmed with the slaughter of men slaine by him, whose slaughter he fastened vpon his owne doores, being supposed to be the sonne of Vulcan. And there be some that affirme this Cacus, to haue wasted and depopulated all Italy, and at length when Hercules had slaine Geryon, as he came out of Spaine thorough Italy with the Oxen which he had taken from Geryon, Cacus drew diuers of them into his [Page 92] Caue by their tailes: but when Hercules missed daily some of his Cattell, and knewe not which way they strayed, at last he came to the Denne of Cacus: and seeing all the steppes stand forward by reason the Cattell were drawne in backeward, he departed; and going away, he heard the loughing of the Oxen for their fellowes, whereby he discouered the fraud of Cacus: whereuppon he presently ranne and tooke his club, the monster being within his Caue, closed vp the mouth thereof with a wonderfull great stone, and so hid himselfe for feare: but Hercules went to the toppe of the Mountaine and there digging downe the same, vntill he opened the Caue, then leaped in suddenly and slew the Mon­ster, and recouered his Oxen.

But the truth is, this forged Cacus was a wicked seruant of Euander, which vsed great 10 robbery in the Mountaines, and by reason of his euill life was called cacus, for Ca [...]os in Greeke signifieth euill. He was said to breath forth fire because he burned vp their corne growing in the fields, and at last was betrayed of his owne sister; for which cause she was deified, and the Virgins of Vesta made Sacrifice to her: and therefore it shall be ydle to prosecute this fable any farther (as Albertus Magnus doth) it being like the fable of Alci­da, which the Poets faine was a bird of the earth, and being inuincible burned vp al Phry­gia, and at last was slaine by Minerua.

ALthough there be diuers sorts of Camels, according to the 20 seuerall Countryes, yet is the name not much varied, but taken in the generall sence for the denomination of euery particular.Of the name The Haebrewes call it Gamal; the Chaldaeans Gamela, and Gamele: The Arabians, Gemal: Gemel A [...]egeb: Algiazar. The Persians, Schetor: the Saracens, Shymel; the Turkes call a company of Camels trauailing together, Co­rauana. The Italians and Spaniardes cal a Camell Camello, the French chameau, the Germanes Ramelthier, all deriued of the Latine Camelus, and the Greeke camelos. The Illyri­ans,artemidorvs. The Etymo­logie of the word. Horus 30 call it Vuelblud: and the reason of the name camelos in Greeke is, because his burden or load is layed vpon him kneeling or lying, deriued (as it may seeme) of camptein Me­rous, the bending of his knees and slownesse of pace; wherefore a man of a slow pace, was among the Egyptians deciphered by a camell. For that cause, there is a Towne in Si [...] called Gangamela; that is, the house of a camell, erected by Darius the Sonne of Histaspi [...], allowing a certaine prouision of food therein for wearied and tyred camels. The epithites giuen to this beast are not many among Authors, for he is tearmed by them rough, de­formed, and thirsting; as Iuuenall.

‘Deformis poterunt immania membra, camell:’ And Persius in his fifth Satyre saith; ‘Tolle recens primus piper è sitiente camelo.40’ There are of them diuers kindes, according to their countries wherein they breed: as in India, The kinds of Camels. in Arabia, and in Bactria: All those which are in India, are saide by Didimus to be bred in the Mountaines of the Bactrians, and haue two bunches on their backe, and one other on their breast, whereupon they leane: they haue somtimes a Bore for theyr fyre, which feedeth with the flocks of she-camels; for as Mules and Horsses will couple toge­ther in copulation, so also will Bores and camels: and that a camell is so ingendred some­times,The generation of Bactri­an Camels. the roughnes of his haire like a Boares or Swines, and the strength of his body, are sufficient euidences; and these are worthily called Bactrians, because they were first of all conceiued among them, hauing two bunches on their backes; whereas the Arabian 50 hath but one. The colour of this camell, is for the most part browne, or puke? yet there are heards of white ones in India.

The parts & colour of these camels. Ptolomeus Lagi brought two straunge thinges into Egypt, a blacke camell, and a man which was the one halfe white and the other halfe blacke in equall proportion, the which caused the Egyptians to wonder and maruaile at the shape and proportion of the camell, [Page 93]

10 20 30 40 50 [Page 94] and to laugh at the man: whereupon it grew to a prouerbe, a Camell among the Egypti­ans,The seuerall parts of a ca­mell, Pliny for a matter fearefull at the first, and ridiculous at the last.

The head and necke of this beast is different in proportion from all others, yet the E­thyopians haue a beast called Nabim, which in his neck resembleth a Horse, and in his hed a Camell. They haue not teeth on both sides, although they want hornes (I meane both the Arabian and Bactrian Camell:) whereof Aristotle disputeth the reason; in the thirde Booke of the partes of creatures, and fourteenth chapter. Their necks are long and nim­ble, whereby the whole body is much relieued; and in their necke toward the neather part of their throte, there is a place called Anhar, wherein a Camell dooth by speare or sword,10 most easily receiue his mortall or deadly wound.

Siluaticus.His belly is variable, now great, now small like an Oxes; his gall is not distinguished within him like other beasts, but onely carried in great veynes, and therefore some haue thought he had none, and assigned that as a cause of his long life. Betwixt his thighes he hath two vdders,Aristotle Pliny. which haue foure speanes depending from them like a Cowes. His ge­nital part is confected, and standeth vpon a sinnew, insomuch as there of may a stringe be made, for the bending of the strongest bow. The tayle is like the taile of an Asse, hangging down to their knees, they haue knees in euery leg, hauing in their former legs 3▪bones, & in the hinder foure. They haue an ancle like an Oxes, and very small buttockes, for the proportion of their great body: their foot is clouen, but so, that in the vnder part it hath but two Fissures or cleftes, opening the breadth of a finger, and in the vpper part foure 20 Fissures or cleftes, opening a little, and hauing a little thing growing in them like as is in the foot of a Goose: The foot it selfe is fleshy like a Beares, and therefore they are shod with leather when they trauaile, least the gauling of their feet cause them to tyre.

Auicenna affirmeth, that he had seene Camels with whole feet, like a Horsses, but their feet (although fleshy) are so tyed together with little lunges, that they neuer weare; and their manner of going or pace is like a Lyons, so walking, as the left foot neuer outgoeth the right, whereas all other beasts change the setting forward of their feet, and leane vp­on their left feet while they remoue their right; but these alter step after step, so as the left foot behind, followeth the right before, and the hinder foote followeth the lefte before. Those Camels which are conceiued by Bores are the strongest, and fall not so quickly in 30 to the myre as other, although his load be twice so heauy.

Camels loue grasse (called Schoennanthi) and especially Barley, which they eat vp won­derfull greedily vntill all be in their stomach,The food of Camels and then will they chewe thereupon all the night long: so that the greatnesse of their belly to lodge their meat in before concoction is better then the benefite of their vpper teeth, because he can ruminate and chaw it so of­ten as he pleaseth. There is a certaine herbe, which hath a seede like a mirtle seed, that is poyson to wormes,Siluaticus. and this seede is foode for Cammels; wherewith they grow fatte. It is therefore called Camell-thorne, and Astergar in the Aarabian toung. In the prouince of Aden both Sheepe, Oxen, Horses, and Camels, eate a kinde of fish, and them better be­ing drie and stale,Paul. venet. Philostratus Calius. then new and fresh, by reason the immoderate heat in that region, bur­neth 40 vp all pasture and fruites: neither is there any beast which is so easily fed as a Camell. They will not drink of cleare or cleane water, but of muddy and slimie, and therefore they stamp in it with their feete.Their drinke must not be cleare. They will indure thirst for three or foure dayes together, but when they come to drink, they suck in aboue measure, recompensing their former thirst, and prouiding against that which is to come, and of all kinds the Bactrians are least trobled with thirst.

They stale from one side to another, otherwise then any other beasts doe: this beast is very hot by nature, and therfore wanton and full of sport and wrath: braying most fearful­ly when they are angred. They engender like Elephants and Tigers, that is; the female ly­ing 50 or sitting on the ground, which the male imbraceth like other males; and continue in copulation awhole day together.Their pro­creation When they are to ingender, they goe vnto the secretst places they can finde, herein excelling in modesty the ancient Massagetes, who were not ashamed to lie with their wiues in the open field, and publique view of one another, wher as bruite beasts by instinct of nature, make the procreation of their kinde to be a most se­cret-shamefull-honest action.

[Page 95]At the time therefore of their lust, they are most vnruely and fierce, yeilding to none, no not to their owne keepers: the best time of their copulation is in September, for in Arabia, they begin to ingender in the third yeare of their age, and so within ten or eleuen moneths after she is deliuered of young, being neuer aboue one at a time for twins come not in her greate belly; so she goeth a yeare before she conceiue againe, although her young be seperated or weaned, before which time they doe not commonly.Caelius. Auicen. Vnto their former modesty for their copulation, we may adde another deuine instinct, and most true obseruation about the same, for the male will neuer couer his mother, or his sister: wherfore it is sincerely reported, that when a certaine Camel-keeper [desirous to trie this se­cret] hauing the male, sonne to a female which he also kepte, he so couered the female-mother-Camell 10 in all parts of her body except her secrets, that nothing coulde be seene of her, and so brought her lustfull son to couer her; which according to his present rage he perfourmed. As soone as he had done it, his maister and owner pulled away the maske or disguise from the damme, in the presence of the sonne, whereby he instantly perceiued his keepers fraud, in making him vnnaturally to haue copulation with his owne mother. In reuenge whereof he ranne vppon him, and taking him in his mouth, lift him vp into the ayre, presently letting him fall with noise and cry vnderneath his murdring and man­quelling feete; where, with vnappeasable wrath and bloud desiring lyuor, he pressed and trode to pieces the incest marriage-causer, twixt him and his dearest mother; and yet not herewith satisfied, like some reasonable creature, depriued of heauenly grace, and caried 20 with deadly reuenge against such vncleannes, being perswaded that the gilt of such an of­fence could neuer receiue sufficient expiation by the death of the first deuiser, except the beguiled party sufferd also som smart of penalty; adiudged himselfe to death, and no lon­ger worthy to liue by natures benifite, which had so violated the wombe that first concei­ued him; and therfore running to and fro, as it were to finde out a hangman for himselfe, at last found a sleepy rocke, from whence he leaped downe to end his life; and although he could not preuent his offence, yet he thought it best to cleanse away his mothers adul­tery with the sacrifice of that bloud which was first conceiued in that wombe wherein hee had defiled.

These camels are kept in heards and are as swift as horses, according to the measure of 30 their strength, not onely because of their nimblenesse, but also because their strides and reach doth gather in more ground: for which cause they are vsed by the Indians for race,The pace & agility of ca­mels when they goe to fetch the golde which is said to be kept by the Formicae Lions, which are not much bigger then Foxes:Herodotus. yet many times doe these Lions ouertake the camels in course and teare the riders in pieces They haue bene also vsed for battell or warre [by the Arabians in the Persian warre:] but their feare is so greate of an Horse, that (as Xenophon saith) in the institution of cyrus, when the armies came to ioyne, neither the camel would aproach to the Horse, or the horse to the camell; whereupon it is accounted a base and vnprofitable thing for a man to nourish camels for fight, yet the Persians for the fighte of Cyrus in Lidia, euer nourished camels and horses together, to take away their feare one 40 from another.Of the labor and employ­ment of Ca­mels. Therfore they are vsed for carriage which they will perfourme with greate facility, being taughte by their keepers to kneell and lie downe to take vp their burthens, which by reason of their height a man cannot lay on them; alwaies prouided, that he will neuer goe beyond his ordinary lodging and baiting place, or endure more then his vsuall burthen; and it hath beene seen that one of these Bactrian camels, hath carried aboue ten Minars of corne, and aboue that a bed with fiue men therein.Pliny. They will trauell in a day a­boue forty ordinary miles, for as Pliny saieth, that there was from Thomna to Gaza sixty and two lodging places for camels, which was in length one thousand, fiue hundred, thir­ty and seauen miles.

They are also vsed for the plough in Numidia, and for this cause are yoaked sometimes 50 with horses, but Heliogabalus like as the Tartarians, Diodorus yoaked them together not onely for priuate spectacles and playes, but also for drawing of waggons and chariots. When they desire to haue them free and strong for any labor in the field, or war, they vse to geld both the male and the female, the manner whereof is in this sorte. The male by taking away his stones, and the female by searing her priuie parts within the brimme and laps thereof [Page 96] with a hotte yron, which being so taken away, they can neuer more ioyne in copulation, and these are more patient in labor and thirst, and likewise better endure the extreamitie of sand in those parts,Pliny. hauing this skill that if the mists of raine or sand, do neuer so much obscure the way from the rider, yet doeth shee remember the same without all stagge­ring.

O [...] the vse of th [...]r naturall p [...]ts.The vrine of this beaste is excellent for the vse of fullers, of the haire called Buber or camels Wooll, is cloath made for apparrell, (called camelotta or camels haire,) and the haire of the caspian camels is so softe, that it may bee therein compared with the softest Milesian Wooll,Aelianus. whereof their Princes and priestes make their garmentes: and it is very proable, that the garmentes of Saint Iohn Baptist was of this kinde. In the cittie of ca­lacia 10 vnder the great ch [...]m and in the prouince of Egrigaia, is cloathe made of the haire of camels,Baytius. and wh [...]e wool (called Zambilotti) shewing most gloriously, but the best of this kind are in the land of Gog and M [...]gog.

The flesh of a camell not to be eaten. Diodorus Leo Affric:It is forbidden in holy Scripture to eate a Camell, for although it chew the cud, yet is not the hoofe altogether clouen: and besides, the flesh thereof is harde of disgestion, and the iuyce thereof verye naught, heating the body aboue measure; yet many times haue men of base condition and minds eaten thereof, as in Arabia, and in the kingdome of Fezzen: & Athaeneus affirmeth, [...]hat the king of Persia was wont to haue a whole Camel rosted for his owne table at his royall feastings: and Heliogabalus likewise caused to bee prepared for himselfe the heeles of Camels, and the spurs of cockes and Hennes, pulled 20 off aliue,Lampridius. and whole Ost [...]iches and Camels; saying, (though falsely) that God commaun­ded the Iewes to eat them. Camels milke is wholesome for meat, because it is thinnest of all other, and because thereof it breedeth fewer obstructions, and is good for softening of the belly: for the naturall disposition of this beast, it is partly already related, whereby the singular vse thereof may be collected: yet there are certaine prouerbes and stories thereof, farther express [...]ing their qualities.

A historie of their naturall dis­po [...]ion. CaeliusIt is disdaine [...]ull, and a discontented creature: whereupon it is fained of the Poets, that they besought Iupiter to giue them Hornes, with which petition he was so offended, that he tooke from them their eares, and ther [...]ore in that, those are reproued, which are so far in loue with other things they want, that they deserue to loose the things they haue. Like­wise 30 the wantonnes thereof appeareth by the prouerbe of a dauncing Camell, when one take [...]h vpon him more then his skill will serue to discharge: yet hath not this Beast beene free from ignominy, for when the Emperor Iustinian had founde the Treason of Arsaces the Armenian, Caelius. he caused him to ride thorough the citty vpon a Camell, to be shamed for his offence,Solinus. although in former times it was a kind of triumph and honor to be caried vp­on a Camell, lead thorough a citty.

In the lake of Asphaltites wherein all things sinke that come in it, many Camels and Buls swim thorough without daunger. The Arabians sacrifice a camell to the vnknowne God, because camels go into strange countries, and likewise sacrifice their Virgins before they be maryed,Sacrifices of Idolatry Gyraldus. Aelianus. Of the [...]eare and hat [...]ed of cam [...]ls. Herodotus S [...]l [...]us. Po [...]phyrius The [...]en [...]th of their life Pliny. because of the chastity of this beast, and the Sagarentes with great obseruance,40 keepe the combat of camels, in the honour of Minerua.

These Beasts are hated of Horsses and Lyons, for when Xerxes trauaild ouer the riuer Chidorus, through Paeonia and Crestonia, in the night time the Lyons descended into the campe and touched no creatures therein, except the camels, whome they destroyed for the most part.

A camell will liue in the soile wherein he is bred fifty or an hundred yeares, and if hee be translated into any other Nation he falleth into madnesse, or scabs, or the gowt, and then they liue not aboue thirty yeares. There is a kind of grasse that groweth by the high waies in the countrey of Babylon, that killeth Camels when they tast thereof.

The medi­cines in the bodies o [...] ca­mels. Ponzet [...]us Card [...]alis Auicen [...].There are also medicinall properties in camels, for by reason hee is of a hotte and dry 50 temperament, if a man infected with poyson be put into the warme belly of a camell new­ly slaine, it looseneth the power of the poyson, and giueth strength to the naturall parts of the body. The fat taken out of the bunch and perfumed, cureth the Hemmorhoids, and the blood of a camell fryed, is pretious against the bloody flix or any other loose­nes of the belly, the braine dryed and drunke with Vineger, helpeth the falling euill. The gall drunke with Hony, helpeth the Quinzy: and if it be laide to the eye-browes and fore­head, [Page 97] sod in three cups of the best hony, it cureth the dimnes of the eyes, and auoydeth the flesh that groweth in them: and if the haires of a Camels taile be wounde together like a string, and tyed to the left arme (Pliny affirmeth) they will deliuer one from a quar­tan Ague.Marcellus

The milke of camels newly deliuered of young, helpeth obstructions, and all shortnes of breath, and is also good against the Dropsie and hardnes of the melt. Also when one hath drunke poyson, this is a good. Antidote and amendeth the temper of the body. The fime of Camels dryed to dust with oyle, will cr [...]spe or curle the haire, and stay bleeding at the nose, and the same hot, is good against the Gout.

10 The vrine is most profitable for running sores, there haue bene which haue preserued it fiue yeares together and vsed it against hardnes of the belly, washing also therewith sore heads, and it helpeth one to the sence of smelling, if it be held to the nose, likewise against the Dropsie, the Spleane, and the Ring-worme.

DIodorus Siculus maketh relation, that when Dionisius with his Army trauailed 20 thorough the desert and dry places, annoyed with diuers wild beasts, he came to Zambirra a citty of Lybia, where he slewe a beast bred in those partes called Campe, which had before that time destroyed many men, which action did pur­chase him among the inhabitantes a neuer dying fame, and that therefore there might re­maine a continuall remembrance to all posterity of that fact, he raised vp there a monu­ment of the slaine beast to stand for euermore.

Of the name A Cat is a familiar and well knowne beast, called of the Hae­brewes 30 Catull, and Schanar, and Schunara; of the Graecians Aeluros, and Kattes, and Katis, of the Saracens, Katt, the Italians Gatta, and Gotto. The Spaniards, Gata and Gato, the French, Chat; the Germanes, Katz; the Illyrians, Kozka; and Furioz, (which is vsed for a Cat by Albertus Magnus) and I coniecture, to be either the Persian, or the Arabian worde. The Latines call it Feles, and sometimes Murile­gus, and Musio, because it catcheth Myse, but most com­monly Catus, which is deriued of Cautus, signifying wary: Ouid saith,The nature and etymology of a Cat. that when the Gyantes warred with the Goddes, the Goddes put vpon them 40 the shapes of Beasts, and the sister of Apollo lay for a spy in the likenes of a cat, for a cat is a watchfull and warye beast, sildome ouertaken, and most attendaunt to her sport and prey; according to that obseruation of Mantuan:

And for this cause did the Egyptians place them for hallowed Beasts,Their vse a­mong the E­gyptians and kept them in their Temples, although they alledged the vse of their skinnes for the couer of shieldes, which was but an vnreasonable shift, for the softnesse of a cats skinne is not fit to defend or beare a blow: It is knowne also, that it was capitall among them, to kill an Ibis, an Aspe, a Crocodill,A historie. a Dogge, or a Cat: insomuch as, that in the daies of King Ptolaemey, when a 50 peace was lately made betwixt the Romaines and the Egyptians; and the Roman Ambas­sadors remaining still in Egypt,Coelius it fortuned that a Romane vnwares killed a cat, which be­ing by the multitude of the Egyptians espied, they presently fell vpon the Ambassadors house, to raze downe the same, except the offender might be deliuered vnto them, to suffer death: so that neither the honour of the Roman name, nor the necessity of peace, [Page 103] coulde haue restrained

them from that fury, had not the King himselfe & his greatest Lords come in person, not so much to deliuer the Roman Cat-murderer, as to sauegard him from the peoples violence; and not onely the 10 Egyptians were fooles in this kind, but the Arabi­ans also, who worshipped a cat for a God; and when the cat dyed, they mour­ned as much for her, as for the father of the family, shauing the hair from their eye-lids, and carry­ing the beast to the Tem­ple, 20 where the Priests sal­ted it and gaue it a holy funerall in Bubastum: (which was a burying plas for cattes neer the Altar) wherin may appeare to al men, in what miserable blindnesse the wisest men of the world, (forsaking, or depriued of the true 30 knowledge of God are,) more then captiuated, so that their wretched estate cannot better bee expres­sed then by the words of S. Paule, When they thoght to be wise, they becam fools.

Once cattes were all wilde, but afterward they retyred to houses,Of the tame­ing of Cattes and their countreys. wherefore there are plenty of them in all countries: Martiall in an Epigram, celebrated a Pannonian cat with this distichon:

The Spanish blacke cats are of most price among the Germaines, because they are nim­blest, and haue the softest haire fit for garment.The best cats

A cat is in all partes like a Lyonesse, (except in her sharpe eares) wherefore the Poets faine, that when Venus had turned a cat into a beautifull woman (calling her Aeluros) who forgetting her good turne, contended with the goddesse for beauty: in indignation wher­of, she rerurned her to her first nature, onely making her outward shape to resemble a ly­on, which is not altogither idle, but may admonish the wisest, that faire & foule, men and beasts, hold nothing by their owne worth and benefit, but by the vertue of their creator: 50 Wherefore if at any time they rise against their maker, let them looke to loose their ho­nour and dignity in their best part, and to returne to basenes and inglorious contempt, out of which they were first taken, and howsoeuer their outwarde shape and condition please them, yet at the best they are but beasts that perish, for the Lyons suffer hunger.

Cats are of diuers colours, but for the most part gryseld, like to congealed yse, which commeth from the condition of her meate: her head is like vnto the head of a Lyon,Sipontinus [Page 104] except in her sharpe eares:Of the seue­ral parts. her flesh is soft and smooth: her eies glister aboue measure, especialy when a mā commeth to see a cat on the sudden, and in the night, they can hardly be endured, for their flaming aspect. Wherfore Democritus describing the persian smaradge saith that it is not transparent, but filleth the eie with pleasāt brightnes, such as is in the eies of Panthers and cats, for they cast forth beames in the shaddow and darkenes, but in the sunshine they haue no such clearnes, and thereof Alexander Aphrodise giueth this reason, both for the sight of Cattes and of Battes, that they haue by nature a most sharpe spirit of seeing.

Albertus compareth their eye-sight to carbuncles in darke places, because in the night, they can see perfectly to kill Rattes and Myce: the root of the herbe Valerian (commonly 10 called Phu) is very like to the eye of a Cat, and wheresouer it groweth, if cats come ther­vnto, they instantly dig it vp, for the loue thereof, as I my selfe haue seene in mine owne Garden, and not once onely, but often, euen then when as I had caused it to bee hedged or compassed round about with thornes, for it smelleth marueilous like to a cat.

The Egyptians haue obserued in the eies of a cat, the encrease of the Moone-light, for with the Moone they shine more fully at the ful, and more dimly in the change and wain, and the male cat-doth also vary his eyes with the Sunne; for when the sunne ariseth, the apple of his eie is long;Gillius. toward noone it is round, and at the euening it cannot be seene at all, but the whole eie sheweth alike.

The tongue of a cat is very attractiue, and forcible like a file, attenuating by licking the 20 flesh of a man,Pliny. for which cause, when she is come neere to the blood, so that her own spit­tle be mingled therewith, she falleth mad. Her teeth are like a saw, and if the long haires growing about her mouth (which some call Granons) be cut away, she looseth hir corage. Her nailes sheathed like the nailes of a Lyon, striking with her forefeete, both Dogs and other things,The game & food of cats. as a man doth with his hand.

This beast is woonderfull nimble, setting vpon her prey like a Lyon, by leaping: and therefore she hunteth both rats, all kind of Myce, & Birds, eating not onely them, but al­so fish, wherewithall she is best pleased. Hauing taken a Mouse, she first playeth with it, and then deuoreth it, but her watchfull eye is most strange, to see with what pace and soft steps, she taketh birds and flies; and her nature is to hide her own dung or excrements, for she 30 knoweth that the fauour and presence thereof, will driue away her sport, the little Mouse being able by that stoole,Pliny. A secret. to smell the presence of hir mortall foe.

To keepe Cats from hunting of Hens, they vse to tie a litle wild rew vnder their wings, and so likewise from Doue-coates, if they set it in the windowes, they dare not approach vnto it for some secret in nature. Some haue said that cats will fight with Serpentes, and Toads,Of their loue and hatred and kill them, and perceiuing that she is hurt by them; she presently drinketh wa­ter and is cured: but I cannot consent vnto this opinion: it being rather true of the Wea­sell as shalbe afterward declared. Ponzettus sheweth by experience that cats and Serpents loue one another, for there was (sayth he) in a certain Monastery, a Cat norished by the Monkes, and suddenly the most parts of the Monkes which vsed to play with the Cat fell 40 sicke: whereof the Physitians could find no cause, but some secret poyson, and al of them were assured that they neuer tasted any: at the last a poore laboring man came vnto them, affirming that he saw the Abbey-cat playing with a Serpent, which the Physitians vnder­standing, presently conceiued that the Serpent had emptied some of her poyson vppon the cat, which brought the same to the Monkes, and they by stroking and handeling the cat, were infected therewith; and whereas there remained one difficulty, namely, how it came to passe, the cat her selfe was not poisoned thereby, it was resolued, that forasmuch as the Serpentes poison came from him but in playe and sporte, and not in malice and wrath, that therefore the venom thereof being lost in play, neither harmed the Cat at al, nor much endaungered the Monkes: and the very like is obserued of myce that will play 50 with Serpents.

Aelianus.Cats will also hunt Apes, and follow them to the woods, for in Egypt certaine Cattes set vpon an Ape, who presently tooke himselfe to his heeles and climed vp into a tree, af­ter when the cattes followed with the same celerity and agility: (for they can fasten their clawes to the barke, and runne vp very speedily:) the Ape seeing himselfe ouermatched [Page 105] with number of his aduersaries, leaped from branch to braunch, and at last tooke hold of the top of a bough, whereupon he did hang so ingeniously, that the Cats durst not ap­proch vnto him for feare of falling, and so departed.

The nature of this Beast is, to loue the place of her breeding,The loue of home. neither will she tarry in any strange place, although carried very farre, being neuer willing to forsake the house, for the loue of any man, and most contrary to the nature of a Dogge, who will trauaile a­broad with his maister; and although their maisters forsake their houses, yet will not these Beastes beare them company, and being carried forth in close baskets or sackes, they will yet returne againe or loose themselues. A Cat is much delighted to play with 10 hir image in a glasse, and if at any time she behold it in water, presently she leapeth down into the water which naturally she doth abhorre, but if she be not quickly pulled forth and dryed she dieth thereof, because she is impatient of alw [...]e. Those which will keepe their Cattes within doores, and from hunting Birds abroad, must cut off their eares,Albertus. A way to make Cats keepe home. for they cannot endure to haue drops of raine distil into them and therfore keep themselues in harbor. Nothing is more contrary to the nature of a Cat, then is wet and water, and for this cause came the Prouerbe that they loue not to wet their feet. It is a neate and cleane­ly creature, oftentimes licking hir own body to keepe it smooth and faire, hauing natu­rally a flexible backe for this purpose, and washing hir face with her fore feet:A coniectu­rall secret. but some obserue, that if she put her feete beyond the crowne of her head, that it is a presage of 20 raine, and if the backe of a cat be thinne the beast is of no courage or value. They loue fire and warme places, whereby it falleth out that they often burne their coates.Their copu­lation. They de­sire to lie soft, and in the time of their lust (commonly called cat-wralling) they are wilde and fierce, especially the males, whoe at that time (except they be gelded) will not keepe the house: at which time they haue a peculiar direfull voyce. The maner of their copula­tion is this, the Female lyeth downe and the Male standeth, and their females are aboue measure desirous of procreation, for which cause they prouoke the male, and if he yeeld not to their lust they beate and claw him, but it is onely for loue of young and not for lust:Aristotle the meale is most libidinous, and therefore seeing the female will neuer more engender with him, during the time hir young ones sucke, hee killeth and eateth them if he meet 30 with them, (to prouoke the female to copulation with him againe,Aelianus. for when she is depri­ued of her young, she seeketh out the male of her own accord,) for which the female most warily keepeth them from his sight. During the time of copulation, the female continu­ally cryeth, whereof the Writers giue a double cause; one, because she is pinched with the talants or clawes of the male in the time of his lustfull rage, and thother, because his seed is so fiery whot, that it almost burneth the females place of conception. When they haue litered or as we commonly say kittened, they rage against Dogges, and will suffer none to come neere their young ones. The best to keep are such as are littered in March,Choyse of young Cats. they go with young fifty daies, and the females liue not aboue sixe or seuen yeares, the males liue longer especially if they be gelt or libbed: the reason of their short life is their 40 rauening of meate which corrupteth within them.

They cannot abide the sauour of oyntments but fall madde thereby;Gillius Caelius alu. Mundell [...] Their dis­eases. they are some­times infected with the falling euill, but are cured with Gobium. It is needelesse to spend any time about her louing nature to man, how she flattereth by rubbing her skinne a­gainst ones Legges, how she whurleth with her voyce, hauing as many tunes as turnes, for she hath one voice to beg and to complain, another to testifie her delight & pleasure, another among hir own kind by flattring, by hissing, by puffing, by spitting, insomuch as some haue thought that they haue a peculiar intelligible language among themselues. Therefore how she beggeth, playeth, leapeth, looketh, catcheth, tosseth with her foote, riseth vp to strings held ouer her head, sometime creeping, sometimes lying on the back, 50 playing with one foot, somtime on the bely, snatching, now with mouth, & anon with foot, aprehending greedily any thing saue the hand of a man with diuers such gestical actions, it is needelesse to stand vpon; insomuch as Coelius was wont to say,The hurt that commeth by the familiari­ty of a cat. that being free from his Studies and more vrgent waighty affaires, he was not ashamed to play and sport him­selfe with his Cat, and verily it may well be called an idle mans pastime. As this beast hath beene familiarly nourished of many, so haue they payed deare for their loue, being [Page 106] requiret with the losse of their health, and sometime of their life for their friendship: and worthily, because they which loue any beasts in a high mesure, haue so much the lesse charity vnto man.

Therefore it must be considered what harmes and perils come vnto men by this beast. It is most certaine that the breath and sauour of cats consume the radicall humour and destroy the lungs,Ahynzoar. and therefore they which keepe their cats with them in their beds haue the aire corrupted and fall into feuer hectickes and consumptions.Alex, benidict. There was a cer­taine company off Monkes much giuen to nourish and play with Cattes, whereby they were so infected, that within a short space none of them were able either to say, reade,10 pray, or sing, in all the monastery; and therefore also they are dangerous in the time of pestilence, for they are not onely apt to bring home venomous infection, but to poy­son a man with very looking vpon him; wherefore there is in some men a naturall dislike and abhorring of cats, their natures being so composed, that not onely when they see them, but being neere them and vnseene, and hid of purpose, they fall into passions, fret­ting, sweating, pulling off their hats, and trembling fearefully, as I haue knowne many in Germany, the reason whereof is, because the constellation which threatneth their bo­dies which is peculiar to euery man, worketh by the presence and offence of these crea­tures: and therefore they haue cryed out to take away the Cats.

The like may be sayd of the flesh of cats, [...] cats flesh which can sildome be free from poyson, by reason of their daily foode eating Rats and Mice, Wrens and other birds which feede on 20 poyson, and aboue all the braine of a cat is most venomous, for it being aboue measure dry,Ponzettus. Alexander. stoppeth the animall spirits, that they cannot passe into the ventricle, by reason whereof memory faileth, and the infected person falleth into a phrenzy. The cure wher­of may he this, take of the Water of sweete Marioram with Terra lemnia the waite of a groate mingled together, and drinke it twice in a month, putting good store of spices in­to all your meate to recreate the spirits withall, let him drinke pure Wine, wherein put the seede of Diamoschu. But a cat doth as much harme with her venemous teeth, there­fore to cure her biting, they prescribe a good diet, sometime taking Hony, turpentine, and Oyle of Roses melt together and laied to the wound with Centory: sometime they wash the wound with the vrine of a man, and lay to it the braines of some other beast and 30 pure wine mingled both together.

MathaeolusThe haire also of a cat being eaten vnawares, stoppeth the artery and causeth suffocati­on: and I haue heard that when a child hath gotten the haire of a cat into his mouth, it hath so clouen & stucke to the place that it could not be gotten off again, and hath in that place bred either the wens or the kings euill: to conclude this point it appeareth that this is a dangerous beast, & that therfore as for necessity we are constrained to nourish them for the suppressing of small vermine: so with a wary and discret eie we must auoyde their harmes, making more account of their vse then of their persons.

In Spaine and Gallia Narbon, they eate cats, but first of al take away their head and taile, and hang the prepared flesh a night or two in the open cold aire, to exhale the sauour 40 and poyson from it, finding the flesh thereof to be almost as sweete as a Cony. It must needes be an vncleane and impure beast that liueth onely vpon vermin and by rauening, for it is commonly said of a man when he neezeth,Perottus. that he hath eaten with Cats: likewise the familiars of Witches do most ordinarily appeare in the shape of cats, which is an ar­gument that this beast is dangerous in soule & body. It is said that if bread be made wher­in the dung of cats is mixed, it wil driue away Rats and Mice. But we conclude the story of this beast with the medicinal obseruations, and tary no longer in the breath of such a crea­ture compounded of good and euil. It is reported that the flesh of cats salted & sweetned hath power in it to draw wens from the body, & being warmed to cure the Hemorrhoids and paines in the raines and backe, according to the verse of vrsinus:50 ‘Et lumbus lumbis praestat adesus opem.’

Galenus. The medici­nall vertues of a cat. Aylsius prescribeth a fat cat sod for the gout, first taking the fat, and annoynting there­with the sicke part, and then wetting Wooll or Towe in the same, and binding it to the of­fended place.

For the paine and blindnesse in the eye, by reason of any skinnes, Webs, or nailes, [Page 107] this is an approued medicine. Take the head of a blacke Cat, which hath not a spot of another colour in it, and burne it to pouder in an earthen pot leaded or glazed with­in, then take this poulder and through a quill blow it thrice a day into thy eie, and if in the night time any heate do thereby annoy thee, take two leaues of an Oke wet in cold water and binde them to the eye, and so shall all paine fly away, and blindnes depart al­though it hath oppressed thee a whole yeare, and this medicine is approued by manye Physitians both elder and later.

The liuer of a cat dryed and beate to poulder is good against the stone:Galen. the dung of a female cat with the claw of an Oule hanged about the necke of a man that hath had seuen 10 fits of a quartane Ague, cureth the same:Sextus a neezing poulder made of the gall of a black cat, and the waight of a groate thereof taken and mingled with foure crownes waight of Zambach, helpeth the conuulsion and wrynesse of the mouth:Aetius. Rasis. Albertus Pliny. and if the gall of a Cat with the black dung of the same cat, be burned in perfume vnder a woman trauailing with a dead child, it will cause it presently to come forth: and Pliny saith that if a pin, or thorne, or fish bone, sticke in ones mouth, let him rub the outside against it with a little cats dung, and it will easily come forth. Giuen to a Woman suffering the fluxe, with a little Rozen and Oyle of Roses, it stayeth the humour; and for a Web in the eie of an horse euening and morning, blow in the poulder of cats dung, and it shall be cured.

The name. THere is among the Scithians and Sarmatians a foure-footed 40 wild Beast called Colus, and of some Sulac in Latine; of the Polonians Sothac, Of the co­lour. of the Moscouites Seigak, of the Tartari­ans Akkijk and Snak, of the Turkes Akomi, being in quantity and stature betwixt a Ramme and a Hart, and dusky white colourd,a miraculous [...] in her [...]. [...]bo. lib. 7. but the young ones yellow: of a singular swift­nesse and celerity in course. Her manner is to drinke by the holes in her Nostrils, whereby she shuffeth vp aboundance of Water and carrieth it in her head, so that shee will liue in dry pastures remote from all moisture a great season, quen­ching her thirst by that Cisterne in her head.

Of the coun­tries of their breede.They are most plentifull to be found in Tartaria, in Pontus, where are so many plaines 50 that a man can see nothing but heauen and earth: likewise they are found in Moscouia, in Po­docia, Of their hunting and ta­king. & about the Ryuer Neprus, and Boristhenes: they can neuer be taken but by werisom­nesse; wherefore if men follow them with Pipes and Timbrels, playing vpon them, they so weary themselues with leaping and running to and fro, being compassed in by multi­tudes [Page 109] of men, that they fall downe for weakenesse, and so are taken. They liue in flockes together, sometimes fiue hundred; and after Easter in the spring, two hundred in a troupe: hauing a Snout like a Hogs, they endure much hunger but no cold.

In March they dig vp with their Hornes, a certaine roote, whereof they eate,Of their pro­creation. and pre­sently their lust for generation encreaseth vnto rage; insomuch that for satisfieng therof they continue in that act both male & female, vntil they lose al strēgth of body, lying halfe dead on the earth by the space of 24. houres, not able to goe or stand: during which time, they are often taken aliue, but when they come againe to themselues, they rather dy then endure to be tamed.

The flesh of them is very sweete and wholsome, they conceiue and bring forth for 10 the most parte twinnes or two at a time; their greatest enemie is a Wolfe (for in the Winter and snow they hunt and kill them.) Their hornes are about foure palmes in length, growing vpright or bending very little & very sharp, wherewithall they can pierce the belly of a Horse or other beast that standeth ouer them: at the roote, they are about sixe ynches compasse, and so growing lesse and lesse to the top; one of them waigheth about nine ounces; the blade toward the point is transparent, being held against the light or sunne, because it is white and thin, but the neather part is dusky and thicker, and there­fore it is not penetrable by the eie of man. There are about 14. circles like rings com­passing about the horne, one aboue another, but the vppermost is not perfect. This horne is of great price, being a present for any Noble man, for in Turkey they are sold 20 for sixe Craconian shillings; yet I know no other vse of them, but either to make hafts for kniues, or else hornes for Spectacles.

This beast liueth altogether in the plaines, except in snow, and then he runneth into the Woods; where he may be taken more easily, and killed with the stroke of a Staffe.Mat: michon When the Tartarians know in what plaines they lye, their King commeth and with a mul­titude of men compasseth them and wearieth them by musicke as aforesaid. All this was related to me, by one that had killed of them aboue two hundred with his owne hand, (saith that right honorable and most learned Gentleman Iohannes Bonarus Baoron of Bal­szee a Polonian.)

[Page 110] AMong the diuers kinds of Hares, conies haue the third rank, being therfore cal­led in Latine Lepusculi (as it were litle hares) & sometime Leberidae as it wer a Le­ueret or young Hare, as well as Cuniculus: whereof the reason is, that it maketh holes in the earth,Strabo Or the name for Cuniculus was a Latin word for a hole or caue in the earth, before it was taken for a cony▪ Scaphan in the singular, & Schephanim in the plural Leuit. 11. and Psal. 104. is taken in Haebrew for a cony or conies, & not for a Hedg-hog, as the Septu­aginta translate, or for a Porcaspine, although they liue also in caues and secret places of the earth;Platina. Hermolaus. Polibius Grapaldus The etymo­logy of the name. and therfore Choerogrillus or Choerogillius or Choerogryllinus cannot signifie a cony: as the Septuagints translate Scaphan, but a Hedg-Hog, as the word deriued from the face of 10 a Hog doth most euidently declare, which can by no means agree with a Cony. In the 14. of Deut. the word. Scaphan is ioyned with a Hare, because it is a beast neere of kind vnto it, for it is euident, that both of them chew the cud, howsoeuer a cony hath not a simple clo­uen foot into two parts. A cony also is called Adapes, because of the roughnes of his feet; The Chaldee calleth it Thapsa, the Arabians Vebar, the Persian Beganzerah, & the Arabians following somtime the Greeke, call it Alraneb, that is, Hares. The Graecians call it vulgar­ly Skele and Dasipos Couniclos, Scunax, and Lagis, Georychios a Hare digging, liuing in the earth. The Italians call it conigli, the French counin; the [...]paniards coneio; the Germans, Kinnigle or Kunel, and sometime Kunlein; the Illyrians Kralik or Krolijk.

Their count. MunsterusThere are few countries wherein conies doe not breed, but the most plenty of all is in 20 England, they are also in an Island where are but few men neere vnto Dicaearcha, or as it is now called Puteoli in Italy. Likewise in all Spain, especially in those parts neere vnto Lom­bardy, Athaeneus. whereupon Appius in Varro did write to one of his acquaintance which had tarryed long in Spain, that he thoght he was there folowing or hunting of conies, because as their multitude is great, so it would aske long time to take them. Among the Baleares are also great store of conies,Pliny. and once they so abounded there, that the people wer constraind to entreat at the handes of Augustus, a military company of Pioners to destroy them, and when camillus was besieging the citty Veij in Italy, he learned of the conies, which had vndermined a whole citty in Spain,Ʋ [...]rro. likewise to take and ouerthrow that citty by their ex­ample of vndermining, whereupon Martiall said: ‘Monstrauit tacitas hostibus ille vias.30’ Vegetius saith, that the prouerbe cuniculos agere tooke his beginning, when one by secret vnderminings and not by open violence ouerthroweth a Towne or nation. There are al­so saith Albertus great store of wilde conies in Bohemia, so like a Hare as one beast may be like another, saue onely they seeme stronger, and are shorter and lesser-which thing cau­sed Baptista Fiera to write thus:

Pet. Matyr likewise affirmeth in his Ocaean Decades, that in curiana a region of the new foūd worlde, are conies for colour, quantity, and haire, like Hares, which the inhabitantes call Vitias, Their partes & members. and there are two litle Islands caled cuniculariae, which seeme to be denominated of 40 conies, standing betwixt corsica and Sardinia. For their seueral parts, they are most like vn­to a Hare, except in their head and taile which is shorter, and their colour which is alway brighter,Agricola. Aelianus. The vse of their skinnes crescennensisand lesse browne and sandy: or else sometimes conies are white, black, gryseld, tauny, blewish, yellow-spotted, ash-coloured, and such like. And Alysius saith, that in some places, they are also greene, and their skinnes are of great vse through the world, especi­ally in all the North and East for garments, facings, and linings. The gray and yellowish are the worst, but the white and blacke are more pretious, especially of the English, if the blacke be aspersed with some white or siluer haires: and in their vse the Buckes are most durable, yet heauier and harsher. The belly is most soft, gentle, & easie, & therfore more 50 set by,The vse of their flesh. Pliny. although of lesse continuance. Their flesh is very white and sweet, especially of the young ones, being about fourteen or twenty daies olde, and some haue deuised a cruell delicate meat, which is to cut the yong ones out of the dams belly, and so to dresse and eat them, but I trust there is no man among christians so inhumanely gluttonous, as once to deuise or approue the sweetnes of so foule a dish: but the tame ones are not so good, for in Spaine, they will not eat of a tame cony, because euery creature doth partake in tast of the ayre, wherein he liueth, and therfore tame conies which are kept in a close and vnsweet [Page 111] ayre, by reason of their owne excrementes, cannot tast so well, or be so wholesome as those which run wilde in the mountaines and fields, free from all infection of euill ayre,

They loue aboue all places the rockes, and make Dennes in the earth,The places of their abod and whereas it is said, Psal. 104. that the stony rocks are for the cony, it is not to be vnderstood as though the feet of the cony could pierce into the rocke, as into the earth, and that she diggeth hir hole therein as in looser ground; but that finding among the rocks holes, already framed to her hand, or else some light earth mingled therewith, she more willingly entreth there­into, as being more free from raine & floods then in lower and softer ground: for this cause they loue also the hils and lower grounds and woods where are no rocks, as in En­gland 10 which is not a rocky countrey, but wheresoeuer she is forced to liue, there she dig­geth hit-holes, wherein for the daytime she abideth, but morning & euening commeth out from thence, and sitteth at the mouth thereof.

In their copulation they engender like Elephants, Tigres, and Linxes, that is,Their copu­lation and procreation. Tho. Gypson. the male leapeth on the backe of the female, their priuy parts being so framed to meet one another behind, because the females do render their vrine backward: their secrets and the seed of the male are very small. They begin to breed in some countryes, being but sixe moneths old, but in England at a yeare old, and so continue bearing euery moneth, at the least se­uen times in one yeare, if they litter in March, but in the winter they do not engender at al; and therefore the authors say of these and Hares, that they abound in procreation, by 20 reason whereof, a little store wil serue to encrease a great borough. Their young being lit­tered are blind and see not til they be 9. dayes old, and their dam hath no suck for them, til she hath bene six or seauen houres with the male,Tho. Gypson. at the least for sixe houres after she can­not suckle them, greatly desiring to go to the Bucke, and if she be not permitted presently, shee is so farre displeased, that she wil not be so inclined againe for 14. daies after.

I haue bin also credibly informed by one that kept tame conies, that he had Does which littered three at a time, and within fourteene daies after, they littered foure more. Their ordinary number in one litter is fiue, and sometimes nine, but neuer aboue: and I haue seene that when a Doe hath had nine in her belly, two or three of them haue perished and bene oppressed in the wombe by suffocation. The males will kill the young ones, if they 30 come at them like as the Bore-cats, and therefore the female doth also auoid it carefully,The cruelty of the males and of some females. couering the nest or litter with grauell or earth, that so they may not be discouered: there are also some of their females very vnnaturall, not caring for their yong ones, but suffer them to perish, both because they neuer prouide a warme littour or nest for them, as al­so because they forsake them being littered, or else deuoure them. For the remedy of this euill, he that loueth to keepe them for his profit, must take them before they be deli­uered, and pull off the haire or flesh vnderneath their belly, and so put it vpon their nest, that when the young one commeth forth, it may not perish for cold, and so the dam will be taught by experience of paine to do the like herselfe: Thus farre Thomas Gypson an En­glish physitian. For Conies you may giue them Vine-leaues, Fruits, Herbes, Grasse, Bran,Their meat and food Oatmell, Mallowes, the parings of Apples; likewise Cabadges, Apples themselues, and 40 Lettuce; and I my selfe gaue to a cony blew wolfe-baine, which she did presently eat with out hurt, but Gallingale and blind Nettle they will not eat. In the winter they wil eat hay,the danger in their meat & drinke oats and chaffe, being giuen to them thrice a day: when they eat greenes they must not drinke at all, for if they do, it is hazzard but they will incurre the Dropsie: and at other times they must for the same cause drink but litle, and that little must be alway fresh. It is also dangerous to handle their yong ones, in the absence of the dam, for hir iealousie will easily perceiue it, which causeth her so to disdain thē, that either she biteth, forsaketh, or killeth them. Foxes wil of their own acord hunt both Hares & conies, to kil and eat them.Albertus the medicins in a Cony.

Touching their medicinall properties, it is to be obserued that the brain of conies hath 50 bin eaten for a good Antidot against poyson: so also the Hart which is hard to be disgest­ed, hath the same operation that is in triacle. There is also an approued medicine for the Squinancy or Quinsie: take a liue cony, & burn her in an earthen pot to pouder, then take a spoonful of that pouder in a draught of wine, and drink the most part thereof, and rubbe your throat with the residue, and it shal cure with speed and ease, as Marcellus saith. The fat is good against the stopping of the bladder and difficulty of vrine being anointed at a fire vpon the hairy place of the secrets (as Alex. Benedictus affirms.) Other things, I omit concerning this beast, because as it is vulgar, the benefits thereof are commonly known.

THere are some beastes (saith Pliny) which nature hath fra­med to haue hornes grow out of their head, like fingers out of a hand, and for that cause they are called Platicerotae:the name. such is this vulgar fallow Deere, being therefore called ceruus palmatas, that is a palmed Hart, by reason of the similitude the horne hath with the hand and fingers. The Germaines call this beast Dam, and Damlin, and Damhirtz. The Italians 50 Daino, and Danio; the French, Dain, and Daim. The Spani­ards Gamo, and Cortza; the Craecians vulgarly at this daie Agrimi, and Platogna, and Aristole Prox: The Latines Da­ma, Gaza and Damula, becuse (ae manu) that is, it quickly flyeth from the hand of man, hauing no other defence but her heeles; and the female proca, and the Polonians Lanij. It is a com­mon beast in most countries, being as corpulent as a Hart, but in quantity resembleth more a Roe, except in colour.

[Page 114] [...].The males haue hornes which they loose yearely, but the females none at al: their co­lour diuers, but most commonly branded, or sandie on the backe, like the furrow of a new plowed fielde, hauing a black strake downe all along the backe, a taile almost as long as a Calues, their bellies and sides spotted with white, which spots they loose in their old age, and the females doe especially vary in colour, being sometimes all white, and therefore like vnto Goats, except in their haire which is shorter. The horns of this beast are carried about euery where to be seene, and therefore this is also likely to be the same beast which Aristotle called Hippelaphus as some would haue it; yet I rather thinke that Hippelaphus was like to that rare seene horsse which Francis the first of that name king of France, had pre­sented vnto him for a gift:What Hippelaphus is which was engendred of a horse and a Hart, and therefore can 10 haue no other name then Hippelaphus, signifieng a Horsse-hart.

In the blood of these kind of Deere are not strings or Fibres, wherefore it doth not con­geale as other doth,Aristotle A secret in the blood. and this is assigned to be one cause of their fearefull nature; they are also saide to haue no gall: in their hornes they differ not much from a Hartes (except in quantity) and for their other parts they much resemble a Roe-bucke: their flesh is good for nourishment, but their blood doth increase aboue measure melancholy, which cau­sed Hiera to write thus of it, after his discourse of the Roe.

For the preparation or dressing of a Bucke, we shall say more when wee come to the de­scription 20 of a Hart. Albertus translateth the word Algazell a fallow Deere, and sayeth that the flesh thereof is very hurtfull, being cold and dry and bringeth the Hemmorhoides if it be not well seasoned with Pepper, Cinnamon, mustard seed, and hony, or else Garlick, which caused Iuuenall to cry out vpon the excesse of richmen for their feasts and delicate fare, being compared with the ancients which liued vpon fruits, in these words folowing as they are left in his eleuenth Satyre.

The dung or fime of this Beast mingled with oyle of Myrtles, increaseth haire, and amendeth 30 those which are corrupt.Of the me­dicines If the tongue heereof be perfumed vnder a leech or ticke that sticketh in the throat of man or beast, it causeth the leech to fall off presently; and the pouder of such a tongue helpeth in a Fistula, some of the late writers do prescribe the fat of a moul, of a Deere, and of a Beare mingled togither to rub the head withall for increase of memory.