A True and Perfect Description of the Strange and Wonderful SHE ELEPHANT, Sent from the INDIES, which arrived at LONDON, August 1. 1683. With the True Portraicture of That Wonder in Nature.
THat mighty Creature, called the Elephant, exceedeth all other beasts in the World; both in its vast proportion of Body, & wonderfull Dispotision of Mind: there hath been but one of them before in England. Before the Macedonians made incursion into Asia, no People of the World except the Indians and Africans, had ever seen them.
In India they are often Nine or Ten Cubits high, that is, about Fourteen or Fifteen Foot of our measure, and proportionable in breadth; their Head is very big, and the head of a man may easily enter into their mouth; its eyes are but small and like the eyes of a Swine, but very red; it hath Teeth, on either side four, with which it grinds it meat like meal; it has also two others which hang forth beyond the residue, & with them they fight, & root up Plants and Trees (when they are wild) for their food; it has a Trunk called Proboscis, which is a large hollow thing, hanging from his Nose like skin to the ground-ward; it hath two passages, one into his head, whereby he breaths, and the other into his mouth whereby he receives his meat: Tis a vulgar Error that an Elephant has no Joynts, which when he pleases he can use, bend and move; his ankles are very low, and he bends his hinder legs like a man when he sits: They live upon the Fruit of Plants and Roots, and with their Trunks (such is their incredible strength) overthrow Trees and eat the Boughs; they are naturally chast or continent, taking their Venereal Couplements, the Male but thrice, the Female twice in all their dayes, for which purpose they seek out the most obscure places they can meet with.
They are reputed to go with Young 3 years, bring forth but one at a time, her young one is then about the bigness of a Two Yearling, or a Steer of two years old, which she nourisheth 6 or 7 years. As soon as it is calved, it sees, goes and sucks, but not with its Trunk but its Mouth, and so grows on by degrees to to the prodigious stature before mentioned; by his ready obedience to be mannaged by his Riders and his strength, and is seldom seen shape, he often disordereth and ruines whole Armies.
They take them in Africa in great ditches or pit-falls, and there tame them by Famine, but the Indians have a nearer device, they in such Ditches put such meat as they know the Elephant loves, who winding of it, to get it, falls in; then comes one and beats him greivously for some time, till another chides him for so doing, and makes him go away, but he returns and falls a beating the Elephant again; whereupon the other likewise comes back and fights with him, and so they do several times, till at the last the Elephant knows him that takes his part (and the other being gone) he under pretence of kindness helps him out which they [...] that purpose, out of the Pit, and the Elephant will go along with him, and be led by him as gentle as a Lamb.
King Bochus Condemned Thirty men to be torn and trod in peices by Elephants, and casting them amongst thirty Elephants, his servants by all their skill could not provoke them to touch one man. Antipater supposeth they have a kind of Divine Instinct of Law and Equity.
At Rome an Elephant having slain both the Adulterer and Adulteress, covered them with the Bed Cloaths until the Keeper came home, and then by signs drew him to his Lodging to discover them, and shewed his bloody Tooth wherewith he had taken Revenge upon them both.
An Indian who had brought up a white Elephant from a Foal, the King hearing of this white Elephant sends for it, the man denies the King, the Kings sends messengers after to bring back the Elephant and the man to receive punishment.
At the place both the man and the Elephant defended themselves; at last they got near to the Indian, and cast him down a steep place. The Elephant slew some of them, and defended his Master, and put them to flight, and then took up his Master with his Trunk and carried him safe to his lodging.
They take great care to bury and cover the dead Carcases of their Companions, by casting dust and earth upon them, and also green boughs.
Besides when they grow old they can neither gather meat nor sight for themselves; the younger feed, nourish and defend them, yea and raise them out of Ditches and Trenches into which they are fallen, and interpose their own bodies for their protection.
These Elephants are said to discern betwixt Kings and common persons, for they, adore and bend unto them, pointting to their Crowns.
Aleager or Chaumigren King of Pegu began a cruel War with an Army of a Million of Martial Men, two Hundred Thousand Horse, Five Thousand Elephants, and Three Thousand Camels, against the King of Syam; the City of Syam is judged twice as big as Paris, lying distant from Pegu 65 dayes Journey by Camels, only for a white Camel to put into his Park at Pegu.
Their chief food is Rice boyled in milk made up in balls, and they have daily 50 pound to their portions; besides they are turned into the Fields, and feed upon Sycamore leaves, and other pleasing leaves.
They love Coolness and Bath in ponds, Heat is very troublesom to them; when the waters are not high enough to cover them, they lye down and tumble therein.
When the Elephants go to War, they wear only the Skin with Bars of Steel over their Trunks, and they are richly trapped upon their Festivals.
A mighty big Elephant being presented to the King of Pegu, by Syam his Tributary, the King immediately commanded meat to be brought him to know his Breeding, he that brought him gave him water in a foul Vessel, the Elephant disdainfully putting his Trunk into his mouth, spouted a great quantity of stinking water on his Keepers head, his Keeper returning him a blow upon the head with a staff, the Elephant immediately killed him with his Trunk. The King admiring his prudence, caused water to brought in a clean Silver Vessel, and bought him Harness most rich and Magnificient; they are sometime served in Vessels of Gold, & with great respect, otherwise they will kill their Keepers for the least offence.
Learned Mr. Caryl's description of the Elephant.
He eateth Grass like an Ox.
His food is as the food of an Ox.
He gathers up the grass with his Trunk by reason of the shortof his Neck, and then puts it into his mouth.
By reason of the littlness of his tongue such is his Nature, he will not hurt any beast.
He is so gentle and harmless, that he will take meat out of a mans hand like a Dog.
His strength is in his Loyns.
The Elephant is mighty in strength.
His Trunk is very great, yet he easily turns it as he lists at pleasure.
He's wholly compacted of Sinews strongly twisted together.
His Bones are strong as Brass or Bars of Iron.
He is the chief of rarities of God.
An English Mastiff conquers an Elephant fastening upon his [...]
Elephants trained for the Mogul, and each carry an Iron Gun five foot long upon a strong frame of wood fastened to a thick board, to be put on his back, with a Pannel and broad Girths.
Some Elephants the Kings keep to execue Malefactors, and some for state, and others to carry Burdens.
The Elephants are ruled with a small Rod of Steel about two pound a yard, made sharp at the lower end, and a Hook turned like a fish-hook very sharp, by which they pull them back that Ride them.
The Elephant a stranger with us, are common in India.
It is the greatest of all land Creatures. Their Teeth have been seen 14 spans long, and 4 spans thick.
Authors write of their endowments things incredible.
'Tis said in the Kingdom of Malabar, they talk together, and speak with mans Voice. Lipsius writes this in his own words, and it is the direct opinion of Elian.
Plutarch and Pliny say, That an Elephant that was something dull, and was often beat for not learning well, was found acting his part by Moonlight.
Others say that they will learn to write and read.
Pliny saith Plainly from Mucianus, That one of them Learned the Greek Letters, and did write in the same Tongue these Words, I my self Writ this, And I Offered the Celtick Spoils.