féete two hundreth in hys handes and two hundreth on his shoulders so being loden or charged wyth sixe hundreth waight went vpon a ladder Plinie wryteth to haue séene one named Athanatus to haue a iacke on his backe waying fiue huÌ„dreth waight going to a play with shooes on his féete waying fiftie pounde waight a piece Milo set his foote in a place from which place there was no man able to make him goe backe or remoue If that he helde a staffe in his hand there was no man able to take it away or wrythe it out of his fist For running there hath bene many light and nimble men that would runne a thousande a hundreth and threscore furlongs a day and more Also there are some y t haue their sight very singuler We reade of a man called Strabo of the country of Sicilia that is toward the East to recken couâ—npt the shippes that parted from Carthage for to enter into the South sca. Cicero did recite that he did see the Ihades of Homer in verse written being included in a Nutte shell so small were the figures Marmecides made a Cart or Wagon so little that a flye did couer it And he made a ship that a Bée might couer with both hir wings For a truth there haue bene people that haue heard battayls fighting fiftie Leagues of for they haue counted the tyme hours of the assaults The memorie hath bene very singuler to some Cyrus Kyng of Persie had the memorie to know and call euery one of his army by their names Methridates the king did talke one day to his people in .xxij. languages without stutting or stammering Others léese their memory by faÌ„tastes or otherwise haue forgotten their vnderstanding Messalla the orator did forget by grieuous sicknesse his scieÌ„ces yea his owne name in such sorte that he knewe not froÌ„ whence he was Maruellous was the memorie of Iulius Cesar the which named to foure scribes or wryters at one tyme and in the meane time he read writ and hearde and if he had no other affaires he wolde name to seauen He sought 52. battayles And Marcellus 40. Cesar in his battayles is reputed to haue slaine of his enimies 1192. thousande men Pompeus did spoile and take from the pirates and sea robbers against whom he was sent by the Romaines 876. ships Moreouer Cesar had this coÌ„stancie that the letters that Scipio did send him for to betray Pompeus he cast into the fire without reading them Cato was accused to the Senatours 42. tymes and alwayes absolued Sicinus dictator of Rome sustayned sixe score battayles he had fiue fortie woundes before and not one behinde Sergius was a worthy warrior he deliuered Cremona from the siege kept Placentia toke in Fraunce twelue Castles and Townes He had his right hande cut off and he made one of yron with the which he fought foure battayles Pitifull thinges are founde worthie of memorie thorowe all partes among the which it commeth to my remeÌ„brance of a woman taken in Rome for to dye for offence and being put into straight Prison there to be famished hir daughter had lycence of the Iayler to goe sée hir euery day but shée was searched for feare least shée should bring hir mother foode In the ende it was found that euery day she did giue hir mother sucke with hir breastes and for to satisfie hir shee came dayly The Senators hauing intelligence therof did pardon the mother for the vertue that was in the daughter and did appoynte them a lyuing during their lyues Marucllous are the operations of humaine creatures amoÌ„g others onely of paintings that doe resemble the lyuing so nere that there resteth nothing but y e speach The king Attallê° bought a table or picture of a Painter whiche cost a hundreth Markes Cesar bought two for eyght hundreth Markes Mans age hath bene reputed greate among the auncients which do name Princes and kings to haue lyued eyght huÌ„dreth yeares and a thousand yeares but it is by the varietie of yeres for some make the Sommer a yeare and the winter another yeare and others make thrée monthes a yeare as the Arcadians you muste not stay nor iudge things by the constellation of the firmament For in one preseÌ„t houre many are born as well seruaunts as maysters kings and magistrates whose fortunes are al dyuers contrarie Many examples we haue of sickenesses Publius Cornelius Rufus in dreaming to haue loste his sight became blinde lost his sight Some there are that liue but til middle age and others that dye in their youth and nature doth giue a man nothing better than short life To liue long the senses vnderstaÌ„ding become blunt the whole meÌ„bers féele dolor the sight the hearing and the going fayle the téeth also the instruments of meats therefore age is but payne and there is a tyme prefixed to liue We reade no better example than of Zenophilus the Musitian that lyued a hundreth fiue yeares without sicknesse The signes of death are to laugh in the â—uror grief of the malady or sicknesse to be buâ—e in folding or doubling the clothes of hys bed with his handes to voyde from one in sléeping behinde a fearefull looke with other things and therefore séeing that by experience we sée innumerable signes of death therefore there is no certaintie Sickenesses are dyuers both to olde and yong Sirius died by the multitude of Serpentes procéeding from his body Some haue had an Ague all their lyfe time Mecaenas was seueÌ„ yeres in the end of his dayes without sléepe Antipater lyued long without sickenesse sauing that euery yeare on that day that he was borne he had the Ague We reade of one that lyued 157. yeares that slept in his age 57. yeares and weakened as thoughe he had slept but one houre Others that haue returned a foote from their graue when they were borne to be buried PoÌ„peus caused a mans heade to be smitteÌ„ off which when it was layde againe to the body did speake an houre both to the maister of the house and to manye others of the house Death bringeth repentance Some die for ioy men in the hearing of ioyfull newes of victoryes and women to sée their children The father of Iulius Cesar dyed in putting on his hose felte before no harme Some in drinking some in wryting and others in dyuers maners as we daylye sée by experience Aunciently the vse was among the Romaines to bury the deade but for the often battayles of the Romaines that had all the worlde in their subiection they vse to burne the deade Among men Liber Pater found first the meanes to sell and buy also Diademes for kings for triumphes The Lady Ceres founde the meanes to sowe corne and to grinde it and therefore shée was called a Goddesse For before they vsed Acornes The Assirians founde firste the meane to write letters but the inuention hath bene since the beginning of the world Two brethren in Athens found
of thornes that are ranged one against another with earth and feathers and they are seldome sene There are Swallowes of dyuers kindes there are some called Marlions that make their neastes sixe foote in the grounde Birdes haue maruellous great industrie knoweledge in making their Neastes with feathers earth and chaffe haire wool mosse and suche like Also they carry water to temper it and to fortifie it by the which meanes their yong ones are sure and safe againste the rayne the dames do clense and make cleane the nestes from ordure when their little ones are yong and when they become great they force them to come forth of their nestes for to be cleane And in India some foules séeke Hares skinnes to make their nestes The Partridge so maketh hir nest that the wilde beastes can not finde them and where she layeth hir Egges shée hatcheth not hir yong fearing that hir oft frequentation should be knowen The Female for the intemperancie of luste of the Male seketh to deceyue him bycause if she be vpon the nest he will breake hir Egges The Males do fight for the Females At the cry or singing of the Female the Male runneth so blinded that he will somtimes strike against the foulers heade he is so much subâ—ect to imbitilitie more than any other birde The Female when she heareth any approch hir yong ones she faineth to haue hir winges broken that shée can not flye and cryeth that she maye be hearde for to retyre the people and Dogs to the ende they finde not their nestes and shée flyeth a farre of from hir little ones and they liue by common estimation till sixtene yeares The Doues are chaste and leaue not their dwelling or remayning place if that they are not without makes they doe suspect adulterie by this meanes they quarrell with their throte and sight with their bill then they flatter with their fete The male is as careful toward the yong ones as the female at the first they bring their yong of the salte of the earth for to temper their â—ppetite and they conceyue by the bil The Pigeons and Turtles drinke as do horses without often pulling their bil out of the water when they drinke they liue aboute eight yeares but the wilde Doues liue thirtie yeares The Sparrowe liueth not aboue a yeare and the female liueth somwhat more bicause of the frequeÌ„tation y t theâ— haue together Birdes flye in dyuers kinds some goe some leape some runne and some caste there féete forwarde before they flye as Cranes and Storkes and there are none but Drakes that flye bolt vpwarde at the first leape others aduance them before they flye Some haue no féete and haue no rest but in their nest Hennes haue vnderstanding when they haue layd an â—gge they cackle and make a noyse The Cardnelis doth those things that shée â—s commaunded The Popingay can speake humaine speach they come froÌ„ the Indias they haue their heade as harde as their bill they liue most commonly with Acornes and they speake best y t haue fiue clawes on their feete thei are taught secretly where as there is no other noyses but the teachers Crowes haue bene séene speake and call noble men by their names specially â—e at Rome which by that meanes was solemnely buried It is easier to â—ame a Lyon an Eliphant or any other great beast or foule than to tame a Mouse or a swallow Strabo was the first that did cage birdes which before had liberty in the Sky he taught the way to fatteÌ„ Capoâ—s with meale and milke Among the birdes many haue foure féete and some lay many egges some foure and some two They ioyne together in two maners the Cranes with their height And Hennes and other Females the Cockes tread them doowne Some egges and the moâ—e part are white others coloured and others redde as the Egges of Fesantes and all kinde of egges within are of two colours white and redde Egges of fishes are rounde and they haue no white the Egges of feathered soules liuing on the water are round of others long the yong ones come out of the shell at the round ende Horace sayth that the longest egges haue the best sauour and that Henne is best and most tenderest that layeth round egges Some birdes ingender at all tymes as Hennes that lay euery day an egge some two at a tyme some so many that therewith they dye In some places Doues ingender tenne times in a yeare In Egipt the Turtle twyce a yeare and other birdes but once a yeare As touching egges there is a red droppe in the middest of the yolke the whiche maketh the birdes harte and it is the first formed and of the whyte is formed the body within the egge the heade is greater than the body and liueth with the surplus of the yolke the twentye day he hath lyfe and cryeth within the Egge and then the feathers begin to come The yong one in the egge lyeth after this sort it hath the heade vnder the ryght foote and the right wing vpoÌ„ the head and they growe on their féete contrary to the nature of other beastes Ye ought not to giue a Henne aboue xxv egges to coue on and those Chickens that are hatched about the beginning of the yeare are the best For to sette Hennes to broode take egges of tenne dayes olde for they are better than older or more fresher and ye ought to put odde when the Henne hath coâ—ed foure dayes in looking on them in the Sunne ye shall knowe whether they be good or no or in putting them in warme water for the good egges will sinke to the bottome and those that are puâ—rified and naught will flotte and swimme If the egges are neuer so little craysed that are sette they wil neuer proue It is best to set Hennes to coue in the newe Moone for if they are sette in the wane of the Mooâ—e or at the ful they wil profite little WheÌ„ the weather is hote chickeÌ„s will come within one and twenty dayes and if it be cold not til fiue twenty dayes If it thunder the egges that are coued will be lost and also at the voyce of the Kyte or Puttocke The remedy against the thunder is to put a naâ—e in the Hennes nest or else of the earth of a Carte whéele It hath bene recited of a Cocke whiche atfer the Hennes death hath atchieued couing by thys meanes to ceasse from crowing The Ducke maruelleth at the first to see hir Ducklins but after most carefullys she calleth them together and lamenteth if shée sée them drowned in the water and some there are that can make Chickens come in warme water as well as if the Egge were coued The pip commeth lyghtly vnto pullaine betwene haruest the vintage for a remedy therfore it is good to let them hunger to giue them little meate or to giue them to eat Garlike and butter Doues they lay two egges and if they
their yong ones as sone as the femall findeth them lost she smelleth their way and ruÌ„neth after them when shée is spyed of those that haue hir yong ones they lette one of them fall the which she taketh vp and caryeth it to hir repayre in the meane tyme they escape with the rest and bring them to their shippes Camels they are dryuen to pasture toward the East as we doe shéepe Wilde Dogs haue handes féete almost lyke men In the north parte there are maruellous swift beastes which haue the vpper lippe so long that when they will feede they go backward The Woulfe before he be séene will easely draw froÌ„ a man his breath they couple not with the females but. xij dayes in the yeare There are wilde wolues which in eating of their pray if they turne once about forget their pray and goe againe to séeke another Among the Serpents the Bassalicke doth infecte and kill people with his looke There are innumerable kindes of others whereof some haue double heades at both endes for to cast venime For the byting of an Aspis there is no remedy but to cutte that that he hath touched The Cocodrils are ingendred in Nylle a Ryuer of Egipt which haue foure féete the skinne very harde and they haue no mouing but the vpper lippe and they make as many egges as Géese and they haue sharpe clawes for their defence in the day they remaine on the earth and the night in the waters wheÌ„ they open their throte in sléeping there are little birdes called Trochilos that will picke clense their teeth in the which thei take great delight The Stork doth shew the maner how to take glisters for by hir nature shée filleth hir necke with water and behind with hir becke maketh infusion into hir belly for to clense hir And manye other beastes naturallye knowe the hearbes that for them are most proper The Swallow knoweth howe to finde an hearbe called Chelidonia which serueth for hir yoÌ„g ones when their eyes are endomaged Of little beastes we finde Cities destroyed and people driuen away In Spaine with Conies In Thessaly w t Moles In Fraunce with Frogs In Affricke with Locustes In the Ile of Ciclados with Rattes In Italy with Ser pents In Ethiopia with Scorpions Hyaena is sayd to be a beast of doubte nature Male and Female they will hearken at the Cottes of the sheepeheards and learne the proper name that a man is called by and calling him when the man is come forth they will strayght way kill him and they will call dogs They are founde in Affrica which is the cause of so many wylde Asses that they ingender the Males do correcte the yong ones by byting they wyll â—utte the trées along the Ryuers as wyth a knife they haue tayles like to fishes Déere that are oppressed with Dogges if they can finde no water for their refuge then they retyre to man the females beare eight wéekes and often tymes two and for to bring them forth they séeke secrece places not nere the hye wayes accustomed by men The Hinde teacheth hir yong ones to runne to feare and to leape the Males that haue left y e Females haue their mussell blacke when they knowe them selues heauye they séeke secret places they will stande still to heare the cry of the Dogs they runne with the winde to take away the smel of y e trase they reioyce to heare whistling and to heare a noyse of singing Moreouer the Harte is simple and all things are to him maruellous if that he see a man with a bowe or a crosseâ—owe he looketh more on them than on the man the Males haue hornes and in the spring time they cast their hornes that day that they léese theyr hornes they hyde them selues as all astonyed and sorowfull as they that haue lost their armours It is sayde that the right horne can not be found for that they hyde them in the ground At the burning of the hornes the serpents flye away their hornes growe till they be thrée score yeares olde and the sayde tyme passed there commeth vp others like and then they neuer fal after that there is no knoweledge of their age but their age is knowen by their téeth they being without hornes féede in the night and when their hornes beginne to come they wyll but te and runne against the trées they liue a hundreth yeares they neuer haue the Feuer or Ague and therfore some dames alwayes delight to break their fast with Uenson by y e v hich meanes they haue lyued a huÌ„dreth yeres without hauing the Ague Camelion lyueth not but by the ayre and chaungeth his colour according to the thing he toucheth sauing whyte and redde they ingeÌ„der in Affrica and in India The Beares doe ioyne with the Females in the beginning of Winter not as other foure footed beastes doe for the Male the Female lye downe embracing and after that they doe retyre in sundry caues and the Female doth bring forth hir yong ones within thirtie dayes and moste commonlye bringeth fiue which haue the skinne white deformed without haire and eyes and there appeareth but their clawes in licking of them they are figured There is nothing so little séene of man as to sée the Beare bring forth hir yong shée hydeth hir foure monthes and the Male fortie dayes they couch or lye vpon soft leaues and the firste fouretene dayes they sléepe so soundlye that you shall scarce waken them with strokes then they fatten much and their fatte or grease is coÌ„uenable to many medicines also to kepe haire from sheading They being wakened for the most part stand vp liue with the licking of their fore feete they warme their yong agaynste their breasts they haue little bloude about the heart and lesse in the bodye they haue little eyes and as feble or weake heades as the Lyon hath stroÌ„g therfore they defend their heades with their fore féete when they fall and leape from the Rocks or when they are bayted with dogges The Dogs among all other beastes that vnto vs are common are most faythfull We haue true histories of men that haue bene defended from théeues by their Dogges others haue fought to reuenge their maysters death and constrayned the murtherer to coÌ„fesse the déede Two hundreth Dogs did rescue by force the king Garamantus being taken by the handes of his enimies Many people haue assembled dogges together for the warre We reade of Dogges that haue caste them selues into the fire when in times past their Maisters body haue bene burned We reade also of a Dog of Nicomedes the king of Bythinia to haue almost torne the Queene in pieces for that she played familiarly with the king the Dog thinking it had bene for harme A Senatour of Rome was defended by his Dogge on a night retourning to hys house from the handes of those that would haue put him to death At Rome a prisoners Dogge woulde neuer departe from the Prison
doore and wheÌ„ his mayster was deade he would eate nothing and when breade was giuen hym he brought it to his maysters month The same Dog was séene openly to holde vp his maisters bodye being caste into the Ryuer of Tyber They know their mayster and vnderstande his voyce aboue all other beastes they do best know a mans voyce and their names they doe remembre the wayes and iourneyes be they neuer so farre off and there is none of so long a memorie except man In their chase they haue great diligence specially houndes In India they tie proud Bytches to trées and the Tygres doe couer them by the whiche meanes commeth fierce and cruell Dogges The king of Albania did giue to Alexander the great a Dogge of maruellous highnesse which would take Lyons and Elephants The Females haue whelpes thre tymes a yere lightlie and they carry them two moÌ„thes they are borne blinde they can not sée till seueÌ„ dayes after they be whelped If shée bring but one whelpe it séeth not till y e nynth day the better whelpe is that that the Bitche bringeth oute first or that that séeth last Horses are faithfull and ful of great knowledge for they knowe their maysters they that attende on them Many are singuler in their doyngs the Males line till fifty yeares and the females lesse at sixe yeres the males grow no more and the females but fiue yeares Among the beastes they haue least fertilitie The moste eigrest and fiercest Horses put their nose mussell depest in the water to drincke and haue almost as many diseases as men Asses there hath bene bought for foure hundreth Crownes In Acaia they are much requested to haue Mules They feare colde the Males are very slowe in their worke they doe beare as dâ—e Mares in thirtie monthes the yong ones are ready to helpe them selues After they are horsed they must be coÌ„strayned to runne or else they would reiect the séede by making water The females beare all their lyfe whiche is thirty yeares they be afraied to wette their féete and they neuer drinke but in small and shallowe waters where they are accustomed to drinke drye footed the Females doe hyde them selues when they bring forth in darke places that they be not seene of men they will not passe the bridges when the Sunne shineth in the water it is maruell that they runne not mad for thirst for he that daylye chaungeth their water or Ryuer accustomed to drinke at must constraine them perforce to drinke The little Mule is ingendred of the Asse and of the Mare The Mules that commeth of a Horse and of a shée Asse are beastes full of strength and labour The Asse that couereth the Mare bringeth forth afore hir tyme if shee before haue retayned the horse but not else the seuenth day the females should be filled after their foale is borne the Males fatigated of labour doth soner replenâ—she the Females Some of them are not lyke to their Syres and the Mule of hir nature is barren sauing that in Capadocia they beare by force of drinking wine often tymes the Mules â—asse from casting or stryking The Athenians knowing for a truth a Mule to haue done seruice fourescore yeares did ordayne that in the fiâ—ldes none should desturbe him neyther in the corne nor otherwyse The Oxen liue twenty yeares and the Kine commoÌ„lye fiftene yeares at fiue yeares they haue taken their strength it is sayde that to washe them with warme water they will fatten the strength of the Bull is at three yeres for to make them drawe it is good to yoke them with a drawing Oxe for he will teach the other In tymes past among the Romaines it was estemed as greate offence to kill an oxe or to steale one bycause of their ploughes as it was to kill a man The Bull requyring coÌ„bat sheweth magnanimitie of courage gentilitie he turneth the heade lifteth vp the eares remayneth on his foreféete and maketh the dust to flie with his hinder féete At Rome hath bene seene an Oxe speake The Oxe of Egipt hath a kyrnell called Apis vnder his tongue and a white spotte on the right syde whiche groweth as the hornes of the Moone The nature of shepe is that they liue not aboue nyne or ten yeares the Males couple with the Females in the middest of May till the middest of August the females beare a hundreth and fiftye dayes The Ram if the right genetorie be bound maketh all Females and if the left be bound in the saâ—son maketh all Males If ye looke vnder the Tuppe or Rammes tongue he doth ingender Lambes of the colour that the vaynes are if they be of dyuers colours he ingendreth Lambes of dyuers sortes Also the mutation of waters doeth varefie the colour of Lambes also the windes It is estemed not good to cut or gueld Lambes before fiue moÌ„thes and coÌ„monly the Females bring forth not aboue foure Lambes Goates conceyue commonly two Kiddes sometyme foure they beare fiue monthes as do shéepe they become barren with fatnesse and they ingender not before the fourth yeare they conceiue in Nouember for to be deliuered in March when the trées beginne to budde the Goate feareth cold euery one of these beasts haue not hornes but the milke of those that haue no hornes is fatter than those that haue and those that haue hornes their age is knowen by the knots in their hornes they asspyre through the eares not by their nose and they are neuer without Feuers or Agues bycause of the heate of their bodies which maketh them much subiect to lechery they sée aswell by night as by daye they haue all beardes on their chinne if one of them be taken or dryuen al the rest will maruel therat if they croppe or bite a yong trée it dyeth and if they licke an Oliue tree it will drye away Among the swyne the Sowe doth farrow two tymes a yeare and somtime they haue twentie Pigges but they cannot nouryshe so many the tenth day the Pigges haue téeth in once knowing y e Boare they are filled but they double it for feare not to haue retayned Some thinke that if they léese an eye that they will soone die otherwise they liue til fiftene or twenty yeres the most fattest haue least milke they willinglye wallow in the durt and myre and couch most on the left side they fatâ—eÌ„ in six dayes they know their Maysters house and defende one an other for if that one cry all the rest will runne thither Among the wilde boares the Male hath great payne to acquaint him with the Female and shée hath great dolor to make hir yong ones they are borne with téeth and are blacke In Arabia they can not liue neither wild nor yet tame Apes doe approch muche to the sense of man and their kynde is to haue no tayles these kinde of beastes are muche affectioned to their yong ones they kepe them or holde them alwayes betwene their armes or legs before their