decke him with their pennes as Gasparus Pucerus in his bookes of Teratoscopia of Hieronymus Cardanus of Munsterus and amongst all the rest very excellently written of in the Latin tongue by Gasparus Bruchius But albeit Egidius Facius hauyng made mention of this monster in his booke de Cometa sayth that he can not be persuaded that a creature so horrible and monstrous shoulde be begotten of a humaine creature but rather of some wicked spirite Me séemes that in searching and canuasing this matter the most excellent and learned Philosophers sithens the creation of the worlde till oure tyme haue greatly molested and troubled them selues in deciding the doubtes of this question whiche is Whether deuils can engender conceyue and vse the works of nature as other creatures doe Some thoughte they coulde and for a more testimonie therein doe assure vs by their writings that Plato was begot of a maide by one in the likenesse of Apollo wherin the auncient Annatists and Chroniclers which haue committed to memorie the sundry acts of Almayne haue thereby shewed that the women of the Goathes as they were wandring by the desertes of Scythie were got with childe of Diuels whereupon one of them brought forth a monster And others as Pisellus were not content only to say that diuels coulde engender and that the most parte of the beastes of the earth were by them brought forth and engendred Wherefore Lactantius Firmian a graue author whom S. Hierom before exalteth beleueth y t these deuils were capable of generation and that they haue engendred as he sheweth in the .x. chapter of the second booke of his diuine institutions Agrippus in euery of his bookes and Hieronymus Cardanus in his treatise De rebus contra naturam seames to haue followed this opinion and the more to confirme his saying he reciteth one historie of a yong damsell of Scotland which was got with child of an enchaunting deuill thinking that he had ben a faire yong man which had lyen with hir whereupon she brought forth so horrible a monster that he feared all those which assisted hir in hir trauail in such sorte that the midwife and all the rest of the sage and graue women were cōstrained incōtinēt to cast him in the fire the said Cardanus reciteth yet an other like example rehearsed by Thomas Liermont of an other woman which was got with childe of a wicked sprite and for confirmation of the matters heretofore rehearsed all the writers of the Cronicles of Englande maruell not so much at any thing as at the strange natiuitie of the prophet Marlin who persuade absolutlie that he was begotten of a diuell which with many other like matters although many notable persons haue assured to be things of truth yet truly they be altogether false deceitfull and not only repugnant to nature but also to our religion by the which we are taught to beleue that there was neuer any man begotten without humaine séede sauing y e sonne of God But as Cassianus saith what an absurditie repugnancie and confusion would it be to nature if it were lawfull for deuils incube and succube to conceiue men or men to be conceiued and brought forth of them and although that sithens the creation of the worlde euen till our time deuils haue begotten monsters through out al mākynd casting therin the intrailles of beasts beleuing that by the perturbations of their séede they haue brought forth a great nomber of monsters and wonders confessing very well such as S. Augustine hath not denied that these diuels transforming them selues verie often into the shapes of men and women maye vse the works of nature and haue to do with women men for to entice stirre them to the filthie lust of the flesh the rather by that meanes to beguile and deceiue them as the auncients heretofore haue not only proued but it is also experimented at this daie in diuers prouinces and places that diuels by transforming them into the shapes as afore is rehearsed haue to do with diuers persons whereof Iames Ruffus in his bookes De conceptu generatione hominis testifieth that in his time there was a wicked sprite had to do by nighte with a cōmon woman being transformed into the likenesse of a man wherupon she becam immediatly with child which when she perceiued she fell into so strange a kinde of disease that hir intrailes fell from hir bellie which could not be holpe or made sounde by any deuice of phisicke He writes an other like vnto this of the seruaunt of a butcher who being extremelie plunged in the vaine cogitations of filthie and wicked luste and therby astonnished he sawe incontinent before his eyes a diuell in the shape or figure of a faire womā with whom he had to do immediatly his priuie part mēbers were in such sorte inflamed that he iudged there was burning within his body a cōtinual fier whereof as I haue brought forth these two examples so could I iustifie the same with diuers others written not only by Philosophers but also by the Ecclesiasticall writers who confesse that diuels by the permission of God or rather for a punishment of our sinnes myghte so abuse both men and women but to saie that any such coniunction coulde engendre any such matter as we haue aforesaid that is not onely false but altogether repugnant and contrarie to our lawe And as concerning the Prophet Marlin and manye other like examples whose natiuitie hath abused very manie stedfastly beleuing that he was begotten of a diuell we confesse therein as we haue done before that his mother mighte haue the companie of a diuel but that she could engendre is no lesse vnlikely than impossible albeit it maye be presumed and beleued that she was with child considering the authorities of diuerse histories approuing therein chieflie the legerdemaine and subtiltie of the diuell to whom they allowe a certain possibilitie with the assistance of his Charmes to make the bellie swell troubling and corrupting the humors of the bodie which women taste in the time of childe bearing and at the instant of deliuerie he maye so enchaunte the eyes of the wyues and company assistant hauing also a strange childe stollen from some other place to exchaunge for the creature newe borne that the simple mother may also be persuaded that such conception and generation procéeded of the diuell whereof besides the confirmation of antiquities we haue a familiar example remaining yet within memorie and viewe in a yong Damsell of Constance called Magdaleine in seruice with one of the richest magistrates of the towne who reporting to all men in common that the diuell one night had lyen with hir and gotten hir with childe was by and by put in prison by the officers to sée an effecte and ende of hir bigge bellie the painefull houre whereof being come after she was pinched with euerye pang which doe happen to women in that torment and the women in expectation to receiue the frutes of
nature hir wombe opened and yelded into the handes of the Midwife certaine yron nailes thicke tronchions or endes of knotted staues glasse bone lockes of haire hardes of flaxe hemp stones with other trumperie of lothsom hideous regard wherof the diuel by his coniuration and other hellish arte had made an assembly in that place to abuse the simplicitie of suche as are apte to repose certaintie in suche vaine and deceitfull charmes all which is aduouched by Licostenes Amberlachius Iacob Ruffus a notable phisition of Zurick in his booke de hominis generatione Neither nede it seme either straunge or incredible to such as haue noted the epistles and records of S. Paule where he did onely change his shape into the likenesse of an Angell of light to deceiue the people but also in diuerse places addressed himselfe to our sauior Christ with intente to seduce him But bicause wée haue better occasion to discourse at large of such villanies in an other part of this worke where we meane to moue question whether they haue bodies or no we will ende for this time with this resolution that albeit such wicked sprites may cōmunicat with the lusts and prouocations of the flesh yet are they both voyde of séede and without meane of generation for that as there is no difference nor diuision of kynd betwene them so they can not bée neither man nor woman ¶ Sundry sortes of lightnings with wonderfull thunders and tempestes happening in our time with the peril and harmes proceding of the same and certaine defensible meanes against their furie CHAP. viij WHo goeth about to make particular description of the desolation and destruction of diuers ancient and rich Cities Theatres Castles towres piles pillers churches of sumptuous and of stately regarde ouerthrowne and defaced by the violence of lightenyng thunder and other raging furie and tempests of the aire had néede of the assistance of long time and a large volume to pack vp such great and strange matters which maketh me leaue all antiquities records of ancient date to a long leisure and touch only in this treatise such things as hapnyng amongst our selues are also confirmed by our owne viewe and memorie the same being of familiar experiēce may also stirre vp in vs spéedie remorse of cōscience with a more dutiful regard feare of the maruellous effects of the infallible iustice of god At such time then as the french garison was within Milan which according to the chronicles was anno 1521. the said towne was so assailed with sūdry strange storms of lightning that y e citizens dispairing of longer life yelded to y e mercie of God with expectation to be presently consumed with the flame of that torment which amongst other places of the towne semed to thūder his most force vpon y e castle wherin was kept both y e treasure of the town munitiō other furniture of war with great store of Canon pouder cōmonly called Gunpouder which being of it self rather apt to yeld to y e least spark of fire that is thā able to cōtend with any thing that is hoat was immediatly al in a flame by force of suche flashes as came from the opening of the element so raged vpon the towre wherin it was layd that in one instāt it was razed and made flat with y e earth burning blowing vp sundry lodgings bulwarkes of the Castle in such sort that what with the strength of the pouder and furie of the fire there were forced vp into the aire stones of an vnresonable bignesse wherof certain of them fell redounded vpon the .ij. chief Prouosts whom they brused and burned to ashes other brake in pieces the armes legs and other parts of al such as vnhappily were within their power the same performing such effects of mortalitie vpon the garrison there that of two hundred souldiours were scarcely 〈◊〉 on liue a dosen being also of no lesse maruell to beholde the number of huge corner stones caste out into seuerall places of the citie and fields therabout the space of .v. or .vj. C. passes of such weight and greatnesse that the strength of .xx. Oxen were scarce able to remoue them from the earth and yet is there not such cause of wonder in these terrible messangers and tokens of Gods wrath as we reade fel vpon the late miserable and desolate citie of Malynes ▪ parcell of the dominion of the Spanish King within his Duchie of Brabant the .vij. of August .1521 about .xj. of the clock in the night which was afflicted with such horrible calamitie that way for the tyme that the like hath not ben remembred by any report nor seene in any age afore For the thūder made tremble and shake in such sort this miserable citie that the townsmen looked when the earth should open and swalow them into hir intrailes After which fearful brute and horrible noise in the cloudes began to appere in the bottome of the Element a flame resembling a burning torche casting a stinke or lothesome smell like vnto sulphur and brimstone driuing the people into such indifferent feare amaze that they were neither able to take counsel of the case and much lesse iudge the cause of so tragicall a view vntil at last the crie was thorow the whole town that the fyre of heauen was fallen vpon the strong towre and gate of brasse wherin dyd lie .viij. or .ix. barrels of gunpouder which immediatly grewe to such a mortall confusion of all degrées of people within the walles that the very remembraunce of so monstrous a slaughter may moue terror to any heart with what mettall of hardnesse soeuer it be stamped for y e noise was no sooner begoon but the towre was cōuerted into ashes the gate diuided into 10000. peces with like fury vpon y e walls next adioining who were so thorowly defaced turned vp y t the very fūdation was disclosed their greatest stones conueyed furthest frō the Citie their diches and pondes full of water drained and made dry by the extreme heate of the fire the day after wer foūd according to the authoritie of y e chronicle about the sayd towre gate aboue .400 dead bodies besides .140 mortally wounded and almost torne in peces amongst whiche was founde a bigge bellied woman stricken dead whose wombe being ripped did yelde a childe on liue and after baptised whose picture or figure appeareth in the portraicte Some had their heades taken from their bodies as cuningly as it had ben carued with a sworde or sharpe axe for the nonce other some as they were playing at cardes in a Tauerne or tippling house were all destroyed with the lightning and conuerted into cynders except the hostesse or hir maid that was gone into the cellar for wine Amongst suche as were reserued on liue in this horrible slaughter was one man who hiding himselfe in a stonie vault during the extremitie of the storme durst not come out for any persuasion
pricke with the point of my knife and lapt vp his wound with a band or shread of my sheart And hauing performed this worke of charitie vpon the poore beast he lay with an extreme pacience by me all that day next nght til the morning folowing when I vnfolded eftsoones the sore and pressed out the corpuption with no lesse suffraÌ„ce in him thaÌ„ before who after .ij. or .iij. houres in the morning seeming to be pinched with hunger he left me and the caue went to the desert When I seing the honest departure of my guest preueÌ„ted y e like peril saued my self by flight wherin sir I coulde not be so precise as to escape the haÌ„ds of such as pursued me by whom I was presented to my maister froÌ„ him amoÌ„gst others no lesse infortunate than my self I was passed prisoner to Rome where if my good fortune haue brought me into the danger of this Lyon and he to returne the benefit of my good turn with a compassion safetie of my life I humbly beséech thy maiestie royal to coÌ„sent to the same and suffer not thy decrées giuen out by thine own mouth to be violated with any respect of crueltie Which moued such indifferent pitie coÌ„mpassion to y e assistants y t there was not 〈◊〉 amongst them al which with great intercession were not suters to y e Emperor for his libertie safetie of the Lyon Wherunto he did not onely agrée but also enioyned from that houre that Andronique and the Lion should vse their libertie to passe at all tymes thorow the stréetes of Rome whom the people beheld not without a singular pleasure the rather to see the Lion contented to carie great wallets full of bread and other reliefe giuen them in almes And somtime to get money to his keepers he would suffer children to leape vpon his back The same mouing such cause of maruel to the strangers y t came to Rome that there was question touching the meaning Wherupon to satisfie theÌ„ and al men was written a little bille and fastened to the brest of the Lion with this inscription Hic Leo est hospes huius hominis And vpon the brest of the man were written these words Hic est medicus huius leonis wherof the one signifieth This Lion is the guest of the man and the other This man is the physition of the Lion This is sure a woÌ„derful exaÌ„ple of charitie in a beast without vnderstanding wherin is also approued the opinion of an Indian Philosopher named Dephilus who was wont to say That y e great workman dame nature had graued certaine lawes in beastes which might be applied to men as exaÌ„ples to direct y e estate of their life for if we consider and view with discretion the order of doing of diuerse beasts we shal find them to excéede men in many things and haue as it were a natural vertue in euery affection of corage wisedome force cowardise clemencie discipline erudition They knowe one an other are able to decerne amoÌ„gst theÌ„selues desire things that be profitable and eschue such as be hurtful forsee what will fall and make prouision of such things as be necessarie for their relief Al which being considered by the auncient Philosophers they haue not ben ashamed to dispute and make a doubte whether brute beasts did participate with reason or not which made Salomon sende some of them to the schooles of the Philosophers Lyke as also Esay reprochyng the vnthankefulnesse of the Israelites towardes GOD layeth afore them an example of the Oxe and Asse which acknowledge their maister but Israel hath mystaken and not knowen hir Lorde ¶ A wonderfull historie of certaine women which haue brought forth a great number of children And an other whiche â—are hir fâ—â—te fiue yeares deade within hir belly CHAP. xxx LIke as that greate Philosopher Aristotle doth moste firmely assure in hys writings that a woman can not bring forth at one tyme aboue fiue chyldren and that very rare Euen so sayth he that happened on a time to a seruante of Augustus Cesar who at one burden brought forth fiue children who besides the mother liued but a short time after In remembrance wherof the Emperor Augustus caused to be made and erected a monumeÌ„t writing on the out side therof the numbre of the children which she had born Wherfore though Aristotle did beleue that a woman could not bring forth at one time aboue the numbre of fiue children notwithstaÌ„ding the contrary hath bene proued in many as is witnessed by many graue authors Amongst whom that notable learned Prince Picus Mirandulanus in his coÌ„mentaries vpon the second hymne assureth y t one Allemande called Dorothee brought forth in Italy at two seuerall times twentie children that is to say at one time .xij. at an other .viij. who during the time y t she was with childe hir belly was so great that she was constrained to payse y e weight thereof with a towel bound about the same for the succoryng of hir charge There is none of those which haue read the chronicles and histories of Lombardie which knoweth not that in the time of the raign of Algemont first kyng of the Lombards there was a certain common Woman brought forth .vij. boyes at one tyme who for the horrour of hir sinne cast them into the water But God by his almightie power and wonderfull prouidence not willyng to blot out of memorie this wicked and detestable act brought the same to light who permitting the king Algemont to walke by fortune nigh the water where she had cast them espied one of the children in the water on liue who with the crooke of a staffe which he helde in his hande he plucked out causing the chylde to be nourished and brought vp in learning and vertue who as he grew in yeares so he in like maner perseuered in al perfectious and good gifts and as the historiaÌ„s make mention succéeded Algemond and was named Lanytius second kyng of the Lombards And if thou wouldest reade the Historie of Martinus Cromerus in his sixt boke of the worthy actes of Poloigne thou shalt fynde an historie of a woman of the countie of Virboslaus which surpasseth all the precedents before recited for the multitude of children wherin like as all these histories be wonderfull for the great nuÌ„bres of children borne at one instant euen so I haue not red amongst al the Historians which haue written therof that for the great nuÌ„bres of children which they haue had they haue had cause to open bruse and anatomize or put an iron into their bellies to plucke forth their frute as it was strange and maruellous to behold that a woman for one onely childe hath ben opened for that she by the space of .v. yeres caried hir frute in hir body dead as thou mayst vnderstand by the discourse of this historie folowing worthy of remembrance the which Mathias Cornax a learned and excellent
by the hande of God so much imbased that he was couered with no other garment than with haire a clothing naturall to all brute beastes ¶ Of the bringing forth of Monsters and the cause of their generations CHAP. v. HAuyng shewed in order in these Chapiters before how Kings Emperors Bishops and Monarches be no more exempted from the wonderful iudgemeÌ„t of God than the common or vulgar sort It resteth now according to our purpose to search and sift those matters more neare a truthe to the ende we may bring to lyghte the horrible monsters and fearfull wonders found amoÌ„gst the common people And that the philosophie and contemplation of those things might be made more manifest and painted in their true coloures it is needefull before we passe any further to declare the causes wherevpon they procéede and are borne It is moste certaine that these monstrous creatures for the most part do procéede of the iudgement iustice chastisement and curse of God which suffreth that the fathers and mothers bring forth these abhominations as a horrour of their sinne sufferyng themselues to run headlong as do brute beastes without guide to the puddle or sinke of their filthie appetites hauing no respecte or regarde to the age place tyme or other lawes ordeined of Nature wherein S. Gregorie amongest diuers other examples taughte vs in his Dialogues sheweth the incontinencie and abhominable desire of a Nourse who made hir selfe with childe by an Infant of the age onely of .ix. yeres And for a proofe herein S. Hierom affirmeth by othe that there was an other infant of the age of tenne yeares the which was so inflamed by the waÌ„ton regards and amorous countenances of his Nourse that she made hym to lie with hir being of the age as afore and gotte hir with childe These be the matters that Osee crieth out of in his .ix. chapter saying These abhominable doyngs according to their loues euen when they haue nourssed theyr children I will destroy in suche sort that they shall neuer become men yea I will plague the wombe where they tooke their beginning the brests that gaue theÌ„ sucke and drie vp the very root that it bring forth no more fruit and if they câ—aunce to engender I wil also coÌ„mit to death the fruite of their bellie Al which is confirmed by the prophete Esdras in his .v. Chapter where amongst other cruel cursings wherwith the Angell threatned Babylon it is expresly sayde That women perfourming the desire of the fleshe being in their Sanguine menstruali bring forth these monsters And although this monstrous fruite be very often a witnesse of the incontinencie sinne of the parents yet it is not alwayes true nor hapneth in one place for there be many fathers and mothers chaste and continent whiche bring forth their children defectiue as S. Iohn sheweth in his .ix. chapter of a poore man whiche was blinde from his natiuitie who hauing receyued his sighte by the mercifull goodnesse and grace of Iesus Christe was asked of his disciples whether his owne synne or his parents were the cause that he was borne blinde But Christ willyng to declare to them that they oughte not to accuse the parentes for the defaultes of their children aunswered that it was neither the sinne of hym his father or mother but to the ende to shewe in him the wonderfull and maruellous workes of God The auncient Philosophers amongst others which haue serched the secrets of Nature haue declared other greate causes of this wonderfull and monstrous childbearing which Aristotle Hypocrates Empedocles Galene and Plinie haue referred to an ardent and obstinate imagination which the Woman hath whylest she conceiues the childe whiche hath such power ouer the fruite that the beames and Charrecters continue vpon the rocke of the infante wherevpon they finde an infinite number of examples to proue the same woorthy of memorie the which albeit may séeme but iestes or fables if the authoritie and truth of those which write them were not their sufficient warrant And for a further certaintie therof Damascenus a graue â–ª author doth assure this to be true that being present with Charles the .iiij. Emperoure and king of Boeme there was broughte to him a maide rough and couered with haire like a beare the which the mother had brought forth in so hideous and deformed a shape by hauing too much regarde to the picture of S. Iohn cloathed with a beasts skinne the which was tyed or made fast coÌ„tinually during hir conception at hir beddes féete By the like meanes Hippocrates saued a princesse accused of adulterie for that she was deliuered of a childe blacke lyke an Ethiopian hir husbande being of a faire and white complexion which by the persuasion of Hippocrates was absolued and pardoned for that the childe was like vnto a Moore accustomably tied at hir bed Reade of this in Genesis vpon S. Hieroms questions without musing or being curious to bring in the testimonies of Philosophers other doctors verifying the same by the authoritie of Moyses the greate prophete and secretarie of GOD in the thirtith Chapter of Genesis where he plainely sheweth howe Iacob deceiued Laban his father in lawe and therby enriched himselfe with his cattayle hauing pilled a rodde and put the beastes to drinke to the ende the Goates and Shéepe beholding the diuersitie of the colours of this rodde might bring forth their litle ones marked with sundry seuerall markes Besides these causes spoken of before of the generation of Monsters the beste learned in the secretes of Nature haue yet assigned vs others for Empedocleus and Dephilus do attribute the same to come of the superabundance or defaulte and corruption of the seede and wombe wherof they preferre diuers similies by the disposition of sundry mettals and other things which melts and yeldes with the heate of fyre or sunne for if the matter or substance which a man goes about to melt be not wel boiled purified and confected or the moulde be not well cast the image or effect of such worke will appeare imperfect hideous and deformed The Astrologians as Alcabitius haue referred these monsters to the influeÌ„ce of the starres iudging that if the Moone be in certaine degrées and coniunctions when the woman conceyueth hir frute shalbe monstrous Euen so Iulius Maternus writeth after him very learnedly the lawyer Alciates vpon the title and signification of these wordes and matters that sometimes these monsters be engendred of the corruption and filthie vnsauorie meates as burning coales mannes flesh and other like things that women desire after they haue conceyued the which is very contagious and hurtfull to their fruite whereof we haue a notable example in Leuinius Lemnius in his first boke of the hidden Secrets of Nature in a certaine Matrone of Belges great with childe of two infants who lusting to eate the flesh of a faire boy whome she beheld at vnwares and fearing he wold refuse hir demauÌ„d being pressed without measure of that vnruly appetite fel
e time y t all Italy was enflamed molested with warrs not without bringing great terror to the people in such sort y t al the prouinces of Italy Greece came to sée behold this miserable creature euen so they entred into diuerse iudgements therof wherupon amongst the rest ther was found sundry learned and holy men which began not only to decipher the misery of this infant but also y e monstrous shape therof in this sort saying y t by the horne was signified pride ambition by the wings lightnesse inconstancie by default of the armes want of good workes by the ramping foot rauishment vsury and couetousnesse by the eye in y e knée too much loue or affection to worldly things by bothe the kindes the sinnes of the Sodomites All whiche vices and sinnes raigned at that time in Italy which was the cause they wer so afflicted with warres but by this figure Y the crosse they were two signes of saluation for Ypsilon signifieth vertue the Crosse sheweth that al those which wil returne to Iesus Christ and take vp his crosse shal not only finde a true remedy against sinne but a perfect way to helth and saluation and a special meane to mitigate therby the ire of the Lorde who is enflamed and redie to scourge and punish them for their wickednesse and abhominable sinnes THere is founde by sufficient authoritie in writing that in the yere .1496 was taken vp out of the riuer of Tyber a monster hauing the tronke of the body of a maÌ„ the head of an Asse one hand and arme like to a man and the other of the fashion of an Elephantes foote he had also according to the portraict you sée one of his féete like the foote of an Eagle and the other like the hoofe of an Oxe his belly like a woman with two duggs and the rest of his body with skales he had also growing out behynde him a head olde and hairie out of the which came an other head of the forme of a Dragon WE reade also that in the yeare .1548 was borne a childe in Almayne which had his head deuided from his body he had one legge onely with a creuise or chink where his mouth should be and had no armes at all The same happening as we may easily presume by a want or default in the séede as well in the qualitie as in the quantitie of the same IN the yeare .1552 was borne in England a childe whiche had two bodies two heades and foure hands and yet had but one belly and one nauell On one syde of the bodye came two perfect leggs and on the other but one the same hauing one foote made like two tyed the one gainst the other with ten toes THere was borne in the yeare 1554. a monster of this proportion hauing a greate masse or lump of flesh in place of a head and where one of his eares should be came out an arme and a hand he had vpon his face writhen haires like to the Moostachoes of a cat the other arme appeared oute of one side he had no forme of body nor breast sauing a line al along the ridge of his backe there coulde not be discerned any figure or likenesse of either sex nor ioints in his arms or leggs the endes of his handes and féete were soft and somewhat hanging as appereth by his portraict AMongst the rest we must not forget two monsters which came forth in the yere .1555 the one in Germany and the other in Sauoy the first was a horse who according to hys portraict had all his skinne checquered and deuided into great panes after the order of the Dutchemens hose his necke and bodye couered wyth a collar of the same Thys is affirmed by Iohn Foucet in hys booke which he hath made of the maruels of our time THe other Monster of the sayde yeare .1555 had two faces in sorte as the Poetes fayned the God â—anus hadde He hadde lyke two greate pocketts hangyng vpon hys backe wherein were hys bowelles Hee was Vtriusque generis and that of the one side a male and the other a female Also he was so huge aboue order that it was impossible to drawe him whole from the bellie of his mother It is moste likely that this imperfection happened by too great a quantitie of matter sufficieÌ„t to forme two children which might also haue happened of a right shape if by some inconuenience the substance had not ben mingled so that that which shoulde haue serued for two made but one creature THe monster that was brought forth in Germanie .1556 〈◊〉 so wonderful as this touching the shape of his bodie which maketh it not easie to iudge whether there were default of nature in his generation It was as you may sée by the portraicte a Calfe of perfect forme in euery respect sauing that he had no legges before and yet suche was his wonderful lightnesse that hauing but two legges behinde he excéeded all other beastes of that kind in swiftnesse The same arguing that nature had considered and supplied his other wantes wyth a maruellous agilitie of his two legges I remember I haue sene heretofore a moÌ„ster of the same shape albeit formed by some artificiall sleight it was a yonge Goate whose forelegges being broken was brought by custome and necessitie to marche vpon his hinder legges wherby the simple sort was more than halfe persuaded that it was a Satyre THere was borne in the same yeare .1556 at Basle a childe sufficiently formed of his bodye sauing the head which was so monstrous that it séemed rather the head of a dogge or a Catte than a creature humaine Besides the which that yeare was so fertile of prodigious accidentes that according to the witnette of suche as recorded them there happened aboue fiftie monsters as fires in the aire horrible tempests burning of townes by fire from Heauen armed men appearing in the aire fearefull Cometes inundations of waters threatening voices from heauen skirmishes in the ayre as wel with men as beastes with a monstrous shew of many Sunnes at one time THis as you sée resembling most a Calfe hath the head of a man bearing a beard with a brest like to a man and two dugges well formed THe yeare wherin mine author writ this booke séemed no lesse plentifull of monsters corporal than wonders spirituall for it is affirmed that the .xxvj. of Ianuarie there appeared about .ix. of the clocke thrée Sunnes vpon the towne of Caffa a Citie situated betwéene the Pont Euxin and the Sea Zabachâ— otherwise called Pailus Mertis in the place which the auncients cal Taurica Chersonessus these iij. sunnes remained by the space of .iij. houres had aboue them a white bow an other vnderneath the coloured red gréene yelow and Azure and about noone the two vttermost of either side vanished and went out of sight the one towards the East the other towards the West IN the same yeare .1567 and