HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



227 



saw in a rocky valley, adjoining, a litle man hauing 

 croked nostrils, homes growing out of his forhed, 

 and the neather part of his body had goat's feet : the 

 holy man, not dismayed, taking the shield of faith 

 and the breast-plate of righteousnesse, like a good 

 souldior of Christ, preased toward him, which 

 brought him some fruites of palmes as pledges of his 

 peace, upon which he fed in the iourney, which same 

 Antony perceiving, he asked him who he was, and 

 received this answer : I am a mortall creature, one of 

 the inhabitants of this desart, whome the Gentiles 

 (deceued with error) doe worship and call Fauni, 

 Satyres, and Incubi. I am come in ambassage from 

 our flock, intreating that thou wouldst pray for vs 

 unto the common God who came to saue the world : 

 the which words were no sooner ended but he ran 

 away as fast as any foule could fly. And least this 

 should seame false, vnder Conslantine, at Alexandria, 

 there was such a man to be seene aliue, and was a 

 publike spectacle to all the world, the carcase 

 whereof, after his death, was kept from corruption by 

 heat through salt, and was carried to Antiochia that 

 the Emperor himself might see it." 



" Satyres are very seldome seene, and taken with 

 great difficulty, as is before saide, for there were two 

 founde in the woods of Saxony, towards Dacra, in a 

 desart, the female whereof was killed by the darts of 

 the hunters and the biting of dogs ; but the male was 

 taken alive, being in the vpper parts like a man, and 

 in the neather parts like a goat, but all hairy through- 

 out : he was brought to be tame, and learned to go 

 vpright, and also to speak some wordes, but with a 

 voice like a goat, and of this kind there are store in 

 Ethiopia." 



" Of the Asse. — Asses are of very foolish condicions 

 and slender capacity, but yet very tame, not refusing 

 any manner of burthen although it break his back. 

 Ammonianum was in such love with an asse, and 

 holding him of so great capacity, that he had one 

 continually to heare his lectures in Phylosophie. 

 Callen affermeth that an ass understandeth, genus 

 species et individuum ; because, if you shew him a 

 camell that never saw one before, he is terrified and 

 cannot endure his sight ; but if he have been accus- 

 tomed to such a sight, if you shew him never so 

 many he is not moved at them. In like sort hee 

 knoweth men in general, being not affraid of them ; 

 but if he see or heare his keeper he knoweth him for 

 his keeper or maister. 



The asse being overcome with melancholy humour 

 naturally looketh for the hearbe Citterach, or Finger- 

 feme, to cure him. The asse is neuer at peace with 

 the cro, because he longeth for the asse'seyes ; likewise 

 the bird Salem, for when the asse commeth to the 

 thornes to rub himselfe where the same bird buildeth 

 her nest, the asse spoyleth it, wherefore the said bird 

 maketh continual assault vppon him. In like sort 

 the Colota, or Stellio, for it sleepeth in the mangers, 

 and creepeth up unto the asse's nose to hinder him 



from eating. The woolfe is also an enemy to the 

 asse, for he loveth his flesh, and with small force 

 doeth he compasse the destruction of an asse ; for 

 the blockish asse when he seeth a woolfe layeth his 

 head on his side that so he might not see, thinking 

 that because he seeth not the woolfe the woolfe can- 

 not see him ; but the woolfe vpon this advantage 

 setteth vppon the beast on the blind side and easily 

 destroyeth the courageless asse. 



Another argument of an asse's stupidity is that he 

 careth not for his own life, but will with quietnesse 

 starve if meal be not laid before him. Wherefore it 

 is apparent that when a dull scholler not apt to 

 learne is bid to sell an asse to signifie his blockishnes, 

 is no vaine sentence ; therefore they which resemble 

 asses in their head, round forehead, or great face, 

 are said to be blockish ; in their fleshy face, fear- 

 full ; in broad or great eies, simple, and like to be 

 mad ; in thick lips and the vpper hanging over the 

 nether, fooles ; and in their voyce contumelius and 

 disdainfull. . . . The Ieiaish people, who like asses, 

 could not understand the evident truth of Christ in 

 the plaine text of Scripture, wherefore our Saviour 

 secretly vpbraided their dulnes when he rode upon 

 an asse. 



Touching such medicinall vermes as have been 

 tried and found to be in the several parts of asses in 

 learned and approved writers, now in this history 

 they shall be briefly remembred, and so this narration 

 finished." 



These remedies would occupy more space than the 

 editor would grant me, an example must therefore 

 suffice. "If any be hurt by the starres wash them in 

 asses stale mingled with Spiknard, the same force has 

 it against comes and all hardness or thicknesse of 

 skinne." 



" Of the Indian Asses. — It is questionable whether 

 the Monoceros, commonly called a Vnicorne, the 

 Rhinoceros, the Oryx, and the Indian asse be one 

 beast, or diuers ; for the Vnicorne and Rhinoceros 

 haue the same things attribvted to them in stories, 

 and differ in verie few reports, both Aristotle, Pliny, 

 and ^Ehanus coyntly agree that they differ from 

 all other whole-footed beasts, because they haue one 

 home in the forehead, and so have also the Rhinoceros, 

 Monoceros, and Orix, but the Indians cal a Vnicorne 

 Cartagono ; and the home so highly prized at this day 

 is thought to be of the Rhinoceros, but ^Ehanus and 

 Philes acknowledge no other Vnicorne, but the Indian 

 Asse, who in bignes equalleth a horse among the 

 Indians, being all white on the body, but purple- 

 headed or red (as some say), black eyes, but Volatter- 

 ranus saith blew, hauing one home in the forehead, 

 a cubit-and-a-halfe long, whose upper part is red or 

 bay, the middle black, and the neather part white, 

 wherein the kings and mighty men of India vse to 

 drink, adorning it for that purpose with sundry 

 bracelets, precious stones, and works of gold holding 

 for truth that all those which drinken in those homes 



