Crocodiles. 165 



whippeth into his mouth and shooteth himselfe 

 downe his throat as quicke as an arrow, and then 

 gnaweth his bowels, eateth an hole through his 

 belly, and so killeth him/' Topsell, of course, 

 relates this story, but he enlarges on and gloats 

 over the misery of the unfortunate reptile, which 

 he calls a serpent ; for he tells us that the crocodile 

 after the attack " tumbleth to and fro sighing and 

 weeping, now in the depth of water, now on the 

 land, never resting till strength of nature fayleth. 

 For the incessant gnawing of the Ichneumon so 

 provoketh her to seek her rest, in the unrest 

 of every part, herbe, element, throwes, throbs, 

 rowlings, tossings, mournings, but all in vaine, 

 for the enemy within her breatheth through her 

 breath, and sporteth herselfe in the consumption 

 of those vitall parts, which wast and weare away 

 by yeelding to impacificable teeth, one after the 

 other, till shee that crept in by stealth at the 

 mouth, like a puny theefe, come out at the belly 

 like a conqueror through a passage opened by her 

 owne labour and industry." This last author, by 

 the way, has a wonderful picture of a hippopotamus 

 lifting up in his mouth a crocodile apparently 

 rigid with terror by the tail, which he says " was 

 taken out the Colossus la the Vatican at Koine 

 representing the River Nylus, and eating of a 

 Crocadile." 



The other story which gave rise to the proverbial 

 expression " crocodile's tears " was universally 

 believed in old times. The author of the " Voiage 



