Mediceval Lore. 301 



biteth him and sucketh his blood. And at last 

 alter long fighting the elephant waxeth feeble for 

 great blindness, insomuch that he falleth upon the 

 dragon and slayeth in his dying the dragon that 

 him slayeth." Mr. Steele says, perhaps with 

 justice, that Du Bartas " wrote page after page of 

 rhyme all but versified direct from Bartholomew/' 

 and, as Du Bartas is nowadays but little more read 

 than Bartholomew himself, it may not be uninter- 

 esting to give his version of this part of the 

 story as told by his translator, " Silver-tongued 

 Sylvester/' which is as follows: 



While th' Elephant (but to no purpose) strives 

 With's winding Trunk t' undoo liis wounding gyves 

 His furious fo thrusts, in his nose, his nose ; 

 Then head and all : and thear-withall doth close 

 His breathing passage : but his victory 

 Hee joyes not long ; for his huge Enimy, 

 Falling down dead doth with his waighty Fall 

 Crush him to death, that caused his death, withall. 



To return to Bartholomew. "The cause why 

 the dragon desireth his blood is coldness of 

 the elephant's blood by which the dragon 

 desireth to cool himself. Jerome saith, that the 

 dragon is a full thirsty beast; insomuch that 

 unneth he may have water enough to quench his 

 great thirst; and openeth his mouth therefore 

 against the wind, to quench the burning of his 

 thirst in that wise. Therefore when he seeth ships 

 sail in the sea in great wind, he flieth against the 

 sail to take their cold wind, and overthroweth 

 the ship sometimes for greatness of body and 



