

GOAT.] NATURAL HISTORY. 131 



white. The Goat does not see well in the day-light ; but 

 its sight is more acute by night. The eyes of the Goat 

 shine by night, and they throw out light. Also he-Goats 

 have more teeth than she-Goats. Goat's cheese appeases all 

 wounds and pains if laid upon them. Their hoofs burnt 

 and pounded with liquid pitch cure baldness. Their blood 

 does as much ; and if it be drunk destroys venom. 



Hortus Sanitatis, bk. ii. 22. 



UPON provocation the he-Goat striketh through an 

 ordinary piece of armour or shield at one blow, his force 

 and the sharpness of his horns are so pregnable. Goats 

 foresee and foreshew change of weather, for they depart 

 from their stables, and run wantonly abroad before showers, 

 and afterward, having well fed, of their own accord return 

 to their folds again. Goats take breath through their 

 ears ; and certain Goats have a certain hole or passage in 

 the middle of their head, betwixt the horns, which goeth 

 directly unto the liver, and the same stopped with liquid 

 wax suffocateth or stifleth the beast. There is no beast 

 that heareth so perfectly and so sure as a Goat, for he is 

 not only holp in this sense with his ears, but also hath the 

 organ of hearing in part of his throat. With Goat's milk 

 wine is preserved from corruption by sourness. Of the suet 

 and fat of Goats are the best candles made, because it is 

 hard and not over liquid. The blood of a Goat scoureth 

 rusty iron better than a file. The loadstone draweth iron, 

 and the same, being rubbed with garlic, dieth and loseth 

 that property, but being dipped again in Goat's blood, 

 reviveth and recovereth the former nature. In ancient time 

 they made fruitful their vineyards by this means : they 

 took three horns of a female Goat, and buried them in the 

 earth with their points or tops downward to the root of 

 the vine stocks. The gall of a female Goat put into a 

 vessel and set in the earth hath a natural power to draw 

 Goats unto it. Herein appeareth the pride of this beast, 

 that he scorneth to come behind either cattle or sheep, but 

 always goeth before. Goats Love singularity, and may well 

 be_called schismatics among cattle : in great stocks they are 

 soon infected with the pestilence. The wild Goats of Crete 

 eat dittany against the strokes of darts ; and Goats by lick- 



