510 FISHES. 



ship wherein M. Antonius was, at what time as he made all the 

 haste and meanes he could devise with help'of ores to encourage his 

 people from ship to ship, and could not prevaile, untill he was 

 forced to abandon the said admirall and goe into another galley. 

 Meanwhile the armada of Augustus Caesar, seeing this disorder, 

 charged with greater violence, and soone invested the fleete of An- 

 tonie. Of late daies also, and within our remembrance, the like 

 happened to the roiall ship of the Emperor Caius Caligula, at what 

 time as he rowed backe, and made saile from Astura to Antium ; 

 when and where this little fish detained his ship, and (as it fell out 

 afterward) presaged an unfortunate event thereby : for this was 

 the last time that ever this emperour made his return to Rome ; and 

 no sooner was he arrived, but his own souldiours in a mutinie fell 

 upon him and stabbed him to death. And yet it was not long ere 

 the cause of this wonderfull staie of his ship was knowne ; for so 

 soon as ever the vessel (and a galliace it was, furnished with five 

 bankes of ores to a side) was perceived alone in the fleete to stand 

 still, presentlie a number of tall fellows leapt out of their ships into 

 the sea, to search what the reason might be that it stirred not ? and 

 found one of these fishes sticking fast to the very helme; which 

 being reported unto Caius Caligula, he fumed and fared as an em- 

 perour, taking great indignation that so small a thing as it, should 

 hold him back perforce, and check the strength of his mariners, not- 

 withstanding there were no fewer than foure hundred lustie men 

 in his galley that laboured at the ore all that ever they could to the 

 contrarie. But this prince (as it is for certain knowne) was most 

 astonied at this, namely, that the fish sticking only to the ship, 

 should hold it fast ; and the same being brought into the ship and 

 there laid, not worke the like effect. They who at that time and 

 afterward saw the fish, report that it resembled for all the world a 

 snaile of the greatest making ; but as touching the form and sun- 

 drie kinds thereof, many have written diversly, whose opinions I 

 have set downe in my treatise of living creatures belonging to the 

 waters, and namely in the particular discourse of this fish ; neither 

 doe I doubt but all the sorte of fishes are able to do as much ; for 

 this we are to beleeve, that pourcellans also be of the same vertue, 

 since it was well knowne by a notorious example, that one of them did 

 the like by a ship sent from Periander to the cape of Gnidos : in 

 regard whereof, the inhabitants of Gnidos do honour and conse- 



