History of Animal Plagties. 31 



in those places where no cattle arc pastured, so that thcv may 

 neither hurt one another nor thenjselves ; for, bv feedino- on the 

 grass, they infect it, and the fountains, also, by drinking in them ; 

 and they also infect the cribs in the stalls where they stand : so 

 that oxen, though previously perfectly sound and in good health, 

 perish by the smell and bv the breath of those that are sick and 

 diseased blowing upon them. The dead carcases also must be 

 thrown out at a great distance beyond the bounds of the villa, 

 and buried very deej) in the earth, lest the bodies of those that 

 are sound be infected by them, and they perish. This distem- 

 per is called by one general name, the Plague, or Pestilence, but 

 there are many varieties of it.^ The nature of this malady can- 

 not be accurately determined by the symptoms enumerated, but 

 it is obvious that several affections are included in this general 

 designation. For instance, ' it is named the " humid distemper" 

 when a humour flows from the ox's mouth and nostrils, and a 

 loathing and sickness follows upon it. It is called the "dry dis- 

 temper" when no discharge appears, but the animal loses con- 

 dition daily, and has no appetite. It is called the "articular dis- 

 ease" when the oxen go lame, sometimes in their fore-feet, and 

 sometimes in their hind-feet, although their hoofs are perfectly 

 sound. It is called the " subrenal disease" whenever there ap- 

 pears a weakness in their hinder parts, and because they are 

 supposed to have a jiain in their loins. It is called the"farci- 

 minous disease" when tubercles come out over the oxen's whole 

 body, open themselves, and are healed, and break out again in 

 other places. It is also called the " subcutaneous disease" when- 

 ever a very bad humour breaks out in different parts of the oxen's 

 body, and discharges. It is called " elephantiasis" when very 

 small cicatrices appear like scabs, or like small lentils. It is 

 called a "mania" or "madness," which takes away the senses 

 from oxen that are in good condition, so that they neither hear 

 nor see in their usual manner; of which distemper they very 

 quickly die, though they may look fat and cheerfid. 



'All these diseases are very contagious, and if one animal be 

 seized by them they ])ass immediately to all; and so they bring 

 destruction somctiuies either upon whole herds or ujion ;ill flu)>e 

 that are fully domesticated and trained to labour. Therefore it 



