40 History of Animal Plagues. 



A.D. 571. On September 24 there was a prodigious slaughter 

 of wild fowl in a fight.^ 



A.D. 580. Great floods, tempests, earthquakes, hail, and other 

 misfortunes, ushered in a dreadful plague of a dysenteric nature, 

 and great loss of cattle, during the fifth year of the reign of King 

 Childebert. 



A.D. 581. There was in this year an epizooty among the cattle 

 in Touraine, which, according to Gregory of Tours, could not 

 be prevented or cured until the Church interfered, when a 

 religious ceremony had the wished-for effect in driving away the 

 malady." The same credulous worthy informs us that about this 

 time an epizooty also broke out among the horses of Bordelais, 

 which would not cease its ravages until vows were made to St 

 Martin, and the solipeds had their foreheads branded with a red- 

 hot key, probably belonging to the church door. 



A.D. 582. In Ireland 'great snow, — great cattle mortality.' ^ 



A.D. 583. Inundations in France. ' A disease amongst cat- 

 tle followed this inundation, so that scarcely one remained, 

 and it was a novelty for any one to see an ox or a heifer in the 

 land.'* 



A.D. 584. ^ Locusts in the province of Carpitania, which they 

 laid waste for five years. In this year they departed by the 

 public roads to another province. The hoar frost greatly dam- 

 aged the vines, and a tempest of hailstones followed, which de- 

 stroyed them, and also the crops in many places. A severe 

 drought finished the w^ork of the hailstorm. But little fruit was 

 seen on some vines, on others none; so that men being wroth 

 with the gods, threw open their vineyards, and the cattle trod all 

 down. The trees which brought forth apples in July had a 

 second crop in September. A disease of cattle invaded them a 

 second time, so that scarcely one remained.' ^ 



A.D. 589. Great floods in Italy, doing much damage. The 

 Tiber overflowed its banks, deluged Rome and the surrounding- 

 country, drowning great numbers of men and cattle. On the 



^ T. Short. A General Chronological History of the Air, etc. London, 1749, 

 vol. i. p. 73. 



- Greg. Tiir. De Mirac. St Martin, lib. iii. cap. 18. 



3 Annals of Innisfallen. * St Gregory. Francor. Histor. vol. vi. p. 31. 



^ Ibid. vi. Bouquet, vol. ii. p. 289. 



