72 Histo7'y of Animal Plagues. 



A.D. 1 223-2 "5. From the beginning of this century till 1241, 

 the Mongol invasions from Asia, through Russia, to Silesia, 

 took place, and it has been correctly conjectured, I think, that 

 these irruptions were the cause of many epizootics being intro- 

 duced into the western hemisphere. These maladies, especially 

 those occurring in 1222, 1233, and 1238, are supposed to have 

 been the Cattle Plague, or ' Rinderpest/ 1223. In this year there 

 was a very great epizooty of cattle, which seems to have begun 

 in the east, and to have spread, by way of Hungary and Austria, 

 into Italy, Germany, France, and England.^ 'In the year 1223, 

 there was a great mortality among cattle, but grain crops were 

 not affected. It lasted three whole years, and the greater portion 

 of the cattle died/ ^ ' A great death of sheep in England.' ^ 



A.D. 1224. In Ireland, anthrax appears to have been very 

 fatal. ' An awfully great and frightful shower fell in parts of 

 Connaught this year, ?'. e. the Hy-Maney, and in Sodan, and 

 in Hy-Diarmada^ and in Clannteige, from which grew a very 

 great mortal distemper [Teidhni galair) to the cows and cattle 

 of the aforesaid territories, after eating of the grass and herbage, 

 and in the people who partook of their milk or flesh it produced 

 various belly (or middle) sicknesses.' * ' Their milk and flesh 

 produced various distempers in the people that partook of them. 

 A great mortality of people in this year.' ^ A great war raged 

 in Connaught this year, 'and after the slaughter and destruction 

 of the cattle, and the people of the country, and after driving 

 them out to cold and hunger, a severe and mortal disease grew 

 up in the whole country, namely, a species of Teasca (pro- 

 bably typhus), through which towns were emptied without 

 leaving a single person in them ; some recovered, but they were 

 few.' «' 



A.D. 1233. Thunder and lightning for thirteen days in Eng- 

 land, with heavy rains. All the vegetation was destroyed, and 

 as a consequence famine and disease prevailed. 



' In this year so terrible a cattle plague broke out, commenc- 

 ing in Hungary, and spreading into this and more distant lands, 



1 Conrad. Ccenobit. Schyreus. Trithem. 



- Kbnigshofen. Els. Chron. p. 302. ^ 7; Short. Op. cit., vol. i.- p. 139. 



* Annals of Connaught. ^ Annals of Kilroonan. ^ Ibid. 



