History of Animal Plagues. 127 



lowed bv a series of severe epizootic diseases. Accordine^ to 

 Hecker, evil was prognosticated bv a comet. ^ 



In Ireland 'great inclemency [doineun) this year, which 

 killed almost all the cattle of Erinn, and prevented the earth's 

 responding to the husbandman.' ^ Spain was said to be ravaged 

 by rabies canina.^ 



A.D. 1501. Tremendous inundation in Silesia. As a con- 

 sequence, an epizooty among cattle and many other kinds of 

 animals.* 



A.D. 1504. Great drought, failure of the crops, and mor- 

 tality amongst cattle it: Saxony .° ' And in this year there was 

 a cold winter; thereupon followed a very hot and dry summer. 

 For many months, from the beginning of April to the end of 

 Julv, there was no rain. The sky was cloudless, the sun was 

 glaring and hot, whereby the grass was scorched, so that there 

 was no hay or lattermath. The oats failed, and other crops 

 were little more fruitful. Hereupon followed a great scarcity. 

 Pigs died in large numbers. Many farmers drove out fine herds 

 in the mornino-, of which one-third did not return at nijiht. 

 Neither had the previous great mortality ceased, but, owing to 

 the intense heat, it rather increased ; so that in some places the 



half, in others one-third, of the people died ^S'^S- A very 



wet summer. Then came the pestilence, which had already 

 lasted several years. It was now more severe amongst the cattle 

 than it had hitherto been, and among men it was none the less 

 so.' " There was a great invasion of caterpillars in Northern 

 Germany, which destroyed all the foliage. Signacula, or blood- 

 spots, which Agricolo supposed to be lichens, so abounded on 

 linen, the veils of women, the food, and even in the air, in the 

 form of blood-rain, as to cause great fear.'' The great murrain 

 amonor the cattle at Meissen, in Saxony, led to the execution 

 of some hose luben, or supposed miscreants, who were suspected 



> Hec/ccr. Epiflemics of the Middle Ages. ^ Annals of Ulster. 



^ Blaine. Canine Pathology. 



* Chronic. Princep. Polon. Stenzel. Vol. i. ji. i68. 

 ' Fabrkius. Annals Misn. p. 170. 



* Spaiii^enberg. Mansfeld. Chronic., book i. p. 402. 

 ' Mezeray. Op. cit., p. 819. 



