CURIOUS CREATURES. 99 



and confess the others to be piracies. It is certain, 

 however, that whoever drew this picture of a Rhinoceros 

 must have seen one, either living or stuffed, for it is not 

 too bizarre. 



Topsell approaches this animal with an awe and 

 reverence, such as he never shows towards any other 

 beast ; indeed, he gets quite solemn over it, and he thus 

 commences his Apologia : " But for my part, which 

 write the English story, I acknowledge that no man must 

 looke for that at my hands, which I have not received 

 from some other : for I would bee unwilling to write 

 anything untrue, or uncertaine out of mine owne inven- 

 tion ; and truth on every part is so deare unto mee, that 

 I will not lie to bring any man in love and admiration 

 with God and his works, for God needeth not the lies 

 of men : To conclude, therefore, this Praeface, as the 

 beast is strange, and never scene in our countrey, so 

 my eyesight cannot adde anything to the description ; 

 therefore harken unto that which I have observed out of 

 other writers." 



They were very rare beasts, among the early Roman 

 Emperors, but in the later Empire they were introduced 

 into the Circus, but many centuries rolled on before we, 

 in England, were favoured with a sight of this great 

 animal. Topsell had not seen one, and he wrote in 

 1607, so we accept his Apologia with all his errors : 

 " Oppianus saith that there was never yet any distinction 

 of sexes in these Rhinocerotes ; for all that ever have 

 been found were males, and not females, but from hence 

 let no body gather that there are no females, for it were 

 impossible that the breede should continue without 

 females. 



" When they are to fight they whet their home upon a 



