i2 4 CURIOUS CREATURES. 



feeding her from his table with his owne hand, for he 

 had used her to be familiar in his court, and to come 

 into his owne chamber, when he listed, so that she would 

 goe abroad into the fields and woods, returning home 

 againe of her owne accord, and with her hand or foote 

 rub the Kinge's chamber doore to have it opened, when 

 she was hungry, it being locked. It happened that 

 certaine young Noble men conspired the death of this 

 Prince, and came to his chamber doore, rubbing it after 

 the custome of the beare, the King not doubting any 

 evill, and supposing it had bene his beare, opened the 

 doore, and they presently slewe him. . . . 



" There are many naturall operations in Beares. Pliny 

 reporteth, that, if a woman bee in sore travaile of 

 child-birth, let a stone, or arrow, which hath killed a 

 man, a beare, or a bore, be throwne over the house 

 wherein the Woman is, and she shall be eased of her 

 paine. There is a small worme called Volvox, which 

 eateth the vine branches when they are young, but if 

 the vine-sickles be annointed with Beare's blood, that 

 worme will never hurt them. If the blood or greace of 

 a Beare be set under a bed, it will draw unto it all the 

 fleas, and so kill them by cleaving thereunto. But the 

 vertues medicinall are very many ; and first of all, the 

 blood cureth all manner of bunches and apostems in the 

 flesh, and bringeth haire upon the eyelids if the bare 

 place be annointed therewith. 



" The fat of a Lyon is most hot and dry, and next to a 

 Lyon's a Leopard's ; next to a Leopard's a Beare's ; and 

 next to a Beare's, a Bui's. The later Physitians use it 

 to cure convulsed and distracted parts, spots, and tumors 

 in the body. It also helpeth the paine of the loins, if 

 the sicke part be annointed therewith, and all ulcers in 



