282 CURIOUS CREATURES. 



"And, although this seemeth to be a beast of unmatch- 

 able stature, yet Postdenius a Christian writer, relateth a 

 storie of another which was much greater, for hee writeth 

 that he saw a Serpent dead, of the length of an acre of 

 Land, and all the residue both of head and bodie, were 

 answerable in proportion, for the bulke of his bodie was 

 so great, and lay so high, that two Horsemen could not 

 see one the other, beeing at his two sides, and the wide- 

 nes of his mouth was so great, that he could receive 

 at one time, within the compasse thereof, a horse and a 

 man on his backe both together : The scales of his coate 

 or skinne, being every one like a large buckler or target. 

 So that now, there is no such cause to wonder at the 

 Serpent which is said to be killed by St. George, which 

 was, as is reported, so great, that eight Oxen were 

 but strength enough to drawe him out of the Cittie 

 Si laia. . . . 



11 Among the Scyritcv, the Serpents come by great 

 swarmes uppon their flocks of sheepe and cattell, and 

 some they eate up all, others they kill, and sucke out 

 the blood, and some part they carry away. But if ever 

 there were anything beyond credite, it is the relation of 

 Volateran in his twelfth booke of the New-found Lands, 

 wherein he writeth, that there are Serpents of a mile 

 long, which at one certaine time of the yeere come 

 abroad out of the holes and dennes of habitation, and 

 destroy both the Heards and Heard-men if they find 

 them. Much more favourable are the Serpents of a 

 Spanish Island, who doe no harme to any living thing, 

 although they have huge bodies, and great strength to 

 accomplish their desires." 



After this it will be refreshing to have one of Topsell's 

 own particular true stories : and this is " Of a true history 



