284 CURIOUS CREATURES. 



coldnes of these snakes or Serpents, which came close 

 to his legges everie night, did so benumme them, as he 

 could not goe." 



Yet one more : 



" I cannot conceale a most memorable historic as ever 

 was any in the world, of a fight betwixt the Serpents 

 of the Land and the Water. This history is taken out 

 of a Booke of Schilt-bergerus, a Bavarian, who knew the 

 same, (as he writeth) while hee was a captive in Turky; 

 his words are these. In the kingdome called Genyke, 

 there is a Citty called Sampson, about which, while I was 

 prisoner with Baiazeta King of Turkes, there pitched or 

 arrived, an innumerable company of Land and Water 

 Serpents, compassing the said Cittie, a mile about. The 

 Land Serpents came out of the woods of Trienick, which 

 are great and many, and the Water Serpents came out 

 of the bordering Sea. These were nine dayes together 

 assembling in that place, and for feare of them there was 

 not any man that durst goe out of the Citty, although 

 it was not observed that they hurt any man, or living 

 creature there-abouts. 



" Wherefore the Prince also commanded, that no man 

 should trouble them, or doe them any harme, wisely 

 judging, that such an accident came not but by Divine 

 Miracle, and that also to signifie some notable event. 

 Uppon the tenth day, these two valiant troupes joyned 

 battell, early in the morning, before the sunne-rising, 

 so continuing in fight untill the sunne-set, at which time 

 the Prince, with some horsemen, went out of the Cittie 

 to see the battell, and it appeared to him and his 

 associates, that the Water Serpents gave place to the 

 Land Serpents. So the Prince, and his company, re- 

 turned into the Citty againe, and the next day went 



