10 History of Nature. [BooK VIII. 



CHAPTER VI. 



When Elephants were first seen in Italy. 



THE first Time that Elephants were seen in Italy was 

 during the War of King Pyrrhus ; and they were called by 

 the Name of Lucce Boves, or Lucan Oxen, because they were 

 seen in the Lucan Country ; in the four hundred and seventy- 

 second Year of the City. But in Rome it was seven Years 

 after this before they were seen, and then in a Triumph. But 

 in the Year 502, a Number of them were seen, being taken 

 from the Carthaginians in the Victory of L. Metellus Pontifex 

 in Sicily. 142 were conveyed over on Rafts, which were laid 

 upon Rows of great Tuns placed close one by another. Ver- 

 rius saith that they fought in the Circus, and were killed with 

 Darts, for want of better Counsel ; for they were neither 

 willing to feed them, 1 nor to bestow them upon Kings. L. Piso 

 saith they were only brought out into the Circus ; and to 

 make them contemptible, they were driven round it by cer- 

 tain hired Fellows, having for that purpose Spears simply 

 headed with Iron. But what became of them afterward, 

 those Authors make no mention ; but they are of opinion, 

 that they were not killed. 



CHAPTER VII. 

 Their Combats. 



MUCH renowned is the Contest of one Roman with an 

 Elephant, when Annibal forced our Captives to skirmish one 

 against another. For the only Roman that remained, he 

 matched with an Elephant, having covenanted with him, 



1 The Romans might well shrink from the expense of supporting 142 

 elephants, when, as we are informed, the quantity of food required for the 

 daily consumption of a full-grown elephant is not less than 200 pounds of 

 aliment of all sorts. The elephant of Louis XIV. had daily 80 pounds 

 of bread, 12 pints of wine, and a large quantity of vegetable soup, with 

 bread and rice ; this was exclusive of grass, and what he got from visi- 

 tors. Wcrn. Club. 



