Cuap. IIT.J THE ELEPHANT. 105 
“ Atressi cum I’ olifans 
Que quan chai no s’ pot levar.” 
As elephants were but rarely seen in Europe prior to 
the seventeenth century, there were but few opportuni- 
ties of correcting the popular fallacy by ocular demon- 
stration. Hence SHaxsreare still believed that, 
“The elephant hath joints; but none for courtesy : 
His legs are for necessity, not flexure :”? 
and Donne sang of 
“ Nature’s great masterpiece, an Elephant ; 
The only harmless great thing: 
Yet Nature hath given him no knee to bend: 
Himself he up-props, on himself relies ; 
Still sleeping stands.” * 
Sir Tuomas Brownz, while he argues against the 
delusion, does not fail to record his suspicion, that 
“although the opinion at present be reasonably well 
suppressed, yet from the strings of tradition and fruit- 
ful recurrence of errour, it was not improbable it might 
revive in the next generation ;”*—an anticipation which 
has proved singularly correct ; for the heralds still con- 
tinued to explain that the elephant is the emblem of 
watchfulness, “ nec jacet in somno,”* and poets almost 
of our own times paint the scene when 
E le gent de la terre, ki li volent conquere, 
Li mur enfunderunt, u le arbre enciserunt; 
Quant li elefant vendrat, ki §°i apuierat, 
La arbre u Je mur carrat, e il tribucherat ; 
Issi faiterement le parnent cele gent.” 
P. 10 
the year 1121, a.v., his Livre des 
Créatures, dedicated to Adelaide of 
Louvaine, Queen of Henry I. of 
England. In the copy of it printed 
by the Historical Society of Science 
in 1841, and edited by Mr. Waicuz, 
the following passage occurs: — 
“Et Ysidres nus dit ki le elefant descrit, 
* * * * * 
Es jambes par nature nen ad que une join- 
ture . 
Il ne pot pas gesir quant il se volt dormir, 
Ke si cuchet estait par sei nen leverait ; 
Pur ceo li stot apuier, el lui del cucher, 
U a arbre u a mur, idunc dort aseur. 
) Troilus and Cressida, act ii. se. 
3. A.D. 1609. 
2 Progress of the Soul, a.p. 1633. 
* Sir T. Browns, Vulgar Errors, 
A.D. 1646. 
* Ranpat Homn’s Academy of 
Armory, A.D. 1671. Home only 
perpetuated the error of Guim; 
who wrote his Display of Heraldry 
