THE LAMPEBY. 4i3 



soon as the vessel (a gallien it was fumislied with five banks of 

 ores to a side) was perceived alone in the fleet to stand stiU, pre- 

 sently a number of bold fellows leapt out of their ships into the 

 sea, to search after the said galley, what the reason might be that 

 it ' stirred not,' and found one of these fishes sticking fast to the 

 vera helme ; which being reported to C. Caligula, he fumed and 

 sware as an emperor, taking a great indignation that so small a 

 thing as this should hold her back perforce, and check the strength 

 of all his warriors, notwithstanding there were no fewer than 400 

 lustie men in his galley, that laboured at the ore, all that ever they 

 could do to the contrary. This fish presaged an unfortunate 

 event, for no sooner was he arrived at Eome but some souldiours 

 in a mutinie fell upon him and stabbed him to death. 



That lampreys occasionally play the same pranks with 

 modern vessels as they did with ancient galleys seems 

 certain^ if we would believe all that ichthyologists ^ssert. 



Rondolet informs us that a friend of hisj ' eques for - 

 tissimus/ i. e. one who lied like a trooper, met with an 

 adventure very like that of Caius Caligula. He was going 

 to Rome in the suite of Cardinal Tournon, in a fine ship, 

 which was scudding glibly before the wind, when she 

 suddenly came to a stand-stiU, and after much wonder- 

 ment and iavestigation as to the nature of the impedi- 

 ment, a lamprey was found fixed to the helm, which was 

 removed not without difficulty,* when the vessel, freed 

 from the encumbrance, proceeded swiftly on her course, 

 and Rondolet invokes the whole- crew to attest the ve- 

 racity of this relation, and their cognizance of a fact 

 which cannot be believed though it were entered in the 

 log-book. 



The lamprey is a fine fish for the short season when 



* This part of the recital is probably correct; no buU-dog, 

 badger, or limpet being more adhesive than a lamprey: once 

 fastened to an object, he wiU not suffer it to escape ; Pennant cites 

 an instance of a lamprey, which weighed eight pounds, adhering 

 to a body of twelve pounds, so firmly as to raise it when he was 

 himself raised into the air. 



