of Plinies Naturall Hiftorie. 424 
A Andinverytruth, nolefle admirable be the properties which are réfpe Qed of the fea-Haret far 
to fomea very poyfon it is, taken inwardly either in meat or drinke :to othersagaine, the ondly 
afpect and fight thereof is as venomous, For if a woman great with child chatiicé burto fee ‘the 
female onely of this kind, fhe fhall enfibly thereupon feele aficke wambling in her ftomack’ (He 
fhall prefently fallto vomiting, and: anone to untimely labour > and tlie deliverie of ah abottive 
fruit. But what isthe remedie ? Lether weare about her arme fi bracelets, ay part of the’ wate, 
which ordinarily for this purpofe ts kept drie and hardened in falt; thee (hall pale there danse 
rous accidents. The fame fith is hurtfull alfo in the fea,if itbetouched onely Neither is there/any 
living creature that feedeth upon this fifth, butit dieth thereupon, tinleffe it be the fea Barbell one 
ly: all the harmie that this fith catcheth by eating of it is'this, that the fleflits more'tender by the 
B_ means,and nothing fo faft as it was ‘before : befides the meat is more unpleafanr,& not fo much 
fer by in the market, nor bought up by Caters for the kitchin.If tan or womarchance to be in- 
fected by eating ofthe fea-Hare, they prefently finell and fentof the faid fil Yand this is the firfk 
figne and argument to prove that they be empbyfoned therby:howbeit, they di¢hot immediate. 
Jy burmay continue fo many daies as the faid Hate lived after tt cane our of the fea. And theré- 
fore (according as Lécinius Macer hath left in writing) this poyfon hath no ferand prefinit time 
wherein itkilleth any bodie. As touching the fea-Hares among the Indians iris conftantly affir- 
med,thattaken they cannot be alive ;and that byway of counterchange, a man is their poyfon: 
for if hedoeno more but touch one of them with his finger in the fea,ic willforthwith die. And 
itis faid withall,that farre bigger he is there than in other feas :like as all otherbeafts whatfoever. 
C King Mea in thofe bookes which hewrote unto€.Cefar, fonne to Augufius the Emperor,asitou- 
ching the hyftorie of Arabia, faith, That their limpins, muskles, and cockles,are fo big in thofe 
feas,that one of their fhels will containe ameafure of three hemines.Alfo that there have beene 
knowne Whales fix hundred foot long and carrying a breadth of three hundred and fixtie for, 
‘to have fhot themfelves out of thefeainto the great rivers of Arabia: the fat of which Whales, 
(like as the greafe of all other fea-fithes there)is much fet by and fought after by merchants,who 
in allthofe quarters ufe it for to annoine their travelling canimels, for to drive away the Breefe or 
Gad-bee from them, which indeed cannot abide the fell of that oile. ; hati 
Crap, 11. é - 
D ee The naturall wit, docilitie,and gentlenese of fome fifbes._A Ifo where they be fo 
trqctablesthat ihey will take meat at amans hand. Finally, in 
what part of the world fifhes give anfivere 
by way of Oracle, 
Onderfullin my conceit is the wit and fubrilrie of fome fithes, if all bee true which — 
V Ovid the Poet hath reported of them in that booke of his which he entituled Haliet- 
ticon : For firft and formott he faith, That the Goldenie Scars perceiving himfelfe to 
betaken in a weire,or eficlofed within a wicker-net or leape never ftriveth to get outagaine with 
the head forward,or to thrutt his mufile betweeite the oifiers, for feare hee fhould bee canght by 
E the head :bur turning his tale unto them,keepeth fuch a fapping therwith,char he maketh him- 
felfe way by that meanes ,and fo breaketh forth of prifon backward.Now,in cafe whiles he ftrug- 
Jeth and laboureth thus to get out,another Goldenie thatis without happen to efpic him thusa 
prifoner,the fame will take hold with hismouthof his fellowe’s taile, and helpe to get him forth 
outof the faid net,which hee endevoured to breake through. Alf that the fea pike Lupus,when 
he feeth that he is compaffed about with nets,maketh a furrow with his taile into the fands,wher- 
in hee coucheth and liethclofe, that when the fithers draw their nets unto thetn,they may glide 
and pafle over him. As for the Lampreis knowing what afmooth,round,and flipperie back they 
have,they make no more adoe, bat feeing themfelves within the net, get betwene the very ma- 
fhes,which with their much winding and wrigling they will wreft wider and wider full ,untill'they 
F begottenthrough andefcaped. nt Sats eo 
| The Poulpe fifh or Pour cuttell,maketh atthe very fifh hookes which he featcheth after, and 
thofe he biteth not at,but clafpeth hard and gtipeth round about with his clees and armes that 
he hath: and never Jetteth he his hold goe,untill hee hath gnawne and eaten offthe bait cleane, 
unlefic before he have done, hee perceive that heis like to bee drawneup out of the water ee 
weet . angles 
