The eighth Booke of 



flay from farther following the (ent, looke about him every way/niifFe and puffe for very angeh G 

 Neither will he tread upon the tta.d: of a n)ans foot, but dig it out of the cartb^and give it to the 

 next Elephant umo him, and he againe to him that followethj andfofrom one to another paf^ 

 fcth this intelligence and meflage as it wcre^to the utmoft ranke behind . Then the whole heard 

 makes a ftandjand caft round about to returne backward^and withal! put rhemfelves in battell ar- 

 ray ;fo long continueth that ftrong virulent fmell of mens feet, and runneth through them all^ 

 notwithftanding for the moft part they be not bare^but ihod. Semblably,the TigreSe alfo, how 

 fierce and cruell (he be to other wild beaftsjand careth not a whit for a very Elephant : if fhe hap- 

 pen to have a fight of a mans footingjprefently^by reportjconveigheth away her young whelpejj 

 and is gone. But howcommeth fhe to this knowledge of a man ? where faw (he him ever before, 

 whom thus file feareth ? For fur^ly fuch wild woods and forefls are not much travelled & frequen- H 

 ted by men. Set cafcjthat they may well wonder at the ffraunge fight and noveltie of their trads, 

 which are fo(eldomefeene,howknow they that they are to bee feared PNayjWhatfhould bee the 

 rcaion, that they dread to iee a man indeed, being as they arcjfarre bigger,much ftrongerj and 

 fwifter by many degrees than a man ? Certes, herein is to bee feene the wonderfuH worke of Na- 

 ture,and her migh tic power jthat the gteatefljthe moft fell and favagebeafts that be, having ne- 

 ver feene that which they ought tofeare^ ihould incontinently have the fence and conceit, why 

 the fame is to be feared. 



Chap, v, 



T he underflanding and memorie of Elephmt Si ^ I 



THe Elephants march alwaies in troupes.The eldeft of them kadeth the vaward,like a cap- 

 taine : and the next to him in age,commeth behind with thecondu6l of the arrereguard. 

 When they are to pafle over any river,they put forraoft the leaft of all their companie,for 

 f eare,that if the bigger (hould enter firfl, they would, as they troad in the channell, make the wa- 

 ter to fwell and rife,and fo caufe the fourd to bee more deepe. Anti^ater writethjthat king Antio- 

 chm had two Elephants, which he ufed in his war res above all the reft 5 and famous they were for 

 their furnames,which they knew well ynough,and wift whdn any nian called them thereby. And 

 \zxA-^fAto reciting in his Annales the names of theprincipall captaine Elephants, hath left in 

 writing^That the elephant which fought moft luffily in the point of the Punick war, had to name K 

 Sums, by the fame token, that the one of his teeth was gone . \Sh&n Anticchm upon a time 

 would have founded the fourd of a certaine river, by putting the Elephants before, Aj ax refufed 

 ro take the water,who otherwife at all times was wont to lead the way . Whereupon the king pro- 

 nounced with a lowd voice,That looke which Elephantpafled to the other (ide,he (hould be the 

 captaine and cheefe.Then Patroclus gave the venture: and for his labour had a richharnifh and 

 caparifon given him,& was all trapped in filver(a thingwherein they take moft delight) & made 

 befides,the fovcrai gne of all the reft.But the other that was difgraced thusjand had loft his place, 

 would never eat any meat after, but died for very lhame of llich .1 reprochf ull ignominie. For a- 

 mong other qualities,marvellous bafhfull they are.For ifoneofthem be overmatched and van- 

 quilhed in fighfjlie will never after abide the voice and braying of the conqueror,but in token of 

 lubmiifionjgWeth him a turfe of earih,with vervaine or graile upon it. Vpon a kind of Ihamefa- 

 ced modeftiCjthey never are feene to engender together, but performe that ad in fome convert 

 and fecrctcorner. They go to rut,the male at five yeares of agCjthe female not before flie is ten 

 yeares old. And this they doe every third yeare : and they continue therein five dales in the yeate 

 (as they fay)and not above : for upon the fixt day they all to wafh themfelves over in the running 

 river: and before they be thus purified/eturne not to the heard. After they have taken one to a- 

 nother once, they never chaunge : neither fall they out and fight about their females, as other 

 creatures doe moft deadly and mortally. And this 'is not for want of love and hote affe6tion that 

 Way.For reported it is of one Elephant,that he caft a fancie and was enamoured upon a wench in 

 ^gypt that fold nofegaics and guirlands of floures. And leaft any man (hould thinke that hee M 

 had no reafon theceto,it was no ordinaric maiden, but fo amiable,as ih^uiriftof banes the excel- 

 lent Grammarian^was wonderfully in love with her. Another there was, fo kind and full of love, 

 that heefanfied a youth in thearmieof TtolomAm^ thatfcarce had never an haire on his face, 

 and fo entirely hee loved him, thatwhat dayfoeverheefaw him not^hee would forbeare his 

 - ' meat 



