The eighth BooJce of 



they drinke 6i\e, the arro\^cs and darts which fticke in their bodies will come foordi and fall off* G 

 but the more that they fweat the fooner will they take hold and abide in ftil the fafter.The carina 

 of earth breeds the confiimption in them, unlefle they feed and chew often thereof: iheydc? 

 voiire ftones alfo. As for the trunkes and bodies of trecsjit is the befl meat they have,and therin 

 take they moft delight* If the date trees be too high that they cannot reach the friiit^they will o- 

 verturne them with their forehead^and when they lie along,eat the dates.They chew and eat theit 

 meat with their mouth : but they breath jdrinkCjand fmell,with their trunkCjwhich not improper, 

 ly is called their hand. Of all other living creatures, they cannot abide a moufe or a rat, and if 

 they perceive that their provander lying m the manger^taft and fent never fo little of them_,thcy 

 refufe it and will not touch it. They arc mightily tormented with paine, if they chaunce in their 

 drinking tofwallow down an horfleech(which worme^I obfervejthey begin now to call a bloud- H 

 fucker :) for fo foone as this horfleech hath fededfaft in his wind-pipejheputteth him to intolle- 

 rablepaines.Theirhidc orskin of their backCjismoft tough and hardj butin the belly /oft and 

 tender: covered their skin is neither with haire nor briftkjno not fo much asin their taile, which 

 might fervc them in good ftead to drive away the bufie and troublefome flie, (for as vaft & huge 

 a beaft as he is,thc flie haunteth and ftingeth him) but full their skin is of croflc wrinckles lattifc- 

 wife ;and befides that^the fmell thereof is able to draw and allure fuch vcrmine to it ; and iherforc 

 when they are laid iteched alongj and perceive the flies by whole fwarmes fetled on their skin, 

 fodainly they draw thofe cranies and crevifes togither clofcjand fo crufli them all to death. This 

 fer vcs them inftcad of taile^mainCjand long haire. Their teeth bearc a very high price, and they 

 yeeld the matter of greateft requeft, and moft commendable/or to make the ftatucs and images J 

 of the gods : but fuch is the fuperfluitie and excefle of men^that they have devifed another thing 

 in them to commend; for they find forfootha fpecialidaintietaft in the hard callous fubllancc 

 of that which they call their hand: for no other reafon (I beleeve) but becaufe theyhave a con- 

 ceit that they eat y voiicjwhen they chaw this griftle ot their irunke. In temples are to be feene E- 

 lephants teeth of the greateft fize:howbeit in the marches of Africke where it confineth upon 

 iEchyopia, they make of yvorie the verie principals and corner pofts of their houfes: alfo with 

 the Elephants tooth, they make mounds and pales both for to enclofe their grounds, and alfo 

 to keepe in their beafts within parke, if it be true that iP(»/y^//^^ reporteth 3 from the teftimonie of 



'Chap. xi. ' ^ 



^ Whfre the BkfhafJts are bred ; how the Dragons and 

 the) difagree, 



£J Lephants breed in that part of Affricke which lyeth beyond the deferts and wildernefle of 

 ^theSyrtes:alfoin Mauritania: they are found alfo among the -Ethiopians and Troglo- 

 ditesjas hath been faid: but India bringeth forth the biggeft: as alfo the dragons, that are 

 continually at variance with them,and evermore fighting,and thofe offuch greatneflc,thatthey 

 can eafilyclafpe and windround about the Elephants, and withalltye themfaft with a knot. In 

 this conflid they die,both the one and the other: the Elephant hee falls downe dead asconque- ^ 

 redj and with his heavie weight cruflieth andfqueafeth the dragon that is wound and wreathed 

 about him. 



Chap, xii, 



^The wittinejfe and pollich in theft matures. 



Wonderful is the wit and fubtiltie that dumb creatures havCj^ how they fhift for them- 

 felves and annoy their enemies : which is the only difficultie that they have to arifc and 

 grow to fo great an heigth and excelfivebignefle. The dragon therefore clpyingthe 

 Elephant when he goeth to releefe^alTaileth him from an high tree and launccth himfelfe upon 

 him \ but the Elephant knowing well enough he is not able to withftand his windings and knit- M 

 tings about him, lecketh to come clofe to fome trees or hard rockes, and fo for to cru(h &r fquifc 

 the dragon between him and themuhe dragons ware hereof, entangle and fnarlehfs feet and 

 legges firft with their taile : the Elephants on the other fide, undoe thofe knots with their trunke 

 as with a hand : but to prevent that againe^ the dragons put in their heads into their ihour, and 



fo 



