Plinies Naturall Hiftorie. 



A the timeof civill mrre, after the battaile foHght in the pkines of Pharfalia^ a fhrevvd fore-token 

 and unhappie prefagefor the future events and namely^formen of an high fpiricand brave 



- . mind in thofe daies^unto whom this prodigious fight did prognofticate the yoke of fubjedion : 

 for what fhould I fay, how Antonie rode in that wife with the courcifan Cjtheris^ a common Ac- 

 treflcinEnterludes upon the ftage ? tofeefuch a fight, was a monftrous fpedaclej thatpafled all 

 the calamities of thofe times. It is reported, that HAnno (one of the nobleft Carthaginians that 

 ever were) was the firft man that durft handle a Lion with his bare hand, and Ihewe him gentle 

 andtame^tofollowhim allthecitieoverinariiplikeadogge. But this devife andtricke of his 

 turned him to great domagejandcofthiip his utter undoing; for the Carthaginians hereupon 

 laidthisground,that/^^»z?^>3araanof fuch a gift, lb wittie and inventive of all dcvifes, would be 



g able to perfuade the people to whatfoever his mind ftood 5 and that it was a daungerous and tic- 

 klifli point to put the libertie of fo great a ftate as Carthage was, into the hands and managing 

 of him, who could handle and tame the furious violence of fo favage a beaft : and thereupon 

 condemned and banifhed him. Moreover we find in hiftories, many examples alfo of their cle- 

 mencie and gentlenefTejfeene upon divers cafualloccafions. Memor the Syracufianjfortuned in 

 Syria to meet with aLion^who after an humble manner, in token of obedience and fubmiflion, 

 fcemed to tumble and wallow before him: he aftonied for very feare.ftarted backe and began to 

 fliejbut the wild beaft followed him fiili j and was readie at every turne to prefent himfelfe beford 

 him, licking the verie tracks of his footiteps as he went,in flattering manner,as if he would make 

 love unto him. Mentor at length was ware that the Lion had a wound in hisfoot,and ihatitfwel- 



Q led thercvAiith: whereupon he gently plucked out the ipill of wood that had gotten into it, and 

 foeafed the beaft of hispaine.Thisaccidentisforamemoriallrepreienced in a pidure at Syra- 

 cufa. Semblably, Elpis a Samian being arrived and landed in Aftricke,chaunced to efpie neere 

 the flioare, a Lion,gaping wide and feeming afar off to whet his teeth at him in menacing wife i 

 he fled apace to take a tree^and called upon god Bacchm to help him (for then commonly we fall 

 to our praiers when we fee litde or no hope of other heipe:) but the Lion ftopped him not in his 

 flight, albeit he could have crofTed the way well enough jbut laying himfelte downe at the tree 

 root with that open mouth of his whccewith he had skarcd the man, made fignes to move pitie 

 andcompaffion.Nowfoitwas^thatthe beaft having latelyfed greedily, had gotten a lliarpe 

 bone within his teeth which put him toexceedingpaine; befides that, he was almoftfamifhed 5 



D and he looked pittifully up to theman^fliewinghow he was punifned himfelf among thofe very 

 weapons wherwith hewas to annoy others, and aftera fort v\'ith dumb & nrLiie praiers befoughc 

 his helpe. Elf is avifed him well a pretie v\-hile,and befides that hee was not very forward to ven- 

 ture upontbe wild beaft, he ftaied the longer and made the leffe haftjwhiles he confidered rather 

 this ftraunge and miraculous accident, than othcrwife greatly feared . , At the laft hee commeth 

 downe from the tree, and plucketh out the bone, whiles the Lion held his mouth handfomly to 

 him, and compofing himfelfe for to receive his helpfuU hand as fitly as pofTibly he could. In re- 

 compence of which good turne, it is faid, that fo long as this fliip of his lay there at anchor, the 

 Lion furiiiflied him and hiscompanie with good ftore of venifon readie killed to his hand. And 

 upon this occafion J Elpis after his returne, dedicated a temple in Samos to god Bachus^ which 



£ upon this reafon the Greekes called ki^U/oto^ Aiovvo-zr, /. of dipwg Biccbii^s : or, a-uTHfo^ vccov 

 AfovvVzjj/.The chappeil of B.icch^i^ the Saviour. Can wee marveile any morefrom henceforth, 

 that wild beafts fhould marke and know the footing of a man, feeing that in their extremities 

 and necefTities, they have recourfe to him alone for hope of fuccour ? And why went not tliey to 

 other creatures ? or who taught them that the hand of mian was able to cure them ? unlefle this 

 be the reafon peradventure,That griefcjanguifh^andextreame peril/orceth even favage beafts 

 to feeke all meanes of hclpe and reliefe. 



Chap, xvii^ 

 of F anthers, 



^ Ernstrm the Philofopher,fo well feen in the fpeculation of Natures workes^ and the cm- 



I I fes thereof,maketh mention of as memorable a cafe as the former, touching a Panthers 

 for as hee faith, there was a Panther defirous to meet with a man, and therefore lay in the 

 mids of an high- way until fome pafTenger fhould eonie byjand fodainly was efpied of thefather 



of 



