The eighth Booke of 



purpofe they ufc to ftcalc away cither the young. Afle foles, and fct them in the darlce to the teats G 

 of the Marcjor els the young colts to fucke of the fhec Afle. For there is a kind of Mule alfo that 

 commcth of a ftonc horfc and a female AlTe : but of all others they be untoward and unruly jand 

 fo flow withalljthat it is unpoflfiblcto bring thcm io arty good icrvicc:& much more(as all things 

 ds)if they be farre in age when they cngender.If when a fliee Afle hath taken the horfc^and bee 

 fpedjthete come an Afle and cover het againejflie Will caft her fruit untimely, and loofc all : bm 



"^itisnotfoif an horfe cover her after an Afle.It is obferved and found by experience, thatfevcn 

 daics after an Afle hath foled, is the beft time to put the male unto her ^and then fooncfl will fhe 

 helped : as alfojihat thebcc Afles beingwearie with travelljwill better cover the females than 6* 

 thcrwifcjif they be reftie. That Alfe is held for barren, which is not covered, norconceivcthjbe-: 

 fore flie have caft her fucking or foles- teech : whereby the age is knowne : as alfo fbe' which flan- j| 

 dcth not to the firft covering but loofeth ir.In old time they ufcd to.call thofeHinuli, which were 

 begotten betweene an horfe and an Afl^e rand contrariwiie Mules, fuch asjwere cngendred of an 

 Afle and a Mare. Moreover, this is oblervcd^that it two beafls of divers kinds do engcndcr»,ihey 

 bring forth one of a third fort, and refembling neither of the parents : alfo, thatfuch begotten 

 in this manner, what kind of creatures foever they bee, are themfelves barren and fruitleflejuna- 

 t>lc either tobeare or beget young. And this is the caufc that the fhee mules never breed; Wee 

 find verily in our Chronicles,that oftentimes Mules brought forth yongfoles,but it was alwaics 

 taken for a monftrous and prodigious figne. And yet Theophrajlus faith,That in Cappadocia or- 

 dinarily they doe beare and bring folcsr: but they are a kind by themfelves. Mules arc broken of 

 their flinging and wincing, if they ufe often to drinke wine. It is found written in many Greekc j 

 authors, That if an hecMule caver a MarCjthcrciscngendred that which the Latincs call Hin- 

 nusjthatis to fay ja little MulcBetweene Mares and wild Afles niadc tamCjarc cngendred a kind 

 of Mules, very fwift in running,and exceeding hardhoofed,Ianke and flender of bodic,but fierce 

 and courageousjand unncth oi hardly to be broken. But the Mule that commcth of a wild Afle 



. fT) and a female tame Affe^pafTeth all the reft. As tor wild Aflcs,tlic very beft and floute of them be 

 in Phrygia and Lycaonia.ln Aiftickc,the flefh of their foles is held for excellent good meat^and 

 iijch they callLalifiones.Itappeareth in the Chroiiiclcsof Atlicns^that a Mule Jived 80 yeares* 

 And reported thus much there is of it^That when they built the tcmplcjwithin the citadell there- 

 of,this old Mule being for age able to doe nothing elfci would yet accompanie other Mules that 

 laboured and caried flones thither,and if any of them were readie to fall under their lodcjwould {( 

 feemc to releeve and hold them up,and (as it were) encourage them to his power : infomuch as 

 the people tooke fo greatdelight and pleafurc thcrcin,that they made a decree, and tooke order 

 that no corne-maiftcrs that bought and fold grain, fliould beat this Mule away from their ra»n- 

 gingfives(when they clcanfed or winnowed their eornc)but that he raighteat under them. 



Chap, jJtVi 

 ^'^ Of Biils^Kme^ttd Oxetii 



THe Boeufes of India are as high by report as Cammels, and foure foot broaChcy are be- 

 tweene the homes. In our part of the worldjthofc that come outof Epirus,are moft com- h 

 roended,and beare the grcatefl price above all othersjand namely thofe,which they fay arc 

 of the race and breed of king P^rr/^^^, who that way was very curious.For this prince becaufe hec 

 would have a principall good brced^ would not fuftcr the Buls to come unto the Kine and feafon 

 thcm,befoie they were both fourc ycarcs old* Mightic big they were therefore,and fo they conti-^ 

 nue of that kin^ unto this day. Howbeit,now when they be but heyfers of one year,or two years 

 at the moft(which is more tollerable)chey are let goe to the fellow and breed* Buls may well en- 

 gender and fervekinrfwhen they bee foure yeare old; and one of them is able all the yearelong 

 to goe with ten kine, and ferve their turner They fay moreover, that a Bull, after hce hath leapt a 

 cow,and done hiskindjif he goe his way toward the right hand,h€ hath gotten an oxe calfe:but 

 tontrariwifc,a cow calfe/f he take the left hand.Kinecommonly take at their firft feafoning ; but M 

 if it chauncc that they mifle and ftand not to it,the twentieth day after they feeke the fellow, and 

 goe a bulling againc. In the tenth tnonth they calve: and whatfocverfallcth before that tearmc, 

 never proveth nor commcth to good. Some write, that they calve juft upon the laft day of the 

 tenth month complete^ Seldomc bring they fo#rth two calves at a time- Their feafoning time 



commonly 



