The ninth Booke df 



they y awiie and gapfif when the weather is calmc and the fea ftill. And they themfelvcs alfo who Q 

 hold the contf ariejcorifcfle plainly,That fi(hes doe fieepe. And if thathe true, HovjJ pray you^ 

 cantheyfleepeif they take not their wind PMoreoverj whence eomeihofe bubbles which con- 

 tinually are breathed foorth from under the water ? And what fhali wee fay ro thofeiheli nihcs 

 which waxe and decay in fubftance of bodie, according to the ei!e(^ of the moones encreafe or 

 dccreafe? But above all, fil"bes have hearing and fmelling, and no doubt both thcfc fenfes a^e 

 perfourmed and maintained by the benefit and matter of the aire *• for what is (mdl and fentjbut 

 the verie aire, cither infedied with a bad, or perfumed with a good favour > Howbcit I leave cve- 

 Ktman frceto his owne opinion, as touching thele points. But to return* againtto our pur- 

 pofe : this iscertein, that neither the.Whalcs called Balasnae^nor theDolphinSjhave any guills : 

 and yet dot both thefefiihes breath at certaine pipes and conduits, as it were reaching downt H 

 into their lights ; from the forehead, in the Balsencss and in the Dolphins,from the back*. Fur- 

 thermore, the Sea-calves or Scales, which thcLatincs eallP^tfir^, doe both breath and llcep* 

 upon the d^t land. So dot the fea Tortoifes alfoj whereof we will write more anon. 



Chap, vrii, 



THc fivifteft of all other living creatures whatroever,and not of fea-fiOi onlyjis the Dolphin 5 

 quicker than the flying foule,rwifter than the arrow lliot out of a bow. And but that this 

 , Ml is mouthed farre beneath his fnout, and in manner toward the mids of his belly, there J 

 were not a fifh could efcape from him,fo light and nimble he is.But Nature in great providence 

 fore-feeing fo much,hath given thefc fifhes fome let and hinderance/or unkffc they turned up- 

 right much upon their backejcatch they can no other fifh : and even therein appeareth mod of 

 all their wonderfull (wiftneile and agilitie^For when the Dolphins are driven for verie hunger to 

 Oourfe and purfue other fiihcs downe into the boitome of thclca,and thereby are forced a Jong 

 while to hold their breath, for to take their wind againe jthey launce themfelvcs aloft from under 

 the water as if they were fhot outofa bow 5 and with fuch a force they fpringup againe,that ma- 

 ny-times they mount over the verie failesand mafles of ihips. This is to be noted in them, that 

 for the moft part they fort themfelvcs by couples like man & wife* They are with yong nine mo- 

 BCths, and in the tenth bring forth their little ones,and lightly in fummer time? and otherwhiles f{ 

 they have two little dolphins at once. They fuckle them at their teats, like as die Whales or the 

 BaljEnes doe : yea and f b long as their little ones are fo ybng that they be feeblCjthey carry them 

 too and fro about them t nay when they are growne to be good bigge ones, yet they bcare them 

 companieflillalongtime, fokind and loving be they to their young. Young Dolphins come 

 very ipeedily to their growth, for in ten yecrcs they are thought to have their full bignefle :but 

 thcylivcthirtieyeeres, as hath been knowne by the experience and triall in many of them,thac 

 ha<3 their tailc cut for a marke when they were young^and let go again.They licclofe everie yeere 

 forthefpaceof thirtiedaies, about the rihngof the Dog-itarrejbutitisilraungehowthey be 

 biddenjtor no man krioweth how : and in verie deed a wonder it were,if they could not breath un- 

 tier the water. Their manner is,to breakc forth of the fea and come aland, and why they fhoiild £ 

 fo doCj it is not known : for preiently affc^on as they touch the dry groundjthcy die : and fb much 

 thefooncr, for that their pipe or conduit abovc-iaid, inconrinentiy clofeth up and is fcoppedw 

 Their tongue flirreth within their heads, contraric to the nature of all other creatures livmgin 

 the waters : the fame is fhort and broad fafhioncd like unto that of a fwine . Their voice rekm^ 

 bleth the pittifull groning of a man ; they are faddle-backedjand their fnoiitis camoife and flatj 

 turning up. And this is the caulethat all of them (after a wonderfull fort) know the name Sme^ 

 and take great pleafure that men fliould fo call them. The Dolphin i& a creirture that carrieth a 

 loving affedion not only unto man, but aifo tomuficke : delighted he is with haf monie in foog^ 

 but efpecially with the found of the water inff rument, or fuch kind of pipes,. Of aman he is no^ 

 thing atfraid,n€itheravoideth from' him asafirangcrsbut of himfelfe meeteth theirfbips, phi- M 

 cth and difporteth himlelfcjand fetchcth a thoufand friskes arid gambols before them . Hee will 

 fwimmealong by ihe marrincrs, as it werefor a wager, Who fhquld make v'vay mofl fp^ 

 lalwaies out- goeth them, faile they with never fo good a fore- iviiJid. ; 



In thedaies of yi»^/^<«^ C<£/^;' rheEmperour, therewas a Dolphin cntrsdiihe gulfe orpobk 



LucrinuSj 



