Plinies Haturall Hiftorie, 



A Lucrinus,\vhich loved wonderous well a certain boyja poore mans fonne : who ufing to go every 

 day to fchoolefrom BaianumtoPutcoli^waswoontalfb about noone-tidetoihyat the water 

 fide, and to call unto the Dolphin, ^Wji'/m*?, and many times would give him fragments of 

 brcad^which of purpofe hee ever brought with him, and by this meane allured the Dolphin to ^ 

 come ordinarily unto him at his call. [1 v«oiildmake fcruple and bafh to infert this tale in my fto- 

 ^•andtotcllicoutjbut thsLtLMecdna^ Fabianus^Fk'Vim Alfius^ and many others have fet ic 

 downeforatruth in their Chronicles.] Well, inprocefifeof time, at what hourefoever of ths 

 day, this boy lured for him and called Simo^vizxz the Dolphin never fo clofe hidden in any fecree 

 and blind cornetjout he would and come abroad, yea and skudamaineto this lad : and taking 

 bread and other victuals at his handjwould gently offer him his backe to mount upon , and then 



B downe went the {hatpe pointed prickesof his finnes, which he would put up as it were within a 

 {heath for fear of hurting the boy .Thus when hehad him once on his back,he would carrie him 

 over the broad arme of thefcaas farreasPutcoli tofchoole^and in like manner convey him 

 backe againe home ; and thus he continued for many yeeres rogether,fb long as the child lived* 

 But when the boy was f alne ficke and deadjyet the Dolphin gave not over his haunt, but ufually 

 came to the woontcd place, & miffing the lad, feemed to be heavie and . mouine again, untillfor 

 ^erie griefeandforrow (asitisdoubtlestobeprefumed)healfowasfounddeaduponthefhore. 



Another Dolphin there was not many yeeres fince upon thecoaliot Affricke,neereto the 

 ciiticHippo,calledalfoDiarrhytus, which in like manner would take meat at amanshand/uf- 

 fer himfelfe gently to be handled, play with them that fwom and bathed in the feajand carrie on 



Q his backe whofoever would get Upon it. Now it fell out lb, i\\ztFUvianH4 die ProconfuU or lieu- 

 tenant Generall in Affdckc under the Romanes, perfumed and befineared this Dolphin upon 

 a time with a fweet ointment : but the fifh (as it fliould feem) fmelling this new and ftrange fmell^ 

 fell to be drowfie and fleepic^and hulled too and fro with the waves,as if it had bcene Iialte dead : 

 and as though fome injutie had been offered unto him, went his way and kept aloufe,and would 

 not converfe any more for certain moneths with men, as before-time. Howbeit in the end hee 

 came again toHippo^to thegreat wonder and afloniliiment of all that faw him. But the wrongs 

 that fome great perfons and lords did unto thecittizens of Hippo,fuch 1 meant as uied to come 

 tor to fee this fight : and namely, the hard meafure offered to thofe townfinen , vvho to their greaE 

 coft gave them entertainment, caufed the men of Hippo to kill the poore Dolphin. 



J) The like is reported in the citie lafTos, long before this time : for there was fccne a Dolphin 

 many a day to afted a ccrtaine boy, fo as he would come unto him wherefoever hechaunced to 

 cfpy hiii^But whiles at one time above iheieff he followed egerly after the lad going toward iht 

 towne,hceniot himfelfe upon the drie fands before he was aware, and diedforchwith. In regard 

 htiaoi^i^lexdnder the Great ordained that the faid young boy fliould afterward be the chiefs ^'^ 

 pricft and facrificer to Neptune in Babylon: colledingby the lingular fancie that this Dolphin •-•^V'^ 

 caihintohim,Thatitwasagreatfigneof thefpecialUove of that god of the fea unto him, and --"^ ■ 

 that he would be good and gracious to men for his fake. 



Zgeftdemmmmi\\^ih;\imx\\Q. fame laffus there was another boy named ^^rww/^ who ha- 

 ving ufed likewifeto ride upon a Dolphin over the fea, chaunced at the laff inafodaine fforme 



E to be over-whelmed with waves as hee fate upon his backe, and fo died, and was brought backe 

 dead by the Dolphin : who confeffing as it were that hee was the caufe of his death, would never 

 retire againc into the fea,but launced himfelfe upon the lands, and there died on the drie landb * ' 



The femblablc happened at Naupa6lum,by the report of TheophrafIff^3ut there is no end of 

 examples in thiskindrfor the Amphilochians and Tarcntines teffifie as much, as touching 

 dolphins that have ben enamoured of little boies: which induceth me the rather to bcleeve the 

 tale that goeth of Amf9. This i^rion being a notable mufltian and plaier of the harpc,chauh-^ 

 ced to fall into the hands of certain mariners in the fliip wherein he was, who fuppofing that he 

 had good if ore of money about him, which he had gotten with his inlfrument,v^ercinhandro 

 kill him and caf^ him over-bourd for thefaid money,and fo to intercept all his gaines : he,feeing 



F himfelfe at their devotion and merGie,befought them in the befl mannet that he could devife,to 

 fuffer him yet before lie died, to play one fit of mirth with his harpe, which theygraunted :(ac 

 his muficke and found of harpe, a number of dolphins came flocking about him :) which done, 

 they turned him over iliip-bourd into thcfea ; where one of the dolphins tooke him upon his 

 backc,and carried him fafe to the bay of Tasnarus* 



To 



