The ninth Booke of 



Optatmhiskcedi\Mi\ (wtiofomctimehadbeenaflavcof his) and then Admiral! and Lieiue- G 

 ® nant gcnerall of a fleet under him, brought them firft out of that Tea, and with them llored the 

 whole coaft of our feasbctweencOftia and Campania. Order was taken by Itreight inhibitions 

 for the firft five yeares, tokillnone thatwcreputintothofefeaSabutif any were taken j that they 

 {hould be caft in againe. In proecflc of time many of them came to be found and taken up all 

 along the coaft of italie^whereas beforejthey were not to be had in thofe parts. Sec how glutto- 

 niCjand the defirc to pleafe a daintie toothjhath devifed means forfooth to fow filli^and to trant 

 plant them as it wcrCjlb to ftoire the fea with ftrange breed : fo that now we need no more to mar- 

 velljthatforrainc birds andfoulesjfet out of farre countries have their airies atRome,and breed 

 jtherc. Next to thefe fiilies abovenamed the table is ferved with a kind of Lamprels or Elepoots 

 like to fea Lamprcis , which arc bred in certaine lakes about the Alpes, and namely, in that of H 

 Rhostia called Brigantinus : and a ftrange thing it is,that they fbould be fo like in proportion to 

 thofc of the fea. Of all other fifhes of any good account, the Barbie is next^both inrequeft,arid 

 alfoin plentic. Great in quantitie they are not : for hardly fliall you find any of them weigh a- 

 bovc two pound,ncither will they feed and grow in ftewes and ponds. They are bred onely in the 

 Korthrcn fea : and never fhall you fee them in the coaft of the Weft Ocean. Moreover, of this 

 filli there be fundrie forts. And they live all of Reites and Seawds^of Oyfters,of the fat mud jand 

 of the ficfh of other filTies.They have all of them two beards^as it were,hanging downe evident- 

 ly from their nether jaw.The worft of all this kindjis that which is called Lutarius* And this fifH 

 *y . / + hath another named Sargus, that willingly evermore beareth him companie: for whiles hee is 



rooting into the mud (whereof hee takech his name) then commeih the Sargus,and devoureth I 

 the food that is raifed therewith. Neither are the Barbels much accepted that keepe neare the 

 l'horc,and in the river v^ithin land. Butthebeftfimply arc thofe that taft like unto the fhell-firn 

 X*^£^Conchylium. Fcne/Ielia e^a.ve ihem thename JVlulii,of certaine moyles or fine rhoes,which in 

 colour they doerefemble.They caft fpawne thrice in one year at the leaft : for fo often their yong 

 Frie is feene.Our great beliigods favjthat a Barbie when hee is dying,changeth his hue, and tur- 

 neth into an hundred colours ; the proofc and experience whereof may be feene if he be put in- 

 to a glafTe : for through it,it is a pretiefport to fee how he altereth and changeth his skales being 

 readie to die jOne while into a pale and wan colour,otherwhilesinto a reddifh hue,one after ano- 

 ther for many times together. A/./^^/r/V^(whowasamanof all others moft inventive and won- 

 derfull for his wittie devifes to maintaine riot and exceile) thought it was a fingular way to ftiffle K 

 andkill thefeBarbcls in a certaine Pickle^ called the Romane Allies fauce, (fee how even fuch a 

 thing as thatjhath found a furnameforfooth and a proper addition.) And he alfo went about to 

 provoke men to devife a certaine manger or broth made of their livers, like to that dripping or 

 gravie called Alec,that commeth of fi("hes when they pine and corrupt. For furely it is more ea- 

 liefor me to fay who fet men a worke thatway firft,than to fet downc who wo«n the beft game in 

 theendjand was the greateft gIutton./^/?^n;^/Cf/^j'',amanof great calling and high place, who 

 Ibmetime had been Confull, fhewed his prodigaliiic in this fifh, and it was when. CiC^Z/^/i/^ was 

 Emperour : for he gave for one Barbell eight thoufand Sefterces.Certes,the confideration here^ 

 of ravifhethmy mmdjandcarrieth itaway to behold and wonder at thofe jwho in their reproofes ^ 

 of gluttonie and goirmandile, complained, that a cook«carried a greater price in the market 

 thanagood horfeof fervice. For now adapts a cook twill coft as much as the charge of atri- 

 lunph: and onefifli as demtas a cookt.And to conclude,no man is better cfkemed and regar- 

 ded more,than he that hath the niolkunning caft to vvaft the goodsijandGonfume the fubftancf 

 of his lord and maifter, 



Chap. x;Viil< 



Tctam MatiAnm reporteth,That in the red fea there was taken a Barbell that Weighed foulf4 

 fcorcpounds,Ofa,what a pricewould he have borne among our gluttons herewith usl what M 

 would he have coft our prodigall fpendthrifts, if het had been taken upon our coafts near# 

 Rome ? Morcoverjthis is the nature of fifh,that fome are cheefe in one place, and fome in ano- 

 , /^^^^J^^^^^her. As for cxajBpIe,theCoracinus! in ^gypt cattieth the name for the beft fifh. At Cades in 

 ^'u^aJi. A^3p3jne,thcDorc«or Goldfifli^called Zeus and Faber. About thclftehbufusj the Stock- fifh is 

 ^ ' • much 



