Plimes Maturall Hiftorie. %ji 



A As for the Many -feet or Pourcuttcls, they lie hidden for two moncths togichcr : and above tw6 

 yeers they livc tiot. They die alwaics of a confumption or PhthyficU: the female fooner than 

 the males, and ordinarily after that they have brought forth their young frie. I cannot overpafle 

 but record the reports oiTrebim T^ger^ one of the trainc and retinue of L. Lmulltis Procon- 

 full in Boeticajwhich he upon his knowledge delivcredas touching thcfe Many-feet fiflies called 

 Polypi : namely^That they arc moft defitous and grccdie ofcocklcs,mufcles,and fuch like fhell- ^i^/' " 

 fillies : and they againe on the contrarie fide/o foone as they feele themfelves touched of the ^ 

 PolypeSjfhut their lliels hard, and therewith cut afundcr their clawes orarmes that were gotten 

 vsithin : and thus fall they to feed upon ihofe, who fought to make a prey of them, [No w in very 

 truth thefelliell-fiihes, all of them fee not at all, neither have they any other fenie, but rafting 



B of their meat, and feeling of their drinke.] Thefe Polypi fore-feeing all this , lie in wait to fpie 

 when the faid cockles5&c.gape wide open, and put in a little ftone betweenc the fhells , but yet 

 bedde the flelh and bodie of the filli,for fcare Icaft if it touched and felt it, fiie would csft it forth 

 againe : thus they thcevCjand without all daunger and in fecuritie get out the flefliie fubftance of 

 the meat to dcvoure it : thepoorc cockles draw their fliells together for to clafpe them betweenc 

 (as is above-faid) bu t all in vainc/or by reafon of a wedge betweene,they will not meet clofe not 

 come neere togither. See how fubtle and craftie in this point thefe creatures be, which other- 

 wife are moft fottifli and lenfcle(fe.Moreover, the faid Trebim Niger affirmeth, that there is not 

 any other beaft nor fifh in the fea more daungerous to doeamana miichiefe within the water, 

 thanisthisPourcuttleorMany feet Polypus: for if he chaunce to light upon any ot thefe dy- 



C vers under the water,or any chat have fuffered (bipwracke and arc caft away, hee aflLiles thern in 

 this manner : He catcbeth faft hold ofthem with his clawes or armes, as if he would wreftle with 

 them, and with the hollow concavities and noukes betweenc, kcepeth afucking of them; and 

 fo long hefiicketh andfoketh their b!oud(asit werecupping-glaftcs fet to their bodies in divers 

 pKaccs) that in the end he draweth them drie.But the onely rcmedie is thisj to turne them upon 

 their back, aad then they arc (bon done and their fttength gone : for let them lie fb, ihey ftrerch 

 out themfelves abroad ^and have not the power to clafpe or comprehend any thing . And verily 

 all living creatures in the fca love the fmeil of them exceeding well, which is the caufe that fifh- 

 crs befineare and annoint their nets with them,to draw afnd allure fifhes thither. 

 Thereftwhich mine author hath related as touching this fifh, may feeme rather monftrous 



D lies and inerediblcj than othcrwife : for he affirmed, diat at Carieia there was one of thefe Poly- 

 pi, which ufcd commonly to go forth of the fea,and enter into fome of their open cefterns and 

 vauts among their ponds and fkwcs, wherein they kept great fea-fiflies , and otherwhilcs would 

 robthemoftheirfalt-firh,andfogo his waies againe: which hee pradifcd folong,thatin the 

 end he gat himfelfc the anger and dilpleafure of the matters and keepers of the faid ponds and 

 cefternsjwith his continuall and immeafurable filching: wherupon they ftaked up the place and 

 cmpalled it round about,to ftop all pafTage thither.But this thicfe gave not over his accuftomed 

 haunt for all that, but mademeanesbya certaine treetoclamber over and get to the fore- faid 

 fait fifhjand never could he be taken in the manner nor difcovered,but thatthedoggesby their 

 quickefentfound him out and bayed at him: for as he returned one night toward the fea, they 



E afTailed and fet upon him on all fides,and therewith raifedthe torefaid keepersjwho were affrigh- 

 ted at thisfo fodaine an alarme, but more at the fhaunge fight which they faw.For firft and fore- 

 moft this Polype fifh was of an unmeafutable and incredible bignefleiandbefidcsjhee was be- 

 fmeared and beraied all over with the brine and pickle of the forefaid falt -filli,vvhich made him 

 both hideous to fee to,and alfo to ftinke withall moft ftrongly.Who would ever have looked for 

 a Polype there, or taken knowledge of him by fuch markes as thefe ? Surely they thought no o- 

 ther,but that they had to deale and encounter with fonic monftet :for with his terrible blowing 

 and breathing that he kept, he drave away the doggesjand otherwhilcs with the ends of his long 

 ftringed winding fcetjhc would lafh and whip them 3 fomtimes with his ftronger clawes like arms 

 he rapped and knocked them well and furely , as it were with clubsjn fiimme,he made fuch good ^ 



p fhiftior himfelfe, that hardly and with much adoc they could kill him, albeit he received many . / / 

 a wound by trout-fpeares which they launced at him. Well,in the end his head was brought and 

 fhswedto£/W//^forawonder,andasbiggeit was as a good round hogfheador barrcU that 

 would take and containe 15 Amphores: and his beards (torfo Trebm tearmedhis clawes and 

 long-ftcinged feet) carried fuch a thicknes and bulke with thcro,that hardly a man cowld fathom 



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