104 



MAMMALIA. 



[Chap. III. 



but made a drawing of the elephant presented to King 

 Henry III. by the King of France in 1255 5 in which he 

 nevertheless represents the legs as without joints. 1 



In the numerous mediaeval treatises on natural his- 

 tory, known under the title of Bestiaries, this delusion 

 regarding the elephant is often repeated ; and it is given 

 at length in a metrical version of the Physiologus of 

 Theoraldus, amongst the Arundel Manuscripts in the 

 British Museum. 2 



With the Provenpal song writers, the helplessness of 

 the fallen elephant was a favourite simile, and amongst 

 others Kichard de Bakbezieux, in the latter half of the 

 twelfth century, sung 3 , 



1 Cotton MS 8. NERO. D. 1. fol. * n the manner that he best may, 



-r~t 7 • • a ,. i • r»^o i wneiner nis trap ca^es enect. 



tteliqmce Antique, vol. l. p. 208, by T hen cometh this unwieldy elephant, 

 Mr. WRIGHT, to whom I am in- and leans him on his side, 



debted for the following rendering 

 of the passage referred to : — 



in water ge sal stonden 



in water to mid side 



£at wanne hire harde tide 



$at ge ne falle ni*er nogt 



$at it most in hire <$ogt 



for he ne haven no li$ 



c5at he mugen risen wicS, etc. 



rests against the tree in the shadow, 

 and so both fall together, 

 if nobody be by when he falls, 

 he roars ruefully and calls for help, 

 roars ruefully in his manner, 

 hopes he shall through help rise. 

 Then cometh there one (elephant) in haste,, 

 hopes he shall came him to stand up; 

 labours and tries all his might, 

 but he cannot succeed a bit. 

 He knows then no other remedy, 

 but roars with his brother, 

 majny and large (elephants) come there in 



" They will stand in the wqter, 



in water up to the middle of the side, 



that when it comes to them hard, 



they may not fall down : 



that is most in their thought, 



for they have no joint 



to enable them to rise again. 



How he resteth him this animal, 



when he walketh abroad, 



hearken how it is here told. 



For he is all unwieldy, 



forsooth he seeks out a tree, 



that is strong and stedfast, 



and leans confidently against it, 



when he is weary of walking. 



The hunter has observed this, 



who seeks to ensnare him, 



where his usual dwelling is, 



to do his will ; 



saws this tree and props it 



search, 



thinking to make him get up, 



but for the help of them all 



he may not get up. 



Then they all roar one roar, 



like the blast of a horn or the sound of bell y 



for their great roaring 



a young one cometh running, 



stoops immediately to him, 



puts his snout under him, 



and asks the help of them all ; 



this elephant they raise on his legs : 



and thus fails this hunter's trick, 



in the manner that 1 have told you." 



8 One of the most venerable au- 

 thorities by whom the fallacy was. 

 transmitted to modern times was 

 Philip de Thaun, who wrote, about 



