St. Anthony's Pigs. 
117 
Finke, and Rosamond Finke. On the north side of this street, from 
over against the east corner of St. Martin’s Oteswich Church, have ye 
divers fair and large houses till ye come to the hospital of St. Anthonie, 
sometime a cell to St. Anthonie’s of Vienna. The proctors of this 
house were to collect the benevolence of charitable persons towards the 
building and supporting thereof. And amongst other things observed in 
my youth, I remember that the officers charged with oversight of the 
markets in this city, did divers times take from the market people, pigs 
starved, or otherwise unwholesome for man’s sustenance; these they 
slit in the ear. One of the proctors for St. Anthonie tied a bell about 
the neck, and let it feed on the dunghills. No man would hurt or take 
them up, but if any gave to them bread, or other feeding, such would 
they know, watch for, and daily follow, whining till they had some¬ 
what given them ; whereupon was raised a proverb, ‘ Such an one will 
follow such an one, and whine as it were an Anthonie pig ; ’ but if such 
a pig grew to be fat and came to good liking, as oftimes they did, 
then the proctors would take him up to the use of the hospital.” (Page 
69, ed. 1842.) 
It is said that pigs were placed under the protection 
of Saint Anthony, but if such a precarious existence was 
the outcome of his favour, the poor animals might well 
have desired the patronage of some more kind-hearted 
saint. An illustration of the custom recorded by Stowe 
is found in Bale’s comedy of Thre Lawes, 1538, in which 
play Infedelity begins his address :— 
“ Good Christen people, I’m come hyther verelye 
As a true proctor of the house of S. Antonye.” 
He offers, among other charms— 
“ Lo, here is a belle to hang upon hour hogge. 
And save your cattel from the bytynge of a dogge.” 
John Leo, in his book of the history of Africa, gives 
a good description of another animal most 
useful to man, the Camel: — Camel. 
“ Camels are gentle and domesticall beasts, and are found in Africa 
in great numbers, especially in the desarts of Libya, Numidia, and 
Barbaria. And these the Arabians esteeme to bee their principall 
possessions and riches; so that speaking of the wealth of any of their 
princes, or governours, He hath, say they, so many thousand camels, 
