1802.} 
radife, until the female has found a cer- 
tain plant called the maz de gloire (man- 
dragora, or mandrake) of which fhe eats, ’ 
and entices the male to eat of it likewife ; 
whereby they are both excited ‘to enter 
upon the work of generation. The fe- 
male brings forth but one-young elephant, - 
and does not breed again whilft the lives, 
She leads her young one, as foon:as he is 
brought forth, to a pool of water, wherein 
he remains immerfed up to his belly, the 
male elephant conftantly keeping a» look- 
out for fear of the dragon, which is an 
enemy that covets the elephant’s blood. 
If the elephant falls, he has no power torife | 
again, having. no joint or knee; nature, 
therefore, has inftructed him to make. a 
loud outcry, which the elephants hearing, 
come to the fpot, perhaps to the number 
of twelve; thefe join with their cries until 
the little elephants’ come in, who relieve 
the fallen elephant, by. working their 
trunks under him, and thus by the help of 
the proboicis lift him again upon his legs. 
[Olitant ef la plus grant befte que lon 
fache. Ses dens font yvoire et fon bec eft 
apeles promoiftre qui eft femblable-a fer- 
pent. Ov'celui prent fa viande et lamet 
en fa bouche. “ Et porce que la promoiftre 
eft garnie de bon s’vife eit elle de fi grant 
force que-el en brife quant quil fiert. Et 
fidient li Cremoaois que il li-virent ferir. 7. 
ahne chargie fi-forte que ille geta- fur une 
maifon. Et ja foit lolifans mout fiers. 
Neporght il devient tantoft prives quant 
il eit pris. Mail i] nen entrera en net por 
paffer la mer ce fes maiftres ne li fiance de 
ramener arier, et porce fait on iur Inui 
mangeoniaus et tors de fuft por combat- 
tre; et fiJe puet on chevauchier et mener 
fa et la; non pas ofrain mais aun croc de 
fer. Mais Alixandres fik faire alencontre 
ymages de-cuivre plein de charbon ar- 
dant iique elles ciffoient et: ardoient les 
bes des olifans. Si que il ne feroient plus 
les homes por la paor des homes dou 
fuec.” Et fachies que en eaus amout grant 
fens, car il obfervent la: decipline, dou 
fouleill aufi come li hom et vont grant 
torbes enfemble aefchielles dont li ainines 
eft chevetaines par devanttous et li autres 
qui eft apres lui daage les guie et les 
conftraint par deviers, et quant i] font ala 
meflee il nufent que lun des dens et lautre 
gardent au befoing. Et ne porquant Ja 
ou il font vencu il fefforcent li un et li 
autre de damagier, luer ennemis as dens. 
La nature as olifans eft que Ja femelle 
devant. xizj. ans et Je malle devant. xv. 
ne fevent que luxure foit. Et ne-porgit 
il font fi chafte chofe que entre aus na 
mile meflee por femelle. Car chafcuns a 
Ja foe acui il fetient tout les jors de fa vie 
pal 
From the Port-folio of a Man of Letters. 
_En tel maniere que fe lun pert fa femelle 
ail na es jenoils nule jointure. 
- 
‘ 
239 
ou elle Jui il niront jamais.a autre ains 
vait tous jors foul par mi le defert. Et 
porce que luxure neft_ fi chaude que il fe 
mellent come autres .beftes fi lor avient 
par amoneftement de nature que li dui 
compaignon vont contre orient apres dou 
Paradis terrefire tant que la temelle treuve 
une herbe que lon apelle ma de-gloire, fi 
en manjue et en atife tant fon malle que 
il en manjue autreci, et maintenant efche~ 
fent la volente de chafcun et fentrejoig- 
nent a eftre, ervers et engendrent, 7. fis 
fans plus; et ce neft cune fois en toute fa 
vie tant foulement et vivent dedens. un 
eftanc jufques au ventre et la mere depofe 
fon fis, et le pere le garte tous jors por la 
paor dou dragon qui eft lor henemis por 
la coveitife de lor fanc que il chiet. Il 
ne puet relever por poore que il ait, car 
Mais. na~ 
ture qui li enfeigne a crier a haute vois 
tant que tuit li autre dow pais vienent ou 
aul mains. x7. qui tout crient enfemble 
tant que li petis olifans vienent qui le 
relievent a la force de fon bec et de fa 
bouche que il met deffoz lui.] 
Note—It appears frem the ‘fhort geograe 
phical ‘ketch which Brunetto Latini has here 
given of thefe United Kingdoms,. that the 
fuperftition, of no venomous creature being 
able to live in Ireland, prevailed before his 
age, and was well known to him; but it 
does not appear that this exemption was be- 
lieved at that time to belong exclufively to 
Ireland, as the fame notion feems to have 
been prevailing with refpeé& to the neigh- 
bouring iflands. The words of our author 
are, la plus grant partie de toures les ylles na nul 
SERPENT, (Serpents are to be foundin few of 
thefe iflands). Probably owing to the neglect 
of agriculture, whereby numerous lakes and 
marfhes were formed, caufing frequent \in- 
undations, by which means thefe dangerous 
reptiles were {wept away, and their number, 
fo far reduced as to be little lefs than a total 
extirpation of their race. It is certain thae, 
Brunetto Latini fpeaks of Ireland more em- 
phatically, as if it were peculiarly exempted 
from them; (‘‘e/peciaument cn Irlande”—particu- 
larly in Ireland, is his expreffion); and if it | 
were fo then, and if at this prefent time it 
continues to be the cafe, that no venomous 
creatures aré living in ireland, it can only 
be accounted, for by the weeping nature of 
its climate, and its unvaried face of univerfal 
bog. That the fame property is attached to 
and inherent im the ffones and earth of this 
ifland, wherever they may happen to be re- 
moved or tranf{ported, is a faét of which, we 
prefume, no evidence ever was, or will, be 
produced. (The Tranflator.) 
{3 Though Brunetto Latini came over 
to England with Henry's brother, Richard 
Earl of Cornwall, (then newly elected King 
ee of 
‘ 
