Batman vppon Bartholome his booke De proprietatibus rerum, newly corrected, enlarged and amended: with such additions as are requisite, vnto euery seuerall booke: taken foorth of the most approued authors, the like heretofore not translated in English. Profitable for all estates, as well for the benefite of the mind as the bodie. 1582.

Of Apro. chap. 7.

* 1.1THe Boare is called Aper, and is a Swine that liueth in woodes or in flelds, and is most cruell and not milde, as Isidore sayth, and is called Aper, as it were Affer, for by fiercenesse of his bo∣dy, he is fierce and cruell, and so among y^e Gréeks the Boare is commonly called Fiagres, that is to vnderstand, fierce and cruell, and is called among Latines Vetres, for he hath greate might and strength, as it is sayd there. And Plini∣us and Auicen meane, that the Boare is a fierce beast and a cruell, for vnneth hée is tamed and made milde though hée be gelded, though other beasts be more mild what time they be gelded. Also the Bore is so fierce a beast and also so cruell, that for his fiercenesse and his cruelnesse, hée despiseth and setteth naught by death, & he réeseth full pitcously against the point of y^t Speare of a hunter. And though it be so that he be smitten or sticked with a Speare through the bodye, yet for the great ire and cruelnesse in heart that hée hath, he réeseth on his enimy, and taketh comfort and heart and strength for to worke himselfe on his aduersarye with his tuskes, and putteth himselfe in perill of death, with a wonderous fiercenesse against the weapon of his enimy, & hath in his mouth two crooked tuskes right strong and sharp, and breaketh and rent∣eth cruellye with them those which hee withstandeth: and vseth tuskes in steed of a Swoord. And hath an hard sheld broad and thicke on the right side, and putteth that alway against his weapon that pur∣sueth him, and vseth that brawne in stéed of a sheeld to defend himselfe. And when he spieth perill that shoulde befall, hée whetteth his tusks, and froteth them a∣gainst Trées, and assaieth in that while froting against trées, if the points of his tuskes be all blont. And if he féele that they be blont, he séeketh an hearb which is called Origanum, and gnaweth it and cheweth it, and cleanseth and comforteth the rootes of his teeth therewith by ver∣tue therof, as Auicen saith. And li. 28. ca. 10. Plinius sayeth, that the vrine of the Boare is medicine for euills of y^e eares, if it be meddeled with Oyle of Roses. Also his Gall helpeth against the stone, as it is sayde libro. 38. cap. 40. And his vrine is heauye to himselfe, so that hée may not arise, but if hée pisse, but is hol∣den downe as though hée were dead. For it is sayde, that his vrine burneth him.

¶Also he sayth, that the Gall of the Boare exciteth to gendring. Also he saith lib. 5. That the field Swine lencth well roots, and wroteth and diggeth the earth, and wroteth vp rootes and cutteth them with his tusks, and waxeth fat when he hath rested seuen daies, and namely if he drinke but little. And the Boare fighteth with the Woulfe, & hateth him by kinde. For y^e woulfe lieth in waite for his pigs, and stealeth them full oft. Therefore as he saith, lib. decimo quarto, Kind giueth to the Boare tuskes to desende the fe∣males and the pigges. For the females be more féeble in themselues then the males, & worse of complection. For the males be more bolde and more mightye then the females, but the female is fierce whē she is wroth, and grieueth and hur∣teth, digging, froting, & biting, and ren∣ting with téeth & tuskes. And the Boare hurteth with his tusks striking vpward. And y^t is the cause why that he may not hurt him that lieth on the ground. And the female grieueth but little them that stand. And when the Boare is wroth, he fretteth & soameth at the mouth: and so he doth when he gendereth with the fe∣male. Plinius rehearseth all these fore∣sayd things, & saith more thereto, lib. 8. cap. 2. and sayth there, that Egedius say∣eth, that Boares and other Swine bée farrowed toothed. Also Boares be sharpe and most fierce when they be in loue. For then they bite cruellye for their Sowes, & dig and cratch the earth with theyr clawes, and set vp the bristles, and whet the tuskes, and smite therewith, & shew them the woodnesse of their brests, with horrible groning and grunting: and eate but little then, but they goe and runne about females, & be therfore right leane. And Boares goe to valleys that be darke, and dwell in woodes, and kéepe

there theyr children; and liue there by rootes and fruit of wild trées. And when they espie the sautes of the hunters, and réeses, and Wolues, they go before their young. And when they maye not flye, they put them in perill for theyr young, and harden theyr shéeldes with froating against trées when they shal fight, & wrap them in durt, and drie themselues in the Sunne, and make the durt hard and fast among the haire, that they may the more surely beare and susteine the strokes of their enimies in their fighting.

Libro. 6. Aristotle sayeth, that the females and Sowes of Boares, when they haue farrowed, bée full sharpe and cruell, to rent them that come nigh their young with cruell biting. Huc vsque Plinius.

And as Isaac sayth, Boares flesh is more harde and drye, and more cold then tame Porke, and that is for his continu∣all moouing, and for drye meate and for drye ayre, and for hot ayre that is al∣waye within them. For his grease or fat is more harde, and his flesh more ly∣king in eating, and therfore tame Bores be strongly chased and tied, and also bea∣ten before they be slaine, that theyr flesh may be the more tender and sauoury be∣cause of strong moouing.

And Dioscorides speaketh more of the Boare and sayth, that his durt dronk with Wine and water, is a singular re∣medye for them that cast bloud, and hel∣peth sore sides if it be medled with vine∣ger, and souoreth and strengthneth bro∣ken bones. Looke within de Porco.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The bore Chasit in y^e Hebrue