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.

De Porco. cap. 87.

THE Swine is called Porcus, as it were Spurcus, vile & defiled, as Isid. saith, li. 12. for he sroteth and walloweth in durt and in fen, and diueth in slime, and fouleth himselfe therewith, and rest∣eth in a stinking place. Horatius sayth, that a Sowe is friend to fen & to myrye places: and therfore Swine be accounted foule and vncleanly, and we call the bri∣stice of Swine Setas in latine, and Shoo∣makers call them Bristles, & sow there∣with, as he saith: and some swine be tame, & some wild. And among the tame, the males be called Boares & Barowes: and be called Verres in latine: for they haue great might and strength, & the females be called Sowes, & Sues in Latine: for they digge and wrote & séeke meate vn∣der earth. And the wild male Swine bée called Bores, Apri in latine, as it were fierce, as Isidor. saith, lib. 8. cap. 51. Plini∣us speaketh of Swine and sayeth, that they be farrowed toothed, and the males gender not passing thrée yéere, a Swine dieth, if he léeseth an eie: and a swine may liue .15. yeares, or 20. yeres. And Swine haue many sicknesses, & hold their heads aside: and when they be sicke, they wal∣lowe in fenne and in puddles, and lye more on the right side then on the lefte side, and waxe fat in fortye dayes, and fat sooner if they suffer hunger thrée daies in the beginning of the féeding. Swine loue each other, and knowe each others voice: and therefore if any crie, they cry all, and labour to helpe each other with all their might. Tame Swine knowe their owne houses and home, and learne to come therto without guide and loads∣man, as hée sayth, and grunt in going and in lieng and in sléeping, and namely if they be right fat. And Swine sléepe faster in May then in othertimes of the yere, and that commeth of fumosity that

stoppeth their braine that time: And in Summer though there be great resoluti∣on of humours, there is greate wasting thereof and drieng by passing heat of the Summer: and there is no great genera∣tion of fumositie y^t is cause of sléepe: and therefore they sleepe not in Summer, as they doe in springing time, as Auicen sayth. In Haruest and in Winter hu∣mours be sad and fastened togethers by coldnesse of the aire, & compasseeth them without. And therfore few fumosities be resolued in that time for passing cold that fastneth the humours in the body, as hée sayth libro secundo, Aristotle sayeth of Swine, that Swine chaunge not theyr téeth, & the male hath more téeth then the female. Also libro. 3. Aristotle sayth, that the Boare leapeth on a Sow after eight moneths, and the Sowe farroweth after one yeare, and what the Boare gende∣reth within the first yeare, it is full fée∣ble. Also the Boare hath no vsage, that if he gendereth first with one Sow, then his pigges of the second Sowe be fewer in number, & lesse of body: when a young Sow farroweth first, her pigs shall haue but small bodyes: & if the Sow bée right fat, her milke is the more scarce after the farrowing: and pigges that bée farrow∣ed in Winter be best, and they that bée farrowed in Summer be worst: and those that be gendered in youth, bée bet∣ter then those that be gendered in age. And the Boare when he is fat, may gen∣der in euerye time of the day, and of the night, and namelye earely in the morow tide. And libro. 6. When a Sow farrow∣eth, shée giueth her first pigge the first teate: and when she desireth the déede of lecherie, she suffereth not the male to leap vppon her, vntill her eares hang downe∣ward. And Barly is full good meate for Swine, when they shall gender, & name∣ly if it be sodden. Also lib. 6. Swine haue thrée manner euills,* 1.1 one is called Bran∣cos, & is a postume in the eare and in the iawe, & oft in the féet,* 1.2 and the flesh about that place is corrupt, and the corruption passeth some and some into the flesh that is nigh thereto vntill it come to the lungs, and stuffeth then the spirit, & the Swine dieth, and this euill increaseth so∣deinly. And Swine heards, when they know first this euil, cutteth off his mem∣ber, in y^t which this euill is in: and may not be healed without cutting. And swine haue another euill, that is ach and heaui∣nesse of head, and of this euill the most part of Swine die. Another disease that they haue, is fluxe of the wombe, & hath vnneth any remedy, for it slaieth in thrée daies. And when Swine be great, it doth them good to eate Beryes: and also bath∣ing in hot water delighteth them. And they be let bloud in the veine vnder the tongue. Also diuers meat fatteth Swine, and some meate maketh them to swell, & some gendereth flesh, and some greace & fatnesse. And hogs both male and female haue liking to eate akornes: for it tem∣pereth their flesh, but and Sowes eate much thereof, it maketh them cast theyr pigges, as it maketh sheepe cast theyr lambs. And many other things Aristotle telleth of them. Looke before de Apro, & looke after de Sue.

(* 1.3The flesh of wilde Swine is much better & wholsomer, because of their stir∣ring too and fro, then is the flesh of the tame Swine.)

Notes

• * 1.1

  The dizei The me∣••ill.
• * 1.2

  The lousie. The mad
• * 1.3

  Additiō.