A greene forest, or A naturall historie vvherein may bee seene first the most sufferaigne vertues in all the whole kinde of stones & mettals: next of plants, as of herbes, trees, [and] shrubs, lastly of brute beastes, foules, fishes, creeping wormes [and] serpents, and that alphabetically: so that a table shall not neede. Compiled by Iohn Maplet, M. of Arte, and student in Cambridge: entending hereby yt God might especially be glorified: and the people furdered. Anno 1567.

Of the Dragon.

THe Dragon is the heade and chiefest of all other Serpents, and flieth from his Den or Caue in the earth his holownesse vp to the top of the brode ayre, and of Drágon in Gréeke, is englished flight. Plinie saith, that betweene the Dragon and the Elephant there is a na∣turall warre. Insomuch that the Dragon en∣rowleth & twineth about the Elephant with his taile, and the Elephant againe with his Snoute vsed as his hande, supplanteth & bea∣reth downe the Dragon: The Dragon with twining about him holdeth fast, and with his might somewhat bendeth backwarde the head and shoulders of the Elephant, which being so sore grieued with such waight, falleth downe to the ground, and in the fal the Dragon hath the worse, for that he falleth to y^e ground first, and is therewithall slaine: but that other sca∣peth not scotfrée, for with one anothers holde and rushing to the ground the Elephant also

is broused, and often withall slaine. Againe they striue togither after this sort. The Ele∣phant espying him sitting on the loft of a trée, runneth as fast as he can with full but to that trée, hoping thereby to shake downe the Dra∣gon, and to giue him a deadly fall: but in that he doth not after the wyse••t sort for him selfe. For the Dragon so falling, oftentimes ligh∣teth on his necke or shoulders, and agrieueth him as with byting at his Nostrelles, and pec∣king at his eies, and somtime he dazeleth him, and goeth behinde at his back and sucketh out of his bloud, so that if he shaketh him not off betimes by suche wasting of bloud as he will make, thereby he is quickly enféebled: he fal∣leth downe heauily with the Dragon also hol∣ding aboute him, and are killed both with so heauie and burdenous a fall.