CHAP. XXII.
¶ Of Wolues. [unspec B]
IT is commonly thought likewise in Italy, that the eye sight of wolues is hurtful; in so much, as if they see a man before hee espy him, they cause him to lose his voice for the time. They that be bred in Affrick and Aegypt, are but little, and withal nothing liuely, but without spi∣rit. In the colder clime, they be more cruell and eger. That men may be transformed into wolues, and restored againe to their former shape, we must confidently beleeue to be a lowd lie, or else giue credit to all those tales which we haue for so many ages found to be meere fables. But how this opinion grew first, & is come to be so firmly setled, that when we would giue men the most opprobrious words of defiance that we can, we terme them Versipelles, I thinke it not [unspec C] much amisse in a word to shew. Euanthes (a writer among the Greekes, of good account and authority) reporteth, that he found among the records of the Arcadians, That in Arcadia there was a certaine house and race of the Antaei, out of which one euermore must needs be transfor∣med into a wolfe: and when they of that family haue cast lots who it shall be, they vse to ac∣company the party vpon whom the lot is falne, to a certaine meere or poole in that country: when he is thither come, they turne him naked out of all his clothes, which they hang vpon an oke thereby: then he swimmeth ouer the said lake to the other side, and being entered into the wildernesse, is presently transfigured and turned into a wolfe, and so keepeth company with his like of that kind for nine yeeres space: during which time, (if he forbeare all the while to eat mans flesh) he returneth againe to the same poole or pond, and being swomme ouer it, re∣ceiueth [unspec D] his former shape againe of a man, saue only that he shall look nine yeeres elder than before. Fabius addeth one thing more and saith, That he findeth againe the same apparell that was hung vp in the oake aforesaid. A wonder it is to see, to what passe these Greekes are come in their credulity: there is not so shamelesse a lye, but it findeth one or other of them to vphold and maintaine it. And therefore Agriopas, who wrote the Olympionicae, telleth a tale of one Daemoenetus Parrhasius, That he vpon a time at a certain solemne sacrifice (which the Arcadians celebrated in the honour of Iupiter Lycaeus) tasted of the inwards of a child that was killed for a sacrifice, according to the manner of the Arcadians (which euen was to shed mans bloud in their diuine seruice) and so was turned into a wolfe: and the same man ten yeeres after, became a man againe, was present at the exercise of publick games, wrestled, did his deuoir, and went [unspec E] away with victory home againe from Olympia. Ouer and besides, it is commonly thought and verily beleeued, that in the taile of this beast, there is a little string or haire that is effectuall to procure loue, and that when he is taken at any time, he casteth it away from him, for that it is of no force and vertue vnlesse it be taken from him whiles he liues. He goeth to rut in the whole yere not aboue twelue dayes. When he is very hungry and can get no other prey, he fee∣deth vpon the earth. In the case of presages and fore-tokens of things to come, this is obserued That if men see a wolfe abroad, cut his way and turne to their right hand, it is good; but if his mouth be full when he doth so, there is not a better signe or more lucky in the world againe. There be of this kind that are called Hart-wolues, such as we said that Pompey shewed in the grand Cirque, brought out of Fraunce. This beast (they say) be he neuer so hungry when hee [unspec F] is eating, if he chaunce to look backe, forgetteth his meat, slinketh away, and seeketh for some other prey.