broad and curled with haire, his hornes more flat then round, very long, bending toge∣ther at the top, as a Goates doe backward: insomuch as in creete, they make bovves of them: and they are not for defence of the beast, but for distinction of kind and ornament. His necke is thicke and long, and his rump or neather part of his backe is lower then the residue, descending to the tayle. His Legs are very great, broad and strong, but shorter then the quantity of his body would seeme to permit. They are very fierce being tamed, but that is corrected by putting an Iron ring through his Nostriles, whereinto is also put a cord, by which he is lead and ruled, as a horse by a bridle (for which cause in Germany they call a simple man ouerruled by the aduise of another to his owne hurt, a Bugle, lead with a ring in his Nose.) [ 10]
His feete are clouen, and with the formost he will dig the earth, and with the hindmost fight like a horse, setting on his blowes with great force, and redoubling them againe if his obiect remoue not. His voice is like the voice of an oxe; when he is chased he runneth forth right, sildome winding or turning, and when he is angred he runneth into the Wa∣ter, wherein he couereth himselfe all ouer except his mouth, to coole the heate of his blood; for this beast can neither endure outward cold nor inward heate: for which cause, they breede not but in hot countries, and being at liberty are sildome from the waters. They are very tame, so that children may ride on their backes, but on a suddaine they will runne into the Waters, and so many times indaunger the childrens liues.
Their loue to their young ones is very great, they alway giue milke from their copu∣lation [ 20] to their caluing; neither will they suffer a calfe of another kinde (whom they dis∣cerne by their smell) to sucke their milke, but beate it away if it be put vnto them: where∣fore their keepers do in such case, annoynt the calfe with Bugils excrement, and then she will admit her suckling.
They are very strong, and will draw more at once then two horsses; wherefore they are tamed for seruice, and will draw Waggons and plowes, and carry burdens also, but they are not very fit for carts: yet when they doe draw, they carry also great burthens or loads tyed to their backs with ropes and wantyghtes. At the first setting forward, they bend their Legges very much, but afterward they goe vpright, and being ouerloden they will fall to the earth, from which they cannot be raised by any stripes vntill their load or [ 30] carriage be lessened. There is no great account made of their hides, although they bee very thicke: Solinus reporteth, that the old Britons made boates of osier twigs or reedes, couering them round with Bugils skinnes, and sayled in them: and the inhabitants of the kingdome of a Caraiani, make them bucklers and shields of Bugils skinnes, which they vse in Warres, the flesh is not good for meate, which caused baptista Fiera to make this poem:
Bubalus hinc abeat, neue intret prandia nostra
Non edat hunc quisquam: sub iugo semper eat.
For they ingender melancholy and haue no good tast, being raw they are not vnplea∣sant [ 40] to behold, but sod or rosted they shew a deformed substance. The milke of this beast maketh very hard cheese, which tasteth like earth.
The medicines made of this beast are not many: with the hornes or hoofes they make rings to weare against the cramp, and it hath been beleeued [but without reason] that if a man or a woman weare rings made of the hornes and hoofes of a bugill in the time of car∣nall copulation, that they will naturally fly off from their fingers; whereas this secret was wont to be attributed to rings of Chrisolyts or Smaragde stones. To conclude, some teach husbandmen to burne the hornes or dung of their bugils on the windye side of their corne and plants, to keepe them from cankers and blasting: and thus much of the vulgar bugill, called bubalus recentiorum: whose beginning in this part of the world is vnknowne, al∣though [ 50] in Italy and other parts of Europe they are now bred and fostered.