The historie of foure-footed beastes Describing the true and liuely figure of euery beast, with a discourse of their seuerall names, conditions, kindes, vertues (both naturall and medicinall) countries of their breed, their loue and hate to mankinde, and the wonderfull worke of God in their creation, preseruation, and destruction. Necessary for all diuines and students, because the story of euery beast is amplified with narrations out of Scriptures, fathers, phylosophers, physitians, and poets: wherein are declared diuers hyerogliphicks, emblems, epigrams, and other good histories, collected out of all the volumes of Conradus Gesner, and all other writers to this present day. By Edward Topsell.

Of coursers or swift light running Horsses. [ 10]

AFter the vse of Wagons, and Chariots, which men had in∣uented for their ease in trauel, & growing to bee weary ther∣of, by reason of many discommodities, they came also to the vse of single Horsses, which therefore they called coursers, and now a daies a Horsse for Saddle, whereupon men per∣forme their iournies; and the Poets say the inuenter heerof, was Belerophon the Son of Neptune, to whom his father gaue Pegasus the flying Horsse, which therfore they describe with winges, and place for a star in heauen like an Angell, because [ 20] of his incredible celerity: others attribute it to the inuention of Sesostris, otherwise called Sesonchosis, a K. of Egypt, some to Orus, when he waged war against his brother Typhon; For these horsses, are no lesse profitable in war, then in peace, although none vse them in these daies, but common Souldiers, yet in auncient time the greatest nobles rode vpon them. The Emperor Probus had one of these Horsses, which was nothing comely nor very highe, yet would he endure ordinary iournies, to run a hun∣dred mile a day, whereupon his maister was wont to say merily, that hee was better for a flying, then a fighting Souldier. The Horsses of Spaine are of this kinde, which they call Iennets, of Genibus theyr knees, because when the rider is on their backs, he must hold his knees close to the Saddle and sides, for his better ease. Like vnto these are the Barbary [ 30] Horsses, whom they geld, to keepe them from the hardnesse of the Nerues, which happe∣neth vnto them in their heate and trauell. There are a kinde of Horsses called Lycospacles, and the reason of this name is, as some say; because when they were Foales, they escaped the teeth of Wolues, being set on by them: and therefore they run the more speedily to their dying day, for the wounds of Wolues makes a Horsse light-footed; but this is not likely, for feare cannot put that into them which is not bred of nature, euen as we say, that Vlisses by auoyding Circes cup, or Cyclops, was therfore made wise, but rather on the con∣trary, because he was wise, therefore hee did auoide Circes cup; so likewise wee say, that these Horsses are not lighter of foot, nor fuller of courage, because they were set vpon by Wolues, and deliuered by feare, but because nature hath framed them, nimble, valiant, [ 40] and couragious; therefore they did auoide the Wolfe.

Aelianus also saith that these Horsses, had a wonderfull knowledge, and sagacity, to discerne betwixt Graecians and other nations; for when a Graecian came vnto them, they loued them, stood stil, and tooke meat at their hands, but if a Barbarian, or stranger came vnto them, they discerned them by their nose, as a dog doth the foot-steps of a beast, lif∣ting vp their voice, they ranne as fast away from them as they would from any rauening beast. These loued not onely their familiars, but aboue all other things, to be neate, fine, and cleauely in Chariots: For if at any time they came through water, drawing of a Cha∣riot they tooke a pride in clensing themselues from all durte and filthinesse cleauing to their legs or face. And that which is more strange, they were vnwilling in race, to be stai∣ed [ 50] or taken out therof, as appeared by this story, related by Festus. There is saith he in Rom a great gate called Ratumena, which tooke his name from the death of a young man, an Hetrurian, whoe perished there in a race of chariots, being conqueror, because his horses would not stay vntill they came into the Capitoll, and saw the framed earthen Chariots which were placed in the porch of Iupiters Temple by the Romans, and were appointed to

fashioned in earth by the hand of a cunning potter, the which being wrought in earth, and put into the furnace, they grew so great that they could not bee taken out whole; at the sight of these, the Horsses of Ratumena stood stil, but first of al, their maister was slain in the course by falling off.

The horsses of Tartaria are so incredibly swift, that they will goe twentye Germaine miles in one day. There was a race of Horsses at Venice (called Lupiferae) which were excee∣ding swift, and the common fame is, that they came vpon this occasion. There was a cer∣taine merry fellow which would become surety for euery man, for which hee was com∣monly Iested at in the whole Citty. It fortuned on a day, as he trauailed abroade in the [ 10] Woodes, that he met with certaine hunters that had taken a Wolfe, they seeing him as∣ked him merrily if he would be surety for the Wolfe, and make good all his damages that he had done to their flocks, and Foales, who instantly confessed hee would vndertake for the Wolfe, if they would set him at liberty, the hunters tooke his word, and gaue the Wolfe his life, whereupon he departed without thankes to the hunters.

Afterward in remembrance of this good turne, he brought to the house of his surety a great company of Mares without marke or brand, which he receiued, and branded them with the image of a Wolfe, and they weretherfore called (Lupiferae) from whom descen∣ded that gallant race of swift horsses among the Veneti: vppon these ride the postes, carry∣ing the letters of kings and Emperors to the appointed places, and these are said to refuse [ 20] copulation with any other Horsses that are not of their owne kind and linage.

The Persian horsses are also exceeding swift, which indeede haue giuen name vnto all others. The messengers of the great Cam King of Tartaria, haue their postes so appoin∣ted at euery fiue and twenty miles end, of these running light horsses, that they ride vpon them, two or three hundred miles a day; And the Pegasarian coursers of France, by the like change of horsses, run from Lyons to Rome in fiue or sixe daies.

The Epethits of a swifte running corser are these, winged or wing-bearing, Larke-footed, breathing, speedy, light, stirred, couetous of race, flying, sweating, not slow, victorious, rash, violent, and Pegasaean. Virgill also describeth a swift and sluggish horsse most excellently in these verses; sending one of them to the Ring, and victory of running, without respect of Countrey or foode, they are to be praised for enriching his maister, [ 30] and the other for his dulnesse to the mill, the verses are these following,

—Nempe volucrem. Sic laudamus equum, facili cui plurima palma Feruet, & exultet vanco victoria circo. Nobilis hic, quocunque venit, degramine cuius Clara fuga ante alios, & primus in aequore puluis Sed venale pecus Corithae, posteritas & Hirpini, sirara, iugo victoria sedit, Nil tibi maiorum respectus, gratia nulla Vmbrarum, dominos pretijs mutare iubentur [ 40] Exiguis, tritoque trahunt Epirhedia collo. Segnipedes, dignique malam versare Nepotis.

One of these swift light horsses is not to be admitted to race or course vntil he be past three yeare old, and then may he be safely brought to the ring and put to the stretching of his legs in a composed or violent pace as Virgill saith:

Carpere mox gyrum inicipiat gradibusque sonare. Compositis, sinuetque alterna volumina crurum.

Pliny affirmeth that if the teeth of Wolues be tyed to these horsses it wil make them neuer to giue ouer in race, and when the Sarmatians were to take long iournies, the day before [ 50] they gaue their horsses very little drinke and no meat at al, and so would they ride them an hundred and fifty miles out right.

The Arabians also in many regions vse to ride vpon Mares, vpon whom they perform great iournies, and King Darius did also fight his battailes vpon Mares which had foales; for if at any time their affaires went to wrack & they in danger, the Mares in remembrance of their foales at home would carry them away more speedily then any other horsse, and thus much for the light or swift horsses.

Notes

• Vartomanus.