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.

THE FIGVRE OF THE FIRST HYAENA.

[illustration]

[ 20] [ 30]

THis first and vulgar kind of Hyaena is bred in Affricke and Arabia, being in quantity of body like a wolfe,* 1.1 but much rougher haird, for it hath bristles [ 40] like a horsses mane all along his back, & in the middle of his back it is a litle crooked or dented, the colour yellowish, but bespeckled on the sides with blew spots, which make him looke more terrible▪ as if it had so many eies. The eies change their colour at the pleasure of the beast,* 1.2 a thousand times a day, for which cause many ignorant writers haue affirmed the same of the whole body, yet can he not see one quarter so perfectly in the day as in the night; & therfore he is called Lupus vespertinus a wolfe of the night. The skilful Lapidarists of Germany affirme that this beast hath a stone in his eies (or rather in his head) called Hyaena or Hyaenius; but the ancients say that the ap∣ple or puple of the eie is turnd into such a stone, & that it is indued with this admirable qua¦lity,* 1.3 that if a man lay it vnder his tong, he shal be able to foretell and prophesie of things [ 50] to come, the truth hereof I leaue to the reporters. Their back-bone stretcheth it selfe out to the head, so as the necke cannot bend except the whole body be turned about, and ther∣fore whensoeuer he hath occasion to wry his necke,* 1.4 he must supply that quality by remo∣uing of his whole bodie.

This Beast hath a very great hart as all other Beasts haue which are hurtful, by reason of their feare. The genital member is like a dogs or wolues; and I maruaile vpon what occa∣sion

the writers haue beene so possessed with opinion that they change sexes,* 1.5 and are somtime male and another female, that is to say male one yeare, and female another, according to these verses;

Si tamen est aliquid mir ae nouitatis in istis Alternare vices & quae modo foemina tergo. Passa marem est nunc esse marem miremur Hyaenam.* 1.6

Both kinds haue vnder their tailes a double note of passage, in the male there is a scissure like the secrets of a femal, & in the femal abunch like the stones of the male, but nether on nor other inward, but onely outward; and except this hath giuen cause of this opinion, I [ 10] cannot learne the ground thereof: onely Orus writeth, that there is a fishe of this name which turneth sexe, and peraduentute some men hearing so much of the fish,* 1.7 might mi∣stake it more easilye for the foure-footed-beast, and applye it thereunto.* 1.8 These engen∣der not onely among themselues, but also with Dogs, Lyons, Tygers, and Wolues, for the Aetheopian Lyon being couered with an Hyaena beareth the Crocuta. The Thoes of whom we shall speake more afterward, are generated betwixt this beast and a Wolfe: and indeed it is not without reason that God himselfe in holy scripture calleth it by the name of a Vespertine Wolfe, seeing it resembleth a Wolfe in the quantity, colour, in voracity and gluttoning in of flesh, in subtilty to ouercome dogs and men, euen as a Wolfe doth silly sheepe. Their teeth are in both beasts like sawes, their genitals alike,* 1.9 and both of them be∣ing [ 20] hungry range & prey in the night season.

This is accounted a most subtill and crafty beast according to the allusiue saying of Mantuan.

Est in eis Pietas Crocodili astutia Hyaenae.

And the female is far more subtill then the male, and therefore more seldome taken, for they are afraid of their own company. It was constantly affirmed that among eleuen Hy∣aenes, there was found but one female, it hath beene beleeued in ancient time that there is in this beast a magicall or enchanting power, for they write, that about what creature so∣euer he goeth round three times, it shall stand stone-still and not be able to mooue out of the place: and if Dogs do but come within the compasse of their shaddow and touch it, [ 30] they presently loose their voice: and that this she dooth most naturally in the ful moone;* 1.10 for although the swiftnesse or other opportunity of the Dogges helpeth them to fly away from her, yet if she can but cast her shadow vpon them, she easily obtaineth her prey. She can also counterfeit a mans voice, vomit, cough, and whistle, by which meanes in the night time she commeth to houses or foldes where Dogs are lodged, and so making as though she vomited, or else whistling, draweth the Dogs out of doors to her and deuoureth them.* 1.11 Likewise her nature is, if she find a man or a Dog on sleepe, she considereth whether shee or he haue the greater body, if she, then she falleth on him, and either with her weight, or some secret worke of nature by stretching her body vpon him killeth him, or maketh him sencelesse; whereby without resistance she eateth off his hands: but if she find her body to be shorter or lesser then his, then she taketh her heeles and flyeth away.

[ 40] If a man meet with this beast he must not set vpon it on the right hand, but on the lefte, for it hath bin often seene, that when in hast it did run by the Hunter on the right hand, he presently fel off from his horse sencelesse; and therefore they that secure themselues from this beast, must be carefull to receiue him on the left side, that so hee may with more fa∣cility be taken, especially (saith Pliny) if the cords wherein he is to be ensnared be fastned with seuen knots. Aelianus reporteth of them, that one of these comming to a man asleep in a sheep-coat, by laying her left hand or forefoote to his mouth made or cast him into a dead-sleep, and afterward digged about him such a hole like a graue, as shee couered all his body ouer with the earth, except his throat and head, whereupon she sat vntill she suf∣focated and stifled him: yet Philes attributeth this to her right foote. The like is attribu∣ted to a Sea-calfe, and the fish Hyaena, and therefore the old Magicians by reason of this [ 50] exanimating property, did not a little glory in these beasts, as if they had beene taught by them to exercise diabolicall and praestigious incantations, wherby they depriued men of sence, motion, and reason. They are great enemies to men, and for this cause Solinus re∣porteth of them, that by secret accustoming themselues to houses or yardes, where Car∣penters

or such mechanicks worke, they learne to call their names, and so will come be∣ing an hungred and call one of them with a distinct and articulate voyce, whereby he causeth the man many times to forsake his worke and goe to see the person calling him; but the subtill Hyaena goeth farther off, and so by calling allureth him from helpe of com∣pany,* 1.12 and afterward when she seeth time deuoureth him, and for this cause hir proper Epithite is Aemula vocis, Voyce counter-fayter.

* 1.13There is also great hatred betwixt a Pardall and this beast, for if after death their skins be mingled together the haire falleth off from the Pardals skinne, but not from the Hyae∣naes; and therfore when the Egyptians describe a superiour man ouercome by an infe∣riour, they picture these two skinnes, and so greatly are they afraide of Hyaenaes, that [ 10] they runne from all beasts, creatures and places, whereon any part of their skinne is fa∣stened. And Aelianus saith, that the Ibis bird which liueth vpon serpents is killed by the gall of an Hyaena.

He that will go safely through the mountaines or places of this beasts aboade, Rasis & Albertus say,* 1.14 that hee must carry in his hand a roote of Coloquintida. It is also beleeued that if a man compasse his ground about with the skinne of a Crocodile, an Hyaena, or a sea-Calfe, and hang it vp in the gates or gaps thereof, the fruites enclosed shall not be molested with haile or lightning. And for this cause Mariners were wont to couer the tops of their sailes with the skinnes of this beast or of the Sea-calfe; and Horus sayth, that a man clothed with this skinne may passe without feare or daunger through the mid∣dest [ 20] of his enemies: for which occasion the Egyptians doe picture the skin of an Hyaena to signifie fearelesse audacitie. Neither haue the Magitians any reason to ascribe this to any praestigious enchauntment, seeing that a figge tree also is neuer oppressed with haile nor lightning.

And the true cause thereof is assigned by the Philosophers to be the bitternesse of it, for the influence of the heauens hath no destructiue operation vppon bitter but vppon sweete things,* 1.15 and there is nothing sweete in a figge tree but onely the fruite. Also Collu∣mella writeth, that if a man put three bushels of seede graine into the skinne of this beast and afterward sowe the same, without all controuersie it will arise with much encrease. Gentian worne in an Hyaenaes skin seuen daies in steede of an amulet is very soueraigne [ 30] against the biting of mad dogges. And likewise if a man hold the tongue of an Hyaena in his hand, there is no dogge that dareth to seize vpon him. The skinne of the forehead, or the bloud of this beast, resisteth all kind of witchcraft and incantation. Likewise Pliny writeth, that the haires layed to womens lips, maketh them amorous. And so great is the vanitie of the Magicians, that they are not ashamed to affirme that by the tooth of the vp∣per iaw of this beast on the right side bound vnto a mans arme or any part thereof, he shall neuer be molested with dart or arrow.

Likewise they say, that by the genital of this beast, and the article of the backe-bone which is called Atlantios, with the skinne cleauing vnto it preserued in a house, keepeth the fa∣mily in continuall concord, and aboue al other, if a man carry about him the smallest and [ 40] extreame gut of his intrailes, he shal not onely be deliuerd from the Tyrany of the higher powers,* 1.16 but also foreknow the successe and euent of his petitions and sutes in Law.

If his left foot and nailes be bound vp together in a Linnen bagge, and so fastned vnto the right arme of a man, he shal neuer forget whatsoeuer he hath heard or knoweth. And if he cut off the right foot with the left hand and weare the same, whosoeuer seeth him shal fal in loue with him, besides the Beast. Also the marow of the right foot is profitable for a Woman that loueth not her husband, if it be put into her nostrils; And with the powder of the left claw, they which are anointed therwith, it being first of al decocted in the blood of a weasil, do fal into the hatred of al men. And if the nailes of any beast bee found in his mawe after he is slain, it signifieth the death of some of his hunters: And to conclude, such [ 50] is the folly of the Magitians, that they beleeue the transmigration of soules, not only out of one man into another, but also of man into Beasts. And therefore they affirm, that their men Symis and religious votaries departing life send their soules into Lyons,* 1.17 and their re∣ligious women into Hyaenaes.

The excrements or bones comming out of the excrements when it is killed, are thought to haue vertue in them against magicall incantations. And Democritus writeth, that in Cappadocia and Mesia, by the eating of the hearbe Therionarcha, all wilde beastes fall into a deadly sleepe, and cannot be recouered but by the aspersion of the vrine of this beast. And thus much for the first kind, now followeth the second.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Hieronimus Aristotle.
• * 1.2

  Oppianus The several parts.
• * 1.3

  Pliny
• * 1.4

  S••lmus Albertus.
• * 1.5

  Aristotle Whether they change sexes yeerely
• * 1.6

  Ouid.
• * 1.7

  Aelianus
• * 1.8

  Their procre¦ation.
• * 1.9

  The disposi∣tion and na∣tural proper∣ties of this beast. Pliny. Sol••nus
• * 1.10

  Aelianus philes.
• * 1.11

  Solinus. Aelianus.
• * 1.12

  Textor.
• * 1.13

  Aelinaus Their enmi∣tie with o∣ther beasts. Orus
• * 1.14

  The naturall vse of their skinnes. Palladius Rasis Plutarch
• * 1.15

  Coelius
• * 1.16

  Actuarius Zoroastres
• * 1.17

  Pa••phirius