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 THE IBEX.

THis beast Deuter. the 14. is called Ako▪ and is there rehear∣sed [ 30] among the clean beasts, which although the Septuagints translate Tragelaphus, yet wee haue shewed already in that story, that it cannot stand with the meaning of the Holy-ghost, because that beast is found no where but neare the ry∣uer Phasis, or in Arabia (as Pliny and Diodorus write:) & be∣sides, the Chaldey translation hath Iaela, the Persians Kotz∣iotu, the Arabians Ohal, all which by Abraham Ezra, and Rabbi Salomon, and many other of the learned Iewes, are in∣terpreted to bee the Ibex, which of the Germans is called Steinbook, and the Female of the Heluetians is called Ybschen and Ybschgeiss, which words seemeth to be deriued from the Latine word Ibex, and the Cisalpine French, which speak [ 40] Italian, dwelling about Millain, retain the German word for the Male, but the Femal by a proper word they call Vesina, and so also doe the Rhetians. The Transalpine French Bouc estane, the Illirians Kozoroziecz, and some latine Authors call him Capricornus. The Grae∣cians Ixalos and Aeigoceros; Althogh I haue neuer read Capricornus to signifie a beast, but onely a star, excepting some poeticall Gramarians who affirme this beast to be a monster of the Sea, and that Pan when he fled out of Egypt with other Gods from Typhon the Gi∣ant, their great enemy, cast himselfe into the water, and was transformed into this beast. But Iupiter admiring his wit, placed him among the stars neare to Leo, according to this verse:

[ 50] Humidus Aeigoceros, nec plus Leo tollitur vrua.

Although there be some that affirme, this Capricorne to be placed among the starres by Iupiter, because hee was nursed with him. And that Pan hath his hinder partes like a fish and his fore part like a Goat, according to these verses;

Tum gelidum valido de pectore frrgus anhelaus, Corpore semifero, magno capricornus in orbe.

[illustration]

[ 10] [ 20] [ 30] Wherefore by the signes Cancer and Capricornus, the auncients were wont to vnderstand the descending and ascending of the soul: that is to say, by the Cancer or crab which go∣eth backe-ward, the soules descent; by the Capricorn, (because the Goat climbeth) the souls ascent: and therefore they place it in the Zodiack, where the Sunne after the short daies beginneth to ascend, for no other cause then for that which I haue rehearsed. The Epithets that are giuen vnto this Capricorne, doe also belong vnto the Ibex, such as are these, moist, cold, swift, horne-bearer, watery, snowy, wool-bearer, rough, bristly-cared, [ 40] horrible, fierce, tropicke, frowning, showring, threatning, black, and such like.

To returne therefore vnto the Ibex, although I doe not dislike the opinion of them, which take it to be a wilde-goat, yet I haue reserued it into this place, because of many e∣minent difference as may appeare by the storie. First these are bred in the alpes, and are of an admirable celerity, although their heades bee loaded with such hornes, as no other beasts of their stature beareth. For I do read in Eustathius, that their hornes are sixteene palmes longe, or fiue spannes, and one palme, and sometimes seauen spans, such was the horne consecrated at Delos, being two cubits and a span long, and six and twenty pounds in weight. This beast (saith Polibius) in his necke and haire is like a Bucke-goat, beating a beard vnder his chin of a span long, as thicke as a colts taile, and in other partes of his bo∣dy [ 50] resembleth a Hart.

It seemeth that his Haebrew name Iaall, is deriued of climbing, and (Isidorus saith) that Ibices are quasi Auices, that is like Birdes, because like Fowles of the ayre, they enhabite the toppes of cliftes, Rockes, and Mountaines, farre from the viewe and sight of men. Their hornes reach to their Buttockes or Hippes, so that if at anye time hee doe chaunce to fal, he cowcheth his whole bodie betwixt his hornes, to breake the stronge force and violence of his owne weight, and also hee is able to receiue vppon

his horns the stroks of great stones which are shot or cast at him; they are knotty and sharp, and as they encrease in age so do their horns in strongnesse and other qualities vntil they be twenty yeares old.

These beasts inhabit and keepe their abode in the tops of those Mountaines, where the yee neuer thaweth or dissolueth, for it loueth cold by nature, otherwise it would be blind, for cold is agreeable to the eie-sight and beauty. It is a Noble beast and very fat. In the small head, and leane Legges, it resembleth a Hart, the eies are very faire and bright, the colour yellowish, his hoofe clouen and sharpe like wilde Goates. It farre excelleth a wilde Goate in leaping, for no man will beleeue how farre off, or what long space it will leape ex∣cept he saw it. For there is no place so steep or cragged that if it affoord him but so much [ 10] space as his foot may stand on but he will passe ouer it with a very few iumpes or leapes, The Hunters driue them to the smooth and high rockes, and there they by enclosing them take them in ropes or toyles, if they cannot come neere him with shot or Swords. When the beast seeth his Hunter which descendeth to him by some Rocke, he obserueth very diligently and watcheth if he can see any distance or space betwixt him and the rock; yea, but so much as his eye-sight can pierce through: and if he can, then he leapeth vppe and getteth betwixt the Hunter and the rocke, and so casteth him downe headlong and if he can espy no distance at all, then doeth he keepe his standing vntill hee be killed in that place.

[ 20] The hunting of this beast were very pleasant, but that it is encombred with much la∣bour and many perils, and therefore in these daies they kil them with Gunnes. The inhabi∣tants of Valois (neere the Ryuer Sedunus) take them in their infancy when they are young and tame them, and vntill they be old they are contented to goe and come with the tame Goates to pasture, but in their older and riper age they returne to their former Wilde na∣ture.

Aristotle affirmeth that they couple or engender together (not by leaping vpō each other) but standing vpright, vpon their hinder Legs, whereunto I cannot consent, because the ioynts and Nerues of their hinder Legges will not be stretched to such a copulation; and it may be that he or his relatour had seene them playing together as Goates doe, standing vpright, and so tooke that gesture in their pastime for carnall copulation. The female hath [ 30] lesse hornes then the male, but a greater body, and her hornes are very like to a Wilde Goates.

When this beast feeleth infallible tokens of her death, and perceiueth that her end by some wound or course of nature approcheth, and is at hand, it is reported by the hunters, that she ascendeth to the toppe of some Mountaine or high rocke, and there fasteneth one of her hornes in the same steepe place, going round continually and neuer standing still, vntill she haue worne that horne asunder, whereby she stayeth her selfe, and so at length at the instant or point of death, breaking her horne, falleth down and perisheth. And be∣cause they dye among the rockes, it falleth out seldome that their bodyes are found, but many times when the snow falleth from the Mountaines in great and huge Masses, it mee∣teth [ 40] with a liuing Ibex and other wilde beastes, and so oppressing them driueth them down to the foot of the hils or Mountaines, as it doth trees and small houses, which are built vp∣on the sides of them.

In Creete they make bowes of the hornes of these beastes. And concerning their taking it is not to be forgotten how the hunter which pursueth her from one rocke to another, is forced many times for the safegard of his own life, to forsake his standing, and to obserue the beast when it maketh force at him, and to rid himselfe from danger of death by lea∣ping vpon his back, and taking fast hold on his hornes, whereby he escapeth. In the house of Pompey where the memorable forrest of Gordianus was painted, there were amonge o∣ther beastes, two hundred Ibices, which Pompey gaue vnto the people at the day of his try∣umph, [ 50] for to make spoile thereof at their owne pleasure.

The medicines of the Ibex.

Some do commend the blood of the Ibex to be a very good remedy against the stone of the bladder, being vsed in this manner: first, they deuide it in partes, and put one part of the blood, and about some sixe parts of wine Apiat and Hony mixed together, and doe boile them both together lukewarme, and afterwardes they reserue it in a cleane vessell, and the third day in the morning they giue it vnto the party to drinke who is grieued, and then they put him into a Bath about noone time, and in the euening, and this order is to [ 10] obserued for three daies together, for it will come to passe that in that space the stone will be dissolued and turned into sand or grauell, and so by that meanes will haue vent toge∣ther with the vrine.

There is also by the dung of the aforesaid beast, an excelent remedy against the Sciati∣ca or hippe-gout, by which that most excellent Physitian Ausonius himselfe was healed, and many other lying disperate of remedy, which is this; to gather the dunge of this beast in the seuenteeneth day of the Moone, neither is it any great matter whether you gather it in some part of the old Moone, for it wil haue the same operation: you shal ther∣fore take as much of this dung as you can hold in your hand or fist at one time: so that the quantity of the dung be vnlike, and you shall put it in a morter and beate it to powder, & [ 10] cast twenty grains of pepper into the same fime, being very diligently pounded or brui∣sed, and then you shall adde nine ounces of the best hony vnto the aforesaid mixture, and foure pounds of the best wine, and mixe the potion in the manner of a compound wine, and the dung or durt being dryed and beaten first, you shall mingle all the rest and put them together in a vessell made of glasse, that when you haue any need you may haue the medicine ready prepared, to comfort him or her which is so afflicted.

Notes

• Of the name
• A fiction of Capricornus
• Porphyrius.
• The attributs of this beast. Textor.
• Their Coun¦tries of breed and partes of their body.
• The places of their a∣bode.
• Stumptius.
• The benefite of cold.
• Their seueral members.
• Their taking
• Their copula¦tion.
• Their beha∣uiour at their death.
• Pelagonius.
• the vse of their hornes.