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 WILDE FIELD-MICE. [ 20]

* 1.1THis wilde Mouse called by the Latines Mus agrestis, Mus Syluestris, Syluaticus, Subteraneus, and some say 〈◊〉〈◊〉, (althogh I rather take that word to signifie a glare worm.) It is called also Exignus Mus, and Rusticus. The Graecians cal it Myss Arourayos, the Germans field-mouse, and erd∣mouse, that is a mouse of the earth, Nualmuss, and Nu••l∣muss, Schorrmuss, Schoermowss, Stossmuss, and L••ckmuss, [ 30] by reason of her digging in the earth like a mole. The French call it Mullott. There is of these mice two kinds, a greater and a lesser. The picture of the greater we haue de∣scribed heare, forbearing the lesser, because in all partes it resembleth this, except in the quantity.

* 1.2This greater kind is not much lesser then a Rat, hauing a long broad taile like it. The eares of it are round. The head round and great, and the snout or chaps do not stand out long. They are of two colours in both kinds, some red and some blacke. They haue a beard betwixt their mouth and their eies, and the lesser mice haue a short taile. A Physitian ta∣king [ 40] occasion of the writinges of Bassianus Landus to disect one of these mice, found it to be true which he saith, that their maw and guts lye al straight and vpright. We haue shew∣ed already,* 1.3 that all kind of mice are generated out of the earth, although also they suffer copulation. And in Egypt it is very common about the Thebaijs, and the places where Nylus ouer floweth, that in the decrease and falling away of the Waters, the sunne en∣gendereth many mice vppon the slime of the earth, so that it is ordinary to see one time their forepartes to haue life, flesh, and motion, and the hinder partes deformed, and no∣thing but earth.

And about this matter there is some disputation among the Authors, for there bee Phylosophers which affirme, that euery creature as well perfect as vnperfect, may bee [ 50] made both by seede and of putrified matter; and from hence came the opinion in the Po∣ets, of the sons and daughters of the earth, and so they say, that things grow by generati∣on in infinitum: Some say that perfect creatures cannot be generated in that manner, but the imperfect ones such as mice are, may bee ingendered by seed and putrifyed matter, and afterwards beget more of his owne kind.

But Aristotle confesseth the first generation, and denyeth the second, and saith al∣though

they do generate by copulation, yet it is not Idem sed animal spece diuersum, à quo nihil amplius gigni possit; And therefore Ieronimus Gabucinus endeth this controuersie, saying. Mures ex putredine nati, generant quidem & ipsi, sed quod ex eis generatur, nec mus, est nec foemina: nec amplius generat, that is; Mice engendered of putrified matter do also engender, but that which is begotten of them is neither male nor female, neither can it engender any more, that it may not proceed in Infinitum, like a mouse engendered by copulation. But concerning the beginning of these wilde field-mice, and their encrease,* 1.4 Aristotle speaketh in this manner: we haue receiued (saith he) the wonderfull generation of wilde fielde-mice, abounding in euery place, and especially in corne fields, which by their multitude, do instantly eat vp and deuoure a great deale of graine, insomuch as it [ 10] hath bin seene, that diuers poore husbandmen, which haue determined to day, to reape their corne on the morrow, in the meane season it was so destroyed by mice, that when the reapers came in the morning, they found no corne at all.

And as the encrease of these mice was extraordinary, so also was the destruction, for men could not driue them away, as in former times by smoking them, or else by turning in swine to roote out their nests from the earth, or by sending Foxes, or wild-cats among them, but their multitude did alwaies preuaile, and yet after a fewe dayes, the showers of the cloudes destroyed them. And Pliny saith, that this ought to bee no meruaile, that there should be so great a haruest and store of these mice, seeing that men yet neuer knew how to hinder their generation, or to kill them being engendered, and yet for al that they [ 20] are sildome found in the winter time either aliue or dead. And seeing that we haue entred into the mention of the damage of these wilde field-mice, it is profitable to set down some stories out of Authors, recording the place and persons, whome they haue verye much annoyed.

Pliny writeth, as we haue shewed in our former discourse, that the inhabitants of Tro∣as, were driuen from their habitation by these field-mice, because they deuoured al their fruits, & when they died ther was a worm engendred in their heds. Diodorus Siculus in his fourth booke of auncient Monuments recordeth, that there were certaine people of Ita∣ly, which by incursion of fielde-mice were driuen to flight, and to forsake their patrimo∣nies, for they destroyed the rootes of the corne, like some horrible drought, or some [ 30] vnresistable cold frost. Cossa a Towne of Vmbria in the daies of Pliny, which at this day is called Orbi tellus, was destroyed by fielde-mice, (as Volatteranus writeth.) Niphus also saith, that hee sawe in one night, all the Corne-fieldes at Calenum destroyed by these mice.

There are such a number of these mice in Spaine, that many times their destruction caused pestilent diseases, and this thing hapned amongst the Romaines when they were in Cantabria, for they were constrained to hier men by stipends to kill the mice,* 1.5 and those which did kill them, scarse escaped with life. The inhabitants of Gyarus, an Island of the Cyclades, after they had long resisted the violence of these mice, yet at length they were [ 40] faine to yeeld vnto them, and forsake their territory; and the mice after their departure, through hunger did gnaw the yron. Wee haue shewed already how the Plilistines were punished with mice, before they sent away the Arke of the Lorde, and howe the Aeolians and Troyans were annoyed with them, vntill they had sacrificed to Apollo Smintheus, and how the mice of Heraclea, at the time of Grape-gathering, doe go out of the country and returne againe in the Autumne. When Sanacharib, king of the Arabians and Egyptians, inuaded Egypt, it is said by Herodotus, that Vulcan in the night time sent vppon his armey such an innumerable swarm of wilde-mice, that before morning they had eaten assunder their Quiuers, Arrowes, Bowes, and all warlike instrmentes, so that the next day, for the want of weapons, and feare of their enemies, they were constrained to take their heeles [ 50] and run away. And to conclude, by the same meanes the Calcidensians were driuen out of Elymnium, a citty of the mountain Athos, and thus much shall suffice for the harm•• of these mice. They make their dwellings and habitation in the earth,* 1.6 according to this say∣ing of Virgill:

Sape exiguns mus Sub terra posuit{que} domos, at{que} horria fecit.

Yet now and then they come out of the earth, although it be but seldome. They heaue vp hilles like Mols, and they eate and deuoure the rootes of corne and Hearbes. They make not very deepe holes, but dig vnder the turfes, and vpper face of the earth, so that when a man walketh vpon it he may perceiue it by the sinking in of his footesteps: if the hole be opened with a Spade, they close it againe as a Mole doth, but not so speedily, for they defer it two or three daies together, and therefore if it be watched they may kill her at hir returne by treading vpon her; concerning the manner of taking them, these obseruati∣ons following may be put in practise. [ 10]

* 1.7These kind of Mice are driuen or chased away with the ashes of a Weasell, or of a cat mingled with water, and by sprinkling or scattering seede or corne abroade, or by some things well sodden in Water: but the poysoning of those Mice is in the sent or sauor of bread:* 1.8 and therefore they thinke it more profitable to touch the seede or Corne lightly with the gall of an Oxe. Apuleus doth affirme, that to soke the graine or corne in the gall of an Oxe before you sprinkle it abroad,* 1.9 is very good against these fielde-mice: also (as it is read in Geopon Graec.) it doth very much commend the gall of Oxen, wherewith as he saith, if the seed or corne be touched, they shal be freed from the molestation or trouble of these field-mice.

Notwithwanding in the Dog-daies Hemlock-seede ith the hearbe Hellebor is better, or with wilde cucumber, or with Henne-bane, or being beaten with bitter Almonds, and [ 20] Bears-foot, and to mingle with them iust as much meal or corne, & beat and stamp them in oile, and when you haue so done, put it into the hollow places of these field-mice: and they wil die assoone as euer they shall tast of it. Auicen doth affirme also, that Hen-bane∣seede doth kill these kind of Mice, without the mixture of any other thing. Very many do stop the passages of them with the leaues of Rododaphne, who do perish in the time they are laboring to make their passage, by the gnawing of them.

Apuleius also saith, that the people of Bithynia haue had much experience of these thinges, who stopped the passages of these mice with these Rododaphne leaues, so that they desire to come forth by touching the same often with their teeth: which truely so soone as they shal touch or come vnto, they shal presently dye. But they vse a kind of incantation which is this that followeth. I do adiure all ye mice which do remaine or abide heare, that yee [ 30] do not offer me wrong, or suffer me to be wronged of any other. For I do assigne and ap∣point you this fielde, (then he nameth the fielde) in which if I should supprize you here∣after, I cal Luno to witnesse, I wil teare euery one of you into seuen pieces: when as thou hast write this charme, binde paper fast to the place wherein the Mice haunt, and that be∣fore the rising of the Sunne: so that the charecters or markes may appeare on the out∣side cleaning to a naturall stone of that place. I haue written this (saith the Author) lest any thing should seeme to be ouerskipped: neither doe I allow or proue such thinges can be done, but I rather counsell al men that they do not set their mind to any of these which are more worthy of derision then imitation. If thou shalt fill the passages of these rusticall [ 40] or field-mice with the ashes of an Oak, he shall be possessed with a feruent desire to it, of∣ten touching it and so shall die.

* 1.10These countrey Mice, that is to say those Mice which are founde in the fieldes, being bruised and burned to ashes, and mingled with fresh honey, doeth comfort or restore the sight of the eies by diminishing the darkenesse or dimnesse thereof, in what fielde soeuer you shall find any thing, dig them vp by the rootes with a little stake or post.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The Epithits of wild mice describing their kinds,
• * 1.2

  Their seueral parts.
• * 1.3

  Whether Mice engen∣dred of the earth, can pro¦create other. Aelianus Pliny
• * 1.4

  The damage done by wild field-Mice
• * 1.5

  Strabo.
• * 1.6

  Places of their abode.
• * 1.7

  Driuing a∣way of these mice.
• * 1.8

  Plinius.
• * 1.9

  Paliadius
• * 1.10

  Marcellus. The medi∣cines of field mice. Scholiastes.