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 Ounce, the description whereof was taken by Doctor Cay in England.

[illustration]

[ 10]

THere is in Italy a beast called Alphec, which many in Italy, [ 20] France, and Germany cal Leunza, and some Vnzia, from whence Albertus and Isidorus make the Latin word Vnctia, and I take it to be the same beast which is called Lozanum, and for the description of it, I can follow no better author then Doctor Cay, who describeth it in this fashion.

The Ounce (saith he) is a most cruel beast, of the quanti∣ty of a village or mastiffe Dog, hauing his face and ears like to a lyons, his body, taile, feet, and nails like a Cat, of a very terrible aspect, his teeth so strong and sharpe, that he can euen cut wood in sunder with them: he hath also in his nailes so great strength, that [ 30] he onely fighteth with them, and vseth them for his greatest defence: The colour of the vpper partes of his body being like whitish Oake, the lower being of the colour of ashes, being euery where mixed with a blacke and frequent spot, but the taile more blacke then the rest of his body, and as it were obscured with a greater spot then the residue. His eares within are pale without any blacknesse, without black, without any palenesse, if you do but take away one dark & yellow spot in the midst thereof, which is made of a double skin ri∣sing, meeting in the top of the eare, that is to say, that which ariseth from the outward part of the iaw on the one side, and commeth from the vper part of the head on the other side, and the same may be easily seene and seperated in the head being dried. [ 40]

The rest of the head is spotted all ouer with a most frequent and black spot (as the rest of the body) except in that part which is betwixt the nose and the eyes, wherein there are none, vnlesse onely two, and they very small: euen as all the rest are lesser then the rest in the extreame and lowest parts: the spots which are in the vpper parts of the thighes, and in the taile, are blacker and more singular, but framed in the sides with such an order, as if all the spots should seeme to be made of foure. There is no order in the spots, except in the vpper lip, where there are fiue rowes or orders.

In the first and vppermost two which are seuered; In the second, sixe, being ioyned in in that manner, as if they should seeme to be in one line: These two orders are free, and not mingled amongst themselues. In the third order there are eight ioyned together, but [ 50] with the fourth where it endeth they are mixed together. The fourth and fifth in their be∣ginning (which they haue to the nose) being separated with a very little difference, doe foorth-with ioyne themselues, and runne together through all the vpper lip, and doe not make a spot through all the same, but a broad line. In the beast being dead the spots do so stand, (as I suppose) for the contraction of the skinne. In the beast being aliue, those spots doe seeme separated euery one in their owne orders. In the very middle

the lower lip although they do keepe the quantity, do not obserue the order. The nose is blackish, a line being softly led through the length, and onely through the top of the out∣side thereof. The eies are gray, the former teeth are onely sixe, not very vnlike to mens teeth, except those which are placed in the middle are lesser, and they in the vttermost part are greater, as also higher then those which are low.

In this beast the teeth are both great, sharp, and long, being ioyned to the rest in the lower iaw, and in the vpper seuered with so great space, that the lower teeth may be recei∣ued therein. These when the beast liueth are couered with his lips, but when hee is dead they are otherwise, his lips being through drinesse shrunk together. His foreteeth are ve∣ry [ 10] big, and as long as two Roman fingers, for at the very root therof it cannot be compre∣hended in lesse then two Roman fingers and a halfe compasse. In his tooth there is a certain small hollownesse through all the length thereof, which notwithstanding doth not appeare except the tooth be broken. The lower iaw is very hard and stiffe, hauing 3. teeth vnequal in quantity, as the vpper 4. Betweene the great tooth and the first cheeke tooth of the vn∣der iaw, there is a void space to the quantity of one finger, from which the first is present∣ly placed, lesser then the other two: to this there is another greater close adioyning: and after this there is also a third greater then the second. In the vpper iaw, in that middle space (which I said was of one Roman finger) betweene the great tooth and the first cheek tooth, there is a very little tooth and without any forme, comming so smally out of the iaw, that there is no lower tooth which may answer to the same. After that, in the space of [ 20] halfe a finger there is a second, to which there is ioynd a third, and after this a fourth, be∣tweene themselues, the vpper and the lower cheeke-teeth, and so are ioyned together as they agree in the manner of a combe, the two first teeth in the lower iaw, and the 2. and 3. in the vpper iaw are of the same figure, as the compasse of the tops of the crownes of the king of England & France. The 3. is of the same figure in the lower iaw, and the fourth of the vpper iaw, except that the interior side of both the gums which is nearer to the throat, by nature is taken away. There was no other teeth ioyned to these in both the iawes. But I do not know whether there be any more teeth in the gum beyond the reach of ones fin∣ger, in the farthest row or behind the teeth. But this I know that to all appearance there was none remaining, and it may be that his lips were cut or slit downe beyond nature to [ 30] shew his teeth. It liueth of flesh, and the female is more eruell then the male, though les∣ser, and one of either sex was broght out of Mauritania into England in a ship, for they are bred in Libia. If they haue any appointed time of copulation, it is neare the month of Iune, for in that month the male couereth the female. We haue shewed already that Li∣ons may be tamed, and that also hath bin manifest in London, both in the tower and in the citty, for there the Lions did play with their keepers and kisse them without harme, (as Docter Cay saith he saw them do) but these beasts were so fierce and wild as they could ne∣uer be tamed, for when soeuer their keeper shoulde change or remoue them from place to place, he was constrained first of al to strike them so hard with a club vpon the head that [ 40] they should lie halfe dead, & so put them in a sack or wodden chest made of purpose with holes in it for respiration and expiration, to carry them too and fro from one lodging to another: after an houre they reuiued againe like a Cat, but when they were to be taken out of the hutch or chest, he was constrained likewise to astonish them again with his club; but afterwardes they grew to inuent an engine to put the beast in, and take him out of the hutch with a rope or cord, and so do remoue them from place to place. The keepers affir∣med that they did seeme much to disdaine the Lions, and oftentimes endeuored to fight with them, but they were kept asunder with grates: they would not hurt a little Dog when he was put to them but when they were hungry, but if a great dog wer put vnto them, they tore him in pieces although their bellies were neuer so ful. When they are angry they vter [ 50] a voice like an angry dog, but they double the (Arr) twice, and also bigger then any dogs, proceeding out of a large breast and wide arteries, much like to the howling of a great mastiue, that is shut vp in a close roome alone against his will. Some say it is longer then a dog, but it did not so appeare in England, for we had many mastiue dogs as long as it, but yet was it euery way greater then any other kind of dogs. It is but a vaine report, that some haue said when a man or beast is bitten with an Ounce, presently mice flock vnto him and poison him with their vrine.

For it was seene in England that two of the keepers were wounded and shreudly bitten by one of the Ounces, and there followed them no other harme then that which follow∣weth the biting of an ordinary Dogge, or like a small incision with a knife. Hee neuer fighteth but at the head, and that trecherously if he perceiue his aduersary to be to strong or to great for him, and that by counterfetting quietnesse, beneuolence and peace, as if hee ment no harme: for so he serued a great Mastiue Dogge in England, at the first sight he seemed to applaud his comming, looking cheerefully vppon him, and wagging his taile, presently he fell downe on his belly as it were to inuite the Dogge to com neare him by his submission, lastly he got close vnto him, creeping as though hee would play [ 10] with him, putting out one of his feete as Cats do when they play, wherewithall the great Dogge grew secure, and began nothing to mistrust the Beast, at length when the Ounce saw his opportunity, he suddenly leaped vpon his Necke, and tooke him by the throate, and pulled it out, after he had killed him, with his Nailes he opened the Dogges breast, and taking out his heart, did eate it before all the people in most cruell manner, thus far Docter Cay speaketh of the Ounce, and beside him no other Author that I know. The gall of this beast is deadly poyson, it hateth all creatures, and destroyeth them, especially men, and therefore it may wel be said to be possessed with some euill spirit. It loueth none but his owne kind. And thus much for the Ounce.

Notes

• The name of this beast.
• The descrip∣tion of Doct. Cay.
• The meate and nature.