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 pestilence or rottennesse of Sheepe.

[ 20] THis sicknesse first of al commeth vnto Sheepe out of the earth, either by some earth∣quake, or else by some other pestilent humor corrupting the vitall spirit, for Seneca writeth, that after the Citty Pompeij in Champania was ouerthrowne by an earth-quake in the winter time, there followed a pestilence which destroyed sixe hundered sheep about that citty in short time after, and this he saith did not happen through any naturall feare in them, but rather through the corruption of water and aire which lyeth in the vpper face of the earth, and which by the trembling of the earth is forced out, poysoning first of all the beasts because their heads are downeward and feede vpon the earth; and this also will poyson men if it were not suppressed and ouercome by a multitude of good aire which is aboue the earth. It were endlesse to describe all the euils that come by this disease, how [ 30] some consume away by crying and mourning, filling both fields and hils with their lamen∣tations, leauing nothing behinde them, no not their skins or bowels for the vse of man: For the cure whereof: First change the place of their feeding, so that if they were infected in the woods or in a cold place, driue them to the hils or to sunny warme fields, and so on the contrary, if in warme places & clementaire, then driue them to more turbulent and cold pastures: remoue and change them often, but yet force them gently, waying their sicke and feeble estate, neither suffering them to dye through lazinesse and idlenesse, nor yet to be oppressed through ouermuch labour. When you haue brought them to the place where you would haue them, there deuide them asunder, not permitting aboue [ 40] two or three together, for the disease is not so powerfull in a few as in a multitude; and be well assured that this remouing of the aire and feeding is the best phisicke. Some do pre∣scribe three-leaued-grasse, the hardest roots of reeds, Sand of the Mountaine, and such other Hearbs for the remedy of this, but herein I can promise nothing certain, only the sheapheard ought oftentimes to giue this vnto his sheepe when they are sound. I wil con∣clude therefore this discourse of the pestilence with the description of Virgil;

Balatu pecorum, & crebris mugitibus amnes, Arentes{que} sonant ripae colles{que} supini Iam{que} cateruatim dat stragem: at{que} aggerat ipsis [ 50] In stabulis, turpi dilapsa cadauera tabo, Donec humo tegere, ac foueis abscondere discunt, Nam ne{que} erat corijs vsus: nec viscera quisquam Aut vndis abolere potest, aut vincere stamma. Nec tondere quidem morbo, illuvie{que} peresa Vellera, nectelas possunt attingere putres.

Verum etiam inuisos si quis tentarat amictus Ardentes papulae, at{que} immundus olentia sudor Membra sequebatur: nec longo deinde moranti Tempore, contactos artus sacer ignis edebat.

It is reported by Iohn Stowe, that in the third yeare of Edward the first, and in Anno 1275. there was a rich man of Fraunce, that brought a sheepe out of Spaine (that was as great as a calfe of two yeare olde) into Northumberland, and that the same sheepe fell rotten, or to be infected with the Pestilence, which afterward infected almost all the sheepe of England: and before that time the pestilence or rottennesse was not knowne in England, but then it tooke such hold, and wrought such effects, as it neuer was cleare [ 10] since, and that first Pestilence gaue good occasion to be remembred, for it continued for twentie and sixe yeares together. And thus much for this disease of the Pestilence caused in England for the most part in moist and wet yeares.