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 BEAR-APE ARCTOPITHECVS.

[illustration]

THere is in America a very de∣formed [ 20] beast which the inhabi∣tants call Haut or Hauti,* 1.1 & the Frenchmen Guenon, as big as a great Affrican Monkey.* 1.2 His belly hangeth very low, his head and face like vnto a childes, as may be seen by this liue∣ly picture, and being taken it wil sigh like a young childe. His skin is of an ash-colour, and hairie like a Beare: he hath but three clawes on a foot, as [ 30] longe as foure fingers, and like the thornes of Priuet, whereby he clim∣beth vp into the highest trees, and for the most part liueth of the leaues of a certain tree being of an exceeding heigth, which the Americans call Amahut, and thereof this beast is called Haut. Their tayle is about three fingers long, hauing very little haire thereon, it hath beene often tried, that though it suffer any famine, it will not eate the fleshe of a liuing man, and one of them was giuen me by a French-man, which I kept aliue sixe and twenty daies, and at the last it was killed by Dogges, and in that time when I had set it a∣broad in the open ayre, I obserued, that although it often rained,* 1.3 yet was that beast ne∣uer wet. When it is tame it is very louing to a man, and desirous to climbe vppe to his shoulders, which those naked Amerycans cannot endure, by reason of the sharpenesse [ 40] of his clawes.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Theuetus. Of the name
• * 1.2

  His parts
• * 1.3

  A secret in Nature.