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 Simivulpa, or Apish FOXE.

[illustration]

THose which haue trauay led the con∣try of Payran doe affirme,* 1.1 that they haue seene a four-footed beast cal∣led [ 50] in Latine Si∣mivulpa, in Greek Alopecopithecos, & in German Fuch∣ssaff: in the forpart

like a Foxe, and in the hinder part like an Ape, except that it had mans feet and eares like a Bat,* 1.2 and vnderneath the common belly, there was a skinne like a bagge or scrip, wher∣in she keepeth, lodgeth, and carrieth her young ones, vntill they are able to prouide for themselues, without the helpe of their damme: neyther do they come foorth of that re∣ceptacle, except it be to sucke milke, or sport themselues, so that the same vnderbelly is her best remedie against the furious Hunters and other rauening beasts, to preserue her young ones, for she is incredibly swift, running with that carriage as if she had no bur∣then. It hath a tayle like a Munkey: there was one of them with three young Whelpes taken, and brought into a ship, but the whelpes dyed quickly: the olde one liuing lon∣ger, was brought to Syuill, and afterward to Granado, where the King of Spaine sawe it, [ 10] which soone after by reason of the change of ayre and incertainty of dyet, did also pyne away and die. The like things doeth Cardan report of a beast called Chiurca, in Hispania noua, and Stadinius of a Seruuoy in America: but I coniecture that the former is this Fox ape,* 1.3 called in Greeke Alopecopithecos, and of the Germans Fuschsaffe, the latter the Fe∣male Cynocephall, which carryeth her wombe wherin lye her young ones without hir bel∣ly.* 1.4 There is a fish called Glaucus, whereof the male swalloweth vppe all the young ones when they are indangered by other, and afterward yeeldeth them forth againe safe and sound.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Pisonius. Gillius. The descrip∣tion.
• * 1.2

  Description.
• * 1.3

  Aelianus.
• * 1.4

  a miraculous thing of a fish