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.

THE MVNKEY.

THe Munkey called in Greeke Cercopithecos, and so in Latine Cercopithe∣cus, that is a tailed Ape▪ not to destinguish it from all other Apes, but from other vulgar and common Apes, for there be Apes with tayles be∣sides a Munkey, but not so often seene. It is thought of some that the Hebrew Zijm signifieth a Munkey, other Ochim. Esa. 13. Babell shalbe de∣stroyed, [ 10] and the fearefull beasts Zijm shall lye there, and Ochim shall fill their houses. Which Ochim, is interpreted Munkeys, but not generally, wherfore there is an opinion that this kind of Ape is generated of a wilde-cat very like an Ape, and an Ape, hauing two blacke spottes on the cheekes, a long taile, and blacke at the end thereof, it is called of the I∣talians, Gatto maimone, of the French Marmot of Marmona: that is the Ape of a male, for Mona signifieth an Ape, of the Germans Meerkatz, that is the cat of the sea, of the Illiri∣ans Morska, and Koozka, as for Mammonet, it is a beast lesse then an Ape; of the Celts it is

[illustration]

[ 20] [ 30] called Abranas. They are very sportful, and giuen to imitate the actions of men like apes, it being a question, whether dogs, Elephants, or Munkeys, haue the most vnderstan∣ding among Brutes, and as was said before, when the Moone wayneth, it is heauye and dull, but in the new Moone, ioccond and pleasant. Betwixt the Mammonets and Apes is [ 40] continuall warre, and the Mammonet being the weaker, yet the wiser and craftier crea∣ture, is much more couragious in fight then an ape. These Munkeys o•• all things most abhorre a crocodile, for at the sight of the skin a farre off, it hath bin seene how the fear∣full creature hath runne through fire and water, crying and trembling for the naturall dread thereof.

They are bred in the hils of constance, in the woods of Bugia and Mauritania. In Aethio∣pia, they haue blacke heads, haire like asses, and voices like to other. In India they report that the Munkeys will clime the most steepe and high rockes, and fling stones at them that prosecute to take them. When the king of Ioga in India for religion goeth on Pil∣grimage, he carrieth with him very many Munkeys. In like sort Munkeys are brought [ 50] from the new found Lands, from calechut and Prasia: and not farre from Aden a cittie of Arabia is a most high hill, abounding in these beasts, who are a great hinderance to the poore vintagers of the countrey of calechut, for they will climbe into the high palm trees, and breaking the vessels set to receiue the Wine, poure forth that lickquor they finde in them: they will eat hearbes and graine, and ears of grasse, going togither in great flocks, whereof one euer watcheth at the vtmost bounds of their campe, that he may crye out

when the husbandman commeth, and then al flying and leaping into the next trees escape away: the females carry their young ones about with them on their shoulders, and with that burden leape from tree to tree.

There be of this kind of Munkeys two sorts, one greater the other lesser, as is accounted in England, and Munkeys are in like sort so diuided, that there be in all foure kinds differing in bignes, whereof the least is little bigger then a squirrell, and because of their marueilous and diuers mowings, mouings, voices, and gestures, the Englishmen call any man vsing such Histrionical actours a Munkey.

The onely difference betwixt these and other Apes aforesaide, is their taile; they differ [ 10] from men in their Nerues, in the ioynts of their loynes, and their processes, and they want the thirde muscle moouing the fingers of their handes. Mammonents are lesse then an Ape, brown on the back, and white on the belly, hauing a long and hairy taile, his neck almost so big as his body, for which cause they are tied by the hips that they slip not collar. They haue a round head, a face like a man, but blacke and bald on the crowne, his nose in a reasonable distance from his mouth like a mans, and not continued like an Apes, his stones greenish blew like a Turkey stone. They are caught after the manner of Apes, and being tamed and taught, they conceiue and worke very admirable feats, and their skins pulled off them being dead are dressed for garments. The foolish Arabians dedicated Memnonius cercopithecus vnto heauen, and in all afflictions implored his aide. There is one other kind of Mun∣keys, [ 20] whose taile is onely hairy at the tip called corcolipis.

Notes

• Their names
• Munster.
• Albertus. Generation of a munkey.
• Maris-mona.
• Inclination of Munkeys.
• Secretes of Munkeys nature.
• Contention.
• The feare of a Munkey.
• Ioh. Leo. Affrican. The contrey of their abod and Breed.
• Hart of Mun¦keys.
• Their food.
• Diuersities of Munkeys.
• Solinus. Their anato∣my and parts.
• V••ss••••us. Mammonets.
• Festus. another kind