OF THE TORTOYCE OF THE sweete-water.
PLiny maketh foure kindes of Tortoyces, one of the earth, a second [ 10] of the Sea, a third called Lutaria, and the fourth called Swyda, ly∣uing in Sweete-waters, and this is called by the Portugalls Caga∣do, and Gagado, the Spaniards Galapag, and the Italians Gaiandre de aqua. There are of this kinde found in Heluetia, neere to Zu∣ricke, at a Towne called Andelfinge: but the greatest are found in the Riuer Ganges in India, where theyr shels are as great as tuns, and Damascen writeth, that he saw certaine Ambassadours of In∣dia, present vnto Augustus Caesar at Antiochia, a Sweete-water-Tortoyce, vvhich was three cubits broad. They breede theyr young ones in Ni∣lus. They haue but a small Melt, and it wanteth both a Bladder and reines. They breede [ 20] their young ones and lay their Egges on the dry Land, for in the water they dye without respiration: therefore they digge a hole in the Earth wherein they lay their Egges, as it were in a great ditch, of the quantity of a Barrell, and hauing couered them with earth, de∣part away from them for thirty dayes; afterwardes they come againe and vncouer theyr Egges, which they finde formed into young ones, those they take away with them into the water: and these Tortoyces at the invndation of Nilus follow the Crocodiles, and re∣moue their nests and egges from the violence of the flouds.
There was a magicall and superstitious vse of these Sweete-water-Tortoyces agaynst * 1.1 Hayle, for if a man take one of these in his right hand, and carrie it with the belly vpward round about his Vineyard, & so returning in the same manner with it, & afterward lay it [ 30] vpon the backe, so as it cannot turne on the belly, but remaine with the face vpward, all manner of Clouds should passe ouer that place and neuer empty themselues vppon that * 1.2 Vineyard. But such diabolicall and foolish obseruations were not so much as to be remē∣bred in this place, were it not for their sillinesse, that by knowing them, men might learne the weakenesse of humaine wisedome when it erreth, from the Fountaine of all science and true knowledge (which is Diuinity) and the most approoued operations of Nature: And so I will say no more in this place of the Sweete-water-Tortoyce.