The history of brutes, or, A description of living creatures wherein the nature and properties of four-footed beasts are at large described / by Wolfgangus Franzius ... ; and now rendred into English by N.W.

CHAP. XV. (Book 15)

Of the Hart. (Book 15)

THe Hart is a Creature commonly known to be very swift, strong, but timerous; his heart is yel∣lowish; but in Critannia there are some found that have blackish hearts; these are the only Creatures that have yearly new horns. 1. Those Creatures that have great hearts are most timerous, because the heat is more dispersed; but on the contrary those Creatures that have lesser hearts are stronger, ac∣cording to that saying, vis uuit a fortior; so we read in the first Iliad of Homer, that when Achilles told Agamemnon of his timerousness, he answered him that he had cor cervi, the heart of a Stag. 2. This is a very swift Creature; David giveth God praise that he had given him the feet of a Hart, Psal. 18. 34. because God had alwayes given him speedy and prosperous success in his enterprises; he is na∣turally very leacherous, b••t especially at the rising

of Arcturus, at which time he is observed to be fiercer then at other times; it is common among them to fight one with another for a Female, and oftentimes are mortally wounded; at this time their flesh is something rank, like the flesh of Goats; after the Female hath been copulating with a Male, they then do seperate themselves one from another; the Female eateth Cummin, which maketh her bring forth her young ones with a great deal of ease.

3. Although the Hart in some sense may be ter∣med a stupid Creature, insomuch that when she is hunted, if a Horse cometh by her, she perceiv∣eth him not, (for she hath her eyes fixed so on the Huntsmen,) yet this may be a great instance of her sagacity and prudence, that she alwayes feedeth and bringeth forth her young ones by the path way, by which she need not fear being made a prey by wild beasts, by reason of passengers coming so often by; she hath a very tender care of her young ones, teaching them to avoyd the snares of the Huntsman, & inureth them to running while young; she sheweth them those places which are the securest for them to lye in; as Rocks upon high Mountains, where there is but one way to it, and that but very nar∣row, and in an eminent danger to run thither; he is often seen to stand sentinel, as it were, upon a Mountain, to see which wayes the Huntsman go∣eth, and if he cometh nigh her hole where she is, she will not run away, but resisteth them; we find David, in the 18. Psalm, 33. giving God thanks that he had made his feet like Hindes feet, and had set them upon high places, i. e. That God had made

him as safe as Hindes are in high places; if he per∣ceiveth himself grown fat, he goeth into some place where there is no path, nor any one passeth by and if he seeth any man, he hideth himself, be∣cause his fatness maketh him that he cannot run so swiftly; thus in the Winter time, for then he is weaker than at other times; and so when he shed∣deth his horns, divine providence hath so ordered it, that they fall off very easily, for they grow not out of the skull, but out of the skin; the reason of his shedding his horns may be, because if they should grow still bigger and bigger, it would be a burthen to him; or else it may be, because it maketh a grea∣ter plenty of his horn (which is of such great use in Physick:) at the time of her bringing forth (which is in the Spring) she goeth aside into some private place, where no one may see her, and when she lyeth down, she either thrusteth her horn into the ground, or else hideth it where no one can see it; she goeth out to feed but in the night time; when she hath new horns growing, she tryeth the firm∣ness of them by thrusting them against a Tree, and will never be seen abroad again until her horn is firm and fit for service; and when they are full grown out, she lyeth in the Sun that it may harden them; from all which it appeareth that the Stag is a wise Creature; she soon apprehendeth any dan∣ger approaching, if she pricketh up her ears; but otherwise she is easily taken; in Scythia it is repor∣ted that Stags are so tame, that they may be rid on like Horses; Aelian reporteth of King Mithridates, that he would lye among Bulls and Horses, that he

had used familiarly, and also that he often slept with the Stags that he had tamed; if any one had come to him, one would have mowed, the Horse would have neighed, and the Stag would make a great noise until he had awakened him. 5. They exceedingly love musick▪ and are much delighted in hearing any one sing; and therefore one goeth before a Stag and singeth to him, another cometh behind him and taketh him. 6. When he is so closely pursued by the Dogs, that he seeth there is no hope at all, he will run to the Huntsman, ex∣pecting more favour from him, than from the dogs; but some there are, who are of opinion, that this proceedeth from the fierceness of their Nature.

7. He hath no gall, yet his inwards are so bit∣ter that a Dog will not touch them, unless they be very fat indeed; some have reported (but how true I shall not here dispute) that in Achaia there are Harts who have their gall in their tayl. 8. When he is wounded with a Dart, the only cure he hath is to eat some of the herb called Betony, which helpeth both to draw out the Dart, and heal the wound. 9. The Stag is a very sociable Creature, for they alwayes go together in companies; some have been seen to swim over Rivers in great com∣panies; the Captain of them going first, and the hindermost laying their heads on the backs of the foremost; and if the foremost be tyred with swim∣ing, another is put in his place, and he swimmeth behind all the rest, and laying his head upon the back of him that is before him, recovereth him∣self again; sometimes when he is hunted, he will

g••t himself into a low Tree, and hide himself a∣mong the boughs: Many wild beasts do hunt the Hart for a prey, as the weakest Creature; this they do alwayes in the morning, because then hunger pincheth them most; it is a wonderful thing to con∣sider the great Antipathy that there is between a Hart and a Serpent, for he knoweth by natural in∣stinct where the Serpents holes are; he goeth to the hole where he seeth and thinketh a Serpent is, and breatheth upon him untill he is forced to come out of his hole, and then he setteth upon him, and teareth him to pieces, or else eateth him up; the Serpent (after he hath eaten it) maketh him very thirsty, yet he knoweth by instinct of Nature, that if he drinketh any water before it is well digested, it will kill him; and upon this account he will endure thirst a long while, but at length he runneth to the water so swiftly that he is tyred before he cometh to the water, and when he is come to the fountain, he cryeth for weariness, making a lamentable noise, and panteth untill he hath recovered his breath be∣fore he will drink; thus we find David speaking, as the Hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my Soul after thee, O God, Psal. 42. 1. when he cometh to the water, he doth not immediately drink, but first plungeth himself in the water, and after he hath eatet•• so me Crabs (if he can get any) he drinketh. In Lybia there are abundance of Ser∣pents, and if they see a Hart lying along upon the ground, a great company of them leap upon him together, and one windeth himself about his neck, another about his back, some about his belly; he

being thus tormented with them, when he feeleth them bi••ing so hard, he starteth up and runneth up and down the fields as if he were mad; at last he throweth himself upon the ground, and rubbing his back against the ground, destroyeth the Snakes; but when he seeth himself all over bloody, he run∣neth immediately to the water to wash himself: the hatred that is between a Serpent and the Hart, is not only while alive, but after he is dead; for a Serpent if he smell a Harts-horn burning, will get away from it; this is also to be observed concern∣ing the Hart, that when the wind bloweth he al∣wayes runneth against it, because if he run with the wind it would carry the scent of him to the dogs. Thus we have finished what is very necessary to be spoken of the nature and properties of the Stag; I shall now speak to the several corollaries or infe∣rences that may be drawn from the nature of it; there are many similitudes which the Holy Scrip∣ture fetcheth from the Stag, which I find menti∣oned very often in profane Authors; I shall content my self out of many to collect some few, and among those many places in Scripture where we find men∣tion made of this Creature, I think this which I shall here begin with, may be accounted the chief∣est place, viz. Psal. 22. 2. where we find the Son of God compared to the Hind of the Morning; where observe, 1. He is not compared to the Hart, but to the Hind, because the Hind is the weaker Crea∣ture; thus we find, Cant. 5. 2. It is not, Gemellus meus, of male twinns, but Gemella, female twinns, ••ecause the love that Females have for Females, is

greater then that which they bear to Males; as Galatinus telleth, lib. 3. chap. 30. Christ when he suffered made his power of no effect, as Irenaeus telleth us; that is, saith he, he suffered, and spake not a word. 2. It is not unworthy our observati∣on, to consider that which is added; the Morning Hind, cerva matutina, for the beasts do make a prey of the Hind in the Morning, as being then the weakest and most obnoxious to danger. 3. Hinds flesh is softer then that of the Stag, if it be hunted; thus the flesh of Christ which was softned by those cruelties he endured, is thereby made food for us: Ein guter murber Braten, as the Germanes say. 4. As the Hart hath such a hatred against Serpents, thus Christ came into this World, that he might destroy the Old Serpent, the Devil, that he might bruise his head, destroy his Kingdom and power; we read it promised, Gen. 3. 15. that the seed of the Wo∣man shall break the Serpents head. 4. And as the hatred that is between the Hart and ••he Serpent, is the same after death; thus Christ, now he is dead, and risen again, and sitteth at the right hand of God, is still de••troying the Devils Kingdom, and doth by his breath, the preaching of the Gospel, ruine and destroy him. 5. As the Stag, after he hath de∣voured the Serpent, burneth within with a vehe∣ment drouth, which they do signifie to others by that lamentable cry which they make, panting and howling as it were, untill they come to the Foun∣tain; thus it was with Christ; we read that the Ser∣pent should bite his heel, Gen. 3. 15. Christ when he came into the World to save sinners, to destroy

the works of the Devil, he perceived the great weight of the wrath of God which then lay upon him, insomuch that in the Garden he sweat drops of blood, and when he was upon the Cross, he cryed out that he was a thirst, and with a bitter cry cal∣led upon God; saying, My God, my God, why hast thou for saken me? And when he had offered up supplications and prayers with strong crying and tears, gave up the Ghost; all which is fully and emphatically set down by the Prophet David; all my bones are out of joynt, my heart is like wax, it is melted in the midst of my bowels, my strength is dry∣ed like a pot sherd, and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; I am poured out like water, Psal. 22. 6. As there are great store of Serpents found in Lybia, which cannot endure the Seag; thus the Enemies are nu∣merous that are against Christ and his Gospel; and as the Hart when he is beset with these Serpents, some of them winding about his neck, others about his feet, which he throwing himself upon the ground destroyeth, others he bruises, and after he hath cleared himself of them, immediately runneth to a River, partly to wash himself from the blood, and partly to wash away any venom that may be in the wounds; thus Christ endured the contradiction of sinners, and by death overcame death, and con∣quered the Devil, and now enjoyeth Life Eternal; and hath left us efficacious remedies in his passion, which as often as we shall seriously consider of, and meditate upon, will be an infallible cure for any deadly wound, that the Devil by any hainous sin shall give unto us; the Church in the Canticles,

Chap. 2. v. 9. speaking of Christ, saith, that he is like the Roe, or the young Hart; or as some will have the words to signifie, a wild Goat; and they give us these reasons for it; as, 1. Because of his great swiftness and strength, in leaping over the Mountains, so that he seemeth rather to flye than leap; so Christ is said to come leaping over the Mountains, and skipping over the Hills; the word may also signifie Harts, for as Harts do fight one with another for the Hind; so doth Christ wage war with the Devil for the defence of the Church. 3. Many in Christ might be applyed to the Church, and to all good men as members of the same; thus all good men are compared to Harts, Psal. 42. 1. The Hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God: We might draw several inferences from the nature of this beast, and fur∣ther shew wherein the good man and the Hart do agree; as, 1. The Hart is meek, and a very so∣ciable Creature, loving the company of his fellows; thus the Church hath received from Christ the spi∣rit of meekness. 2. As the Hart, when surroun∣ded and beset with the Hounds, seeing no way to escape them, he will run to the Huntsman, rather then be made a prey to the Hounds; thus the Church in her greatest danger runneth for help to God, and like an humble supplicant acknowledg∣eth her transgressions, and confesseth that she hath deserved greater punishments. 3. As Harts and Goats when hunted run for refuge to high Moun∣tains and Rocks; so Christians when any wayes distressed, look up to Heaven, from whence cometh

their Salvation; and as the Stag, when he perceiv∣eth himself wounded with a dart, their only cure is Betony; thus Christians perceiving doubts to a∣rise, can find comfort no where but in the Holy Scriptures; and as I said before, some Harts have their Gall in their Tayls; so ought all good men patiently and quietly to endure injuries done unto them; not prone to revenge, but labouring daily to bridle and restrain their uuruly passions. 4. As there is a natural Antipathy and enmity between the Hart and the Serpent; thus the Church in all Ages hath alwayes had implacable Enemies, Ty∣rants, Hereticks, &c. And as when he is hunted, it groweth exceeding hot, and extreamly thirsteth for water; so when good men are vexed and per∣secuted by wicked men, they immediately betake themselves to the service of God, expecting there alone to find help and succour in all their extremi∣ties; and as when they swim over any River, they so order themselves, that the head of one lyeth on the back of another; so we ought all to bear one anothers burthens; and as, although they have large Horns, yet they hurt no one, but are very time∣rous; so Christians ought not to trust in an Arm of flesh: St. Basil saith, that as Harts by their breath do expell, and (as it were) draw out the poyson from the Serpents hole; so good men, by their good coversation do often convert and reclaim men from their sins.

And as in the Cant. Christ and the Church are compared to two friends, in like manner the Hart is an eminent instance and Symbol of love and

frieudship, concerning which we will not now speak any thing, having at large spoken to it in the for∣mer part of this Chapter.

And as oftentimes the Horns are of no use to the Hart; so neither do riches profit the owner, be∣cause as we often see the owner never liveth to en∣joy what he hath gotten; thus it often cometh to pass, that outward strength hath done a great deal of mischief, therefore it is alwayes good to trust in God for relief in all our miseries; we read, Psal. 29. That the voyee of the Lord maketh the Hinds to Calve; which is as if he should say, that God was even the midwife and Physician at the time of their bringing forth; some say that the Hart is very fear∣ful of Thunder, for when it Thundreth she never bringeth forth her young alive, which God, in the fore-cited place, is said to prevent; he also break∣eth the Cedars of Lebanon; i. e. by his word he humbleth the high and lofty spirits of men, he is said there to make the Hinds to Calve, i. e. he by his Gospel comforteth and supporteth all weak and despairing Christians; but having so largely spo∣ken of this beast, we shall say no more of it.