The history of four-footed beasts and serpents describing at large their true and lively figure, their several names, conditions, kinds, virtues ... countries of their breed, their love and hatred to mankind, and the wonderful work by Edward Topsell ; whereunto is now added, The theater of insects, or, Lesser living creatures ... by T. Muffet ...

Of the Prasyan Apes.

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MEgasthenes (saith Aelianus and Strabo) writeth of Apes in Prasia a Region in India, * 1.1 which are no lesse then great Dogs, and five cubits high, ha∣ving hair like a Man coming forth of their forehead and beards, be∣ing altogether white except their tails, which are two cubits and a half long, very like a Lions; and unto a simple man it might seem, that their tufts of hair were artificially trimmed, thought it grow naturally. Their beard is much like a Satyres, and although their body be white, yet is their head and tip of their tail yellow, so that the Martins before mentioned, seem to be affianced to these. These Prasyan Apes live in Mountains and * 1.2 Woods, and yet are they not wilde, but so tame that often∣times in great multitudes they come down to the Gates and Suburbs of Latagis, where the King commandeth them dayly sodden Rice for their food, which * 1.3 they eat, and being filled return again to their home and usuall places of harbour in great mode∣ration, doing no harme to any thing.

Peter Martyr telleth this story of one of these, that

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* 1.4 he being like to a great Munkey, but having a longer tail, by rowling over and over three or four times to∣gether taketh such strength, that he leapeth from bough to bough, and tree to tree, as if he flew. An archer of that Sea-voyage hurt one of them with an arrow, the wounded beast presently leapeth to the ground, and setteth upon the archer, as fiercely as a mad Dog; he drew his sword and struck off one of his armes, and so at last with much ado took the * 1.5 mained beast, who being brought to the Navy, and accustomed to the society of men, began by little and little to waxe tame.

While he was in the ship bound with chains, other * 1.6 of the company having been on land to forrage, brought out of the Marishes a Bore, which Bore was shewed to the Munkey; at the first sight either of other set up their bristles, the raging Munkey leap∣eth upon the Bore, and windeth his tail round about the Bore, and with the one arme which he had left, caught him, and held him so fast by the throat, that he stifled him.

There is another kind of Munkey, for stature, bignesse and shape like a Man, for by his knees, secret parts and face, you would judge him a wilde man, such as inhabit Numidia, and the Lapones, for he is altogether overgrown with hair; no creature, except a man can stand so long as he; he loveth wo∣men * 1.7 and children dearly, like other of his own kind, and is so venereous that he will attempt to ravish women, whose Image is here described, as it was taken forth of the book of the description of the holy Land.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Their resem∣bance.
• * 1.2

  Aelianus. Place of their abode.
• * 1.3

  Their food.
• * 1.4

  Lib. 4. Ocean. D〈…〉〈…〉 3.
• * 1.5

  Peter Martyr.
• * 1.6

  The hatred of these Apes.
• * 1.7

  His love.