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 ...

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Title
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 ...
Author
Topsell, Edward, 1572-1625?
Publication
London :: Printed by E. Cotes for G. Sawbridge ... T. Williams ... and T. Johnson ...,
1658.
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Subject terms
Zoology -- Pre-Linnean works.
Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A42668.0001.001
Cite this Item
"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 ..." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A42668.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 14, 2024.

Pages

The Remedies out of a Wilde Goat.

The same vertue which are in the Goats before spoken of, do also belong to the wilde Goats, the bloud taketh away bunc〈…〉〈…〉 in the flesh; and being mingled with Sea-palm, causeth the hair to fall off. An Ointment made of the fat of Goats, is profitable to them which have webs in their eyes; and the fat of Mountain Goats, helpeth infected Lights: His liver broiled upon coals and taken alone, helpeth the Flix, but most certainly when it is dryed and drunk in Wine: the gawl is good for many things; especially it is a Treacle against poyson, suffusions, whiteness and blindness of the eyes, by anointing, it cureth the purblinde and the webs in the eye; and generally it hath the same pro∣perties in every part as the tame Goats before spoken of.

The like may be said of the Kids or young Goats, and first of all a Kid being slit asunder alive, and his warm flesh said to a poysoned wound, doth most assuredly heal the same. Others take the warm flesh of Kids and perfume them with hair, by the savour whereof they drive away Serpents: the skin newly pulled off, and put upon the body beaten with stripes, taketh away their pain: others again use it against the Cramp; and not without reason, for the tender skins of Lambs & Goats, being sprinkled or dipped in warm Oyl, giveth very much strength and paience to endure the Convulsion.

Praxagoras prescribeth the flesh against the Falling evill; and by gargarizing the broath when it was sod, cureth the Quinsie and soreness of the throat. Demetrius saith, that the brain being drawn through a gold ring, and given to a Hawk which hath the Falling sickness, it will work admirably upon her. The bloud being dryed and decocted with marrow, is good against all intoxicate passions, and being mingled with sharp Vinegar before it be congealed, it helpeth the spitting of bloud: the same being eaten, cureth all kinde of Flixes, being taken three days together. Galen rehearseth in the Antidote of Urbane, among other things, the bloud of Kids to draw the dead young ones out of the Dams belly.

With the fat there is an Ointment made with Rose water, to heal the fissures of the lips and nose, which is much desired of Women, not only for the before rehearsed vertue, but also because by anointing they keep by it their face from Sun-burning. The French and Italians call it (Pomato) be∣cause it smelleth like Apples, they put also into it Musk and Rose water, a pound of Kids sewet, and warm it in a Bath untill all be white, and so wash it with the said Rose water, and afterward re∣pose it in a glass: The Ointment which is called (Ʋnguentum album) is like unto it: the ashes of the thighs of a Kid, healeth burstness, and stancheth bloud: the rennet is also commendable against Hemlock, or Toad-stool, and against all the poysonful strokes of Sea-beasts; being drunk in Wine, it stayeth bleeding, and refresheth excreations of bloud; being taken with Vinegar it helpeth also the flix; being drunk fasting, it hath some operation to stay womens flowers. The lights of a Kid sod and eaten fasting, preserveth from drunkenness that day; and the powder of it burned, easeth the itching of the eyes; and peel'd eye-lids, if it be applyed like Stibium: likewise the bladder of a fe∣male Kid drunk in powder, helpeth the inconstancy of urine: the milt laid upon the spleen of an in∣fant, asswageth the pain and tumors thereof; the liver is not fit for temperate men, but for weak cholerick men.

The Inhabitanes of the Mount Atlas do gather Euforbium, and corrupt it with Kids milk, but it is di∣scerned by fire; for the good Euforbium being burned, yeeldeth an unacceptable savour, and so we conclude this story, with the two Emblems of Alciatus. One against them that take much pain, and make good beginnings, but evill ends, like a Goat which giveth a good mess of milk, and over-turn∣eth it with her foot:

Page 205

Quod fine egregios turpi maculaveris orsus Innoxamque tuum verteris officium, Fecisti quod Capra sui mulctraria lactis Cum ferit, & proprias calce profundit opes.

The other Emblem is upon a Goat, the which by her Keeper was constrained to give a young Wolf suck, who afterward notwithstanding that good turn, devoureth his Nurse: and it may be applyed unto them which nourish their own harms, and save a theef from the gallows.

Capra lupum nen sponte meo nunc ubere lacto, Quod male pastoris provida cura jubet: Creverit ille simul, mea me post ubere pascit: Improbitas nullo flectitur obsequio.

There is a pretty comparison of a Harlots love to a fisherman, which putteth upon him a Goats skin with the horns, to deceive the Sargus-fish, for that fish loveth a Goat above all other creatures, and therefore the fisher-man beguileth her with a false appearance, as the flattering love of Harlots doe simple mindes by fained protestations.

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