pretty Maudlin does so. I'll bestow Sir Thomas Overbury's milkmaid's wish upon her, "That she may die in the spring, and being dead, may have good store of flowers stuck round about her winding-sheet."

(The Milkmaid's Mother sings.)

Mother. Well, I have done my song. But stay, honest anglers; for I will make Maudlin to sing you one short song more. Maudlin, sing that song that you sang last night, when young Coridon the shepherd played so purely on his oaten pipe to you and your cousin Betty.

Maudlin. I will, mother. (Sings.)

Piscator. Well sung, good woman; I thank you. I'll give you another dish of fish one of these days, and then beg another song of you. Come, scholar, let Maudlin alone; do not you offer to spoil her voice. Look, yonder comes my hostess, to call us to supper. How now? Is my brother

Peter come?

Hostess. Yes, and a friend with him they are both glad to hear that you are in these parts, and long to see you, and long to be at supper, for they be very hungry.

E. TOPSEL

THE VULGAR LITTLE MOUSE

HERE is no creature that heareth more perfectly than a

THER

mouse; they dwell in houses of men, especially near supping and dining rooms, kitchens or larders, where any meat is stirring. And they make themselves places of abode by gnawing with their teeth, if they find not convenient lodgings prepared to their hand, and they love the hollow places of walls, or the roofs of houses; and therefore the wasps, which in Aristophanes are called Drophæ, that is, gnawers of roofs, are to be understood to be mice, because Mys Drophia is a mouse in the house top. In the day time they lie still, so

long as they either see or hear a man, or any other beast harmful unto them, for they discern their enemies, not fearing an ox, though they run away from a Cat.

They are very desirous of bread, and delight in all those meats which are made of fruit, for the nourishment of men. It is a creature very diligent and exquisite, both to compass, seek out and choose the same, so that therefore it doth often endanger and lose his own life: and finding any cupboards, wood, or such like hard matter, to withstand his purpose, and hinder his passage, it ceaseth not to weary itself with gnawing, until it obtain the purpose. All kinds of mice love grain and corn, and prefer the hard before the soft; they love also cheese, and if they come to many cheeses together, they taste all, but they eat of the best. And therefore the Egyptians in their Hieroglyphia do picture a mouse, to signify a sound judgment and good choice. Buckmast is very acceptable to mice, and the mice in the isle Parus, in Tenedos, in the island Gyaros, which is one of the islands of the Sporades in Cyprus, and in Chalcis, they did eat iron, as appeareth by Aristotle, Ælianus, and Heraclides; and it was also found, that in a certain island near Chalybes, mice eat and devour gold, and therefore the goldsmiths did cut them in pieces among their metals. Plutarch, in the life of Marcellus, saith, that there were many prodigies and fearful signs that did precede the war of Marius, amongst other, he saith, that mice did eat the gold hanging in the temple, and that one of the temple keepers in a certain trap took a female mouse alive, who littered five little mice in that place, and devoured three of them. Anthologius rehearseth a witty Hexastichon of Antiphilus, upon a mouse which was slit asunder alive, for certain gold-dust, which she had devoured, whereby was signified how men procure unto themselves exquisite torments, and unavoidable mortal harms by stealing and increasing of riches signified by gold. Vulgar mice do ruminate or chew the cud as well as the Pontic, and they drink by licking or lapping, although their teeth be not sawed. It is reported that the mice of Afric, and especially of Lybia, die as soon

as they drink. And the reason thereof we will shew afterwards in the taking of mice, when we come to discourse of their poisons. And for the present it should seem their temperament, or constitution, is so moist, that nature can endure no addition. Yet in the plains of Arcadia, there are mice which drink of a certain fountain without any harm.

OF THE ELEPHANT

They live upon the fruits of plants and roots; and with their trunks and heads overthrow the tops of trees and eat the boughs and bodies of them, and many times upon the leaves of trees he devoureth chameleons, whereby he is poisoned and dieth, if he eat not immediately a wild olive. They eat earth often without harm, but if they eat it seldom, it is hurtful and procureth pain in their bellies, so also they eat stones. They are so loving to their fellows that they will not eat their meat alone, but having found a prey, they go and invite the residue to their feasts and cheer, more like to reasonable civil men, than unreasonable brute beasts. There are certain noble Melons in Ethiopia, which the elephants being sharp-smelling beasts, do wind a great way off, and by the conduct of their noses come to those gardens of melons, and there eat and devour them. When they are tamed they will eat barley either whole or ground: of whole at one time is given them nine Macedonian bushels, but of meal six, and of drink either wine or water, thirty Macedonian pints at a time, that is, fourteen gallons; but this is observed, that they drink not wine except in war, when they are to fight, but water at all times, whereof they will not taste except it be muddy and not clear, for they avoid clear water, loathing to see their own shadow thereon; and therefore when the Indians are to pass the water with their elephants, they choose dark and cloudy nights wherein the moon affordeth no light. If they perceive but a mouse run over their meat, they will not eat thereof, for there is in them a great hatred of this creature. Also they will eat dried figs, grapes, onions,

bulrushes, palms and ivy leaves. There is a region in India, called Phalacrus, which signifieth bald, because of an herb growing therein, which causeth every living thing that eateth thereof, to lose both horn and hair, and therefore no man can be more industrious or wary to avoid those places than is an elephant, and to forbear every green thing growing in that place when he passeth through it.

It will forbear drink eight days together, and drink wine to drunkenness, like an ape. It is delighted above measure with sweet savours, ointments, and smelling flowers, for which cause their keepers will in the summer time lead them into the meadows of flowers, where they of themselves will by the quickness of their smelling, choose out and gather the sweetest flowers, and put them into a basket if their keeper have any; which, being filled, like dainty and neat men, they also desire to wash, and so will go and seek out water to wash themselves, and of their own accord return back again to the basket of flowers, which, if they find not, they will bray and call for them. Afterward, being led into their stable, they will not eat meat until they take off their flowers and dress the brims of their mangers therewith, and likewise strew their room or standing place, pleasing themselves with their meat, because of the savour of the flowers stuck about their cratch, like dainty fed persons which set their dishes with green herbs, and put them into their cups of wine.

THE

JOSEPH GLANVILL

THE SCHOLAR GIPSY

'HERE was very lately a lad in the University of Oxford who being of very pregnant and ready parts, and yet wanting the encouragement of preferment; was by his poverty forced to leave his studies there, and to cast himself upon the wide world for a livelihood. Now, his necessities

growing daily on him, and wanting the help of friends to relieve him; he was at last forced to join himself to a company of vagabond gipsies, whom occasionally he met with, and to follow their trade for a maintenance. Among these extravagant people, by the insinuating subtility of his carriage, he quickly got so much of their love, and esteem; as that they discovered to him their mystery: in the practice of which, by the pregnancy of his wit and parts he soon grew so good a proficient, as to be able to outdo his instructors. After he had been a pretty while well exercised in the trade; there chanced to ride by a couple of Scholars who had formerly been of his acquaintance. The scholars had quickly spied out their old friend, among the gipsies; and their amazement to see him among such society, had well-nigh discovered him: but by a sign he prevented their owning him before that crew: and taking one of them aside privately, desired him with his friend to go to an inn, not far distant thence, promising there to come to them. They accordingly went thither, and he follows: after their first salutations, his friends enquire how he came to lead so odd a life as that was, and to join himself with such a cheating, beggarly company. The scholar gipsy having given them an account of the necessity, which drove him to that kind of life; told them, that the people he went with were not such impostors as they were taken for, but that they had a traditional kind of learning among them, and could do wonders by the power of imagination, and that himself had learnt much of their art, and improved it further than themselves could. And to evince the truth of what he said, he'd remove into another room, leaving them to discourse together; and upon his return tell them the sum of what they had talked of: which accordingly he performed, giving them a full account of what had passed betweeen them in his absence. The scholars being amazed at so unexpected a discovery, earnestly desired him to unriddle the mystery. In which he gave them satisfaction, by telling them, that what he did was by the power of imagination, his fancy binding theirs; and that himself had