Page 25

OF THE F OURFOOT tD BEASTfS.
        or fea water, it grows fweet; and then dried
        again is laid up for this ufe. Acornes are advifed
        to be gathered after feed time, and caft into
        water, and a half buflhell, to be given in fpring
        to each Ox: It is meet about the fall of the
        leafe to give each yoke of oxen 24 bufhells.
        The greater make them unhealthfull;and when
        ever you give it, if they have it not 3 o dayes
        together, they get the fpring fcab.
Suabzo,   The Babylonians give their Oxen date.
I i; opi. kernels foakt in water, and to their fheep. They
        are fattened by mifletoe. They feed alfo on
        fifh among the Pxonx,who dwell by the Pra-
        lhian mariflies. Neither do they abitain from
        Hemlock, whether green, or dry: Nor doth
        eating offrogs do them any harme.Briefly,they
        delight to drinke clear water, nor doth muddy
Vegetius. hurt them. About their manner of feeding fee
        Aldrovand,and writers of husbandry.For their
        age, the Cow lives I i years at moft, the male
Pliny.  20; they are at their belt at five. Their age is
        knowen by changing their teeth; the foreteeth
Arifr. 11. they caft within a year, and eight, or ten
A.1.6,c.2i. months; then after fix months by degrees they
        loofe the next, till within three yeare they have
        changed them all;when they are belt difpofed,
        and fo hold out to fifthteen. At beft,their teeth
        itand fair, long, and even; but growing old,
        they diminifh,wax black,and rot. The Hel-
        vetians judge of their Cows age by certain
        circles almoti at top of their horns; they are
        three at five years old,afrer more. Some thitike
        they get a circle with every calving. About
        their gendring, lufl, coupling, and calving, I meet
        with thefe observations. The Bull feeds with
        the Cow only in engendring time; they couple
        with the elder twice a day, with theyonger
        oftner, and that with one, and the fame, and
        quietly. A geld one hath egendred, faith Ari-
        ftotle. One Bull may ferve I y Cows. Varro
Varro. it. allows many more. Hee abflaijes from the
R. Lz.c s cows that are with calfat firft, and as it were
        voluntarily divorces himfelf, as it is to be feen
        in Epire efpecially, where for mofr part hee is
        not to be feen for three months, but f:eds by
        himfelf. The Cows falacity is famous. See
        Ariltotle about the exceffe and fignes oftheir
        luff; as alfo Elian.H.A. . IO.C.27. About what
        heatsthenfee Columella,R.R.1.6. (thither I
        refer the reader, for I lift not to tranflate fuch
        fluffe.) The Cows are knowen to be with calf,
AKi~t,  when their termes ceafe, within 2, 3, 4 half a
        months fpace. They goe i o months, and in
varrO.  the tenth they calve: they bring forth nothing
        alive fooner, faith Pliny: Some fay they calve
        when the tenth month is compleat. How the
        calve lies in the belly is expreft by an image,
        and the skin wherein it is enwrapped , is alfo
        fliewen hereafter. Though the Cow bring but
Diogcn.a- one at once,feldome twins,yet in Ptolomy the
nlus.   yonger his time, a certain Cow calved fix at
        once ; and in Hifpaniola this cattle is ftrangely
        fruitfull;for the moft part they bring two at
        once; in the eleventh month they go to Bull,
        and though they carry a couple, yet they fay,
        they ly both on the right fide. They gueffe by
the Cows frisking after coupling,whether fhee
fliall have a Bull, or Cow-calf; if on the right
fide a Bull-calf; ifon the left, a Cow-calf They
love bees, but hate hornets, gad- flees, flees of
all forts , tikes, bears, fwine, crows, and fome
kind of plants, and fome forts of colours.
    Pliny writes , that it is belt to finear behinds a;ny,
 with cow-dung, this kills the Vermin that
 breeds of their bodies, and Spiders, Butter-
 flies, and raifes the Bees themfelves. They are vlhodig.
 repaired by ox-paunch, frefli, and covered A'innq1i.
 with their dung.Virgil faids the like ofa young  '
 Heifers carcafe, as alfo ofHorfes. Neat being
 ftung by an hornet, as in great anguifhf, fall a
 running, Flies vex them fo, that in Leucadia
 it was a cuftome to facrifice an ox to the flies,
 which being fwelled with their blood, are
 thought to vanifli away;bitten by the like,they
 pine away, and are difabled for labour. Bears
i hanging with all four on bulls horDes , and
necks,tire them out with their weight. Swines-
dung is harmfull to them. Crows pick at their
egs. Some fay, that if a bulls tong be fii)eard
with tallow (whether fwines, or other I know
not) they will fooner dy,then eat, unleffe wafhlt
with Wft, and vineger.  For plants, if a bulls
noftrils be fineard! with oyl of rofes, hee be
comes giddy; Lady-glove put into their no-
fitrils, makes them maddifh. Black hellebore
kills them. The juice of the Chamaleon kills
yong Heyfers with the fquincy. The wild fig
makes them   tender-flefit.  AIl-leaves are Plin.
deadly to Neat, that other cattell mayfafe-
ly chew; it is true of the gew-tree. There is
a place, they fay, a Thracian Province, near
the Scythians, and Medes, almoft 20 furlongs
long, that brings forth barly, that men eat, but
horfes, and oxen will not taft of, nor other
beaffs.  Tragus, amongft the hurtfull fruits,
defcribes an herb, leaved like pulfe at firft,
flharp, and long eared, the ears cleaving like
burrs, commonly found in fields fowen with
pulfe, and barley, very hurtfull to oxen, and
flund by them.  Of the graffe that is good  AtmAb_
for them , the Alpine violet, and great burre, ,)- itat En
called by the Germans Blakken, read Gefuer, land clogvs
oxen eating bedewd, fwell till they burf fom - l
times, unleffe they be driven up and down, till thartbe'-ls
they be warm, and void it. Seneca, writing t1124 l1 Its
of Anger, faith, that oxen are much enraged  atc
by red, or any colour like it. But it is  cdrange, ed til they
that oxen that have been made to draw any burft.
man to execution, will not plow after, or if
they be forced to it,the ground will not thrive:
The Geroponici advife to take heed in feed-
time, that the feed fall not on ox* horns; fuch
they hold will never come to good, they call
it Ierajbolon,horn-fallen.  Pliny faith, that, if
when a ftable is on fire, and oxen, or flieeps-
dung be caft out, they are more eafily drawen
out, nor will returne thither, which is no
wonder. About their motion, and voyce, a few
words fliall fuffice. Their pace is flow, not to
fay fluggilb; whence we fay, this is to hunt
the Hare with the Ox; their voyce is different
according to the age and fex. The Calves
                       D            founds
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