Selected quad for the lemma: friend_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
friend_n	beast_n	serpent_n	unpleasant_a	16	3	16.4880	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13821	The historie of serpents. Or, The second booke of liuing creatures wherein is contained their diuine, naturall, and morall descriptions, with their liuely figures, names, conditions, kindes and natures of all venemous beasts: with their seuerall poysons and antidotes; their deepe hatred to mankind, and the wonderfull worke of God in their creation, and destruction. Necessary and profitable to all sorts of men: collected out of diuine scriptures, fathers, phylosophers, physitians, and poets: amplified with sundry accidentall histories, hierogliphicks, epigrams, emblems, and ænigmaticall obseruations. By Edvvard Topsell.	Topsell, Edward, 1572-1625?	1608 (1608)	STC 24124; ESTC S122051	444,728	331

out of a Booke of Schilt●ergerus a Ba●arian who knew the same as he writeth while hee was a captiue in Turky his words are these In the kingdome called Genycke there is a Citty called Sampson about which while I was prisoner with Baiazeta King of Turkes there pitched or arriued an innumerable company of Land and Water-serpents compassing the said Cittie a mile about The Land-serpents came out of the vvoods of Trienick which are great many and the Water-serpents came out of the bordering Sea These were nine dayes together assembling in that place and for feare of them there was not any man that durst goe out of the Citty although it was not obserued that they hurt any man or liuing creature there-abouts VVherefore the Prince also commaunded that no man should trouble them or doe them any harme wisely iudging that such an accident came not but by Diuine miracle and that also to signifie some notable euent Vppon the tenth day these two valiant troupes ioyned battell early in the morning before the sunne-rising so continuing in fight vntill the sunne-set at which time the Prince with some horse-men went out of the Cittie to see the battell and it appeared to him and his associates that the Water Serpents gaue place to the Land Serpents So the Prince and his company returned into the Citty againe and the next day went forth againe but found not a Serpent aliue for there were slaine aboue eyght thousand all which he caused presently to bee couered with earth in ditches and afterward declared the whole matter to Baiazeta by Letters after he had gotten that Cittie whereat the great Turke reioyced for hee thereby interpreted happines to himselfe But I haue beene too long in this first and proper affection of Serpents namely theyr mutuall concord and this example of the Land and Water-serpents doth not breake the common promised rule because it is to be vnderstood of serpents that liue in the sam●element The second propertie of Serpents is to presage pestilence rottennesse of ayre famine floods and ruine of those places wherein they are commorant and haue theyr abiding so doe they knowe to chuse a good ayre and fore-knowe fertilitie of fruites earthquakes and great tempests VVhen Helice was destroyed fiue dayes before the serpents snakes rats mice and vvesills departed all out thereof beeing wiser then men that misdeeming no harme although they sawe wondered at these remooualls yet stood it out to their owne vtter ruine ouerthrow and destruction Of the friendship and enmitie which Serpents keepe with other Creatures EVer since the deuill entered into the Serpent it became hatefull to all or the most part of the Beasts of the field so that it may as truly be verified of the Serpent as it was of Esau that the hands of all men and beastes are against them except very few for they are strangers to all and find very fewe or no friends Yet it is reported that the Serpent and the Foxe will liue peaceably together in one caue or lodging There is a story not vnpleasant of a Man that found a Serpent enclosed betwixt two stones and at the intreatie of the serpent he loosed him out of danger and did him no harme The Serpent beeing released and free from death instead of other recompence for so good a turne told the Man that hee had beene therein long time inclosed and was very hungry and therefore was forced against his will to make the best of his fortune therefore must needes eate the Man and bad him prepare himselfe for death The man astonished at this motion replyed to the serpent that he hoped hee would not deale so with him hauing deliuered him from death now to put his deliuerer to death and said moreouer that he would not be the Iudge of his owne case but referre the same to the next they found and the serpent also yeelded to that iudgement beeing assured that no creature would quit the man least he should cast his owne life into perrill Forth then they went and met with an asse to whom the man told the difference betwixt him and the serpent howe kindly hee saued the serpents life and how vnkindly he againe would take away his life And then the serpent bade the Asse consider what iudgement hee gaue and for whom hee spake The Asse adiudged it lawfull for the serpent to kill the man Loe now saide the serpent make you readie for the matter is iudged against you and withall began to make force at him with mouth and sting But the man said that hee would not take this Asses decree for reasonable and therefore prayed the serpent to tarry yet a little longer and to try once more the next beast they met withall and the serpent thinking himselfe sure of the bootie yeelded there-vnto Then forth they passed againe shortly after met with a Fox to whom the man related his case and the benefit he had done to the serpent The serpent againe confessed he released him but withall denyed his case to be as the man had said so desperat but onely he entrapped himselfe the better to compasse a bootie The Foxe hauing heard them both desirous to end the matter for the mans benefit would needes goe with them both to the place where the serpent was inclosed and so all parties consented And whē the Fox came thether he bade the Serpent goe into the same place againe that so he might the better iudge of the whole matter The serpent went in againe betwixt the stones and was so inclosed as he was before for he could not stirre neither backward nor forward Then the Foxe asked the man if this were the serpents case from which he had deliuered him The man answered yea in all poynts Then hee bade the serpent come out againe as he said hee could without the helpe of the man But the serpent called the man to helpe him againe Nay said the Fox I found you two at variance because of your discharge from this place and seeing nowe you are as you were before and the man as he was before your enlargement my sentence is that when you come forth of that place you are in then shall you eate the man and if hee will let you foorth againe I will neuer pittie him By this fable is shewed that Foxes loue not Serpents so well as they loue men and yet they neuer loue men but they are afraide suspitious and vvilling to forsake their familiaritie Some say there is a kind of loue betwixt Serpents and Cats whereof I finde this storie in Ponzettus There were certaine Monks who all of them fell sicke vpon a suddaine and the Phisitians could not tell how or whence this sicknesse came except from some secrete poyson At last one of the seruants of the Abbey saw the Cat which was dailie fedde at the Monks table to play with a serpent and thereby it was coniectured that the serpent hauing in his sport

destroyeth him Others say that the crocodile weepeth after he hath deuoured a man How-soeuer it be it noteth the wretched nature of hypocriticall harts which before-hand will with fayned teares endeuour to do mischiefe or els after they haue done it be outwardly sorry as Iudas was for the betraying of Christ before he went and hanged himselfe The males of this kind do loue their females aboue all measure yea euen to iealousie as may appeare by this one history of P. Martyr About the time that hee was in those countries there were certaine Marriners which saw two Crocodiles together in carnall copulation vpon the sands neere the Riuer from which the water was lately fallen into a certaine Iland of Nilus the greedy Marriners forsooke their ship and betooke themselues to a long boate and with great shouting hollowing crying made towards them in verie couragious manner the male at the first assault fell amazed greatly terrified ran away as fast as he could into the waters leauing his female lying vpon her backe for whē they ingender the male turneth her vpon her backe for by reason of the shortnes of her legges she cannot doe it her selfe so the Mariners finding her vpon her back not able to turne ouer her selfe they easily slew her and tooke her away with them Soone after the male returned to the place to seeke his female but not finding her and perceiuing blood vpon the sand coniectured truly that she was slaine wherefore hee presently cast himselfe into the Riuer of Nilus againe in his rage swam stoutly against the streame vntill hee ouertooke the ship wherein his dead femall was which he presently set vppon lifting vp himselfe and catching hold on the sides would certainly haue entered the same had not the Marriners with all their force battered his head and hands with clubs and staues vntill he was wearied and forced to giue ouer his enterprise so with great sighing and sobbing departed frō them By which relation it is most cleere what naturall affection they beare one to another and how they choose out theyr fellowes as it were fitte wiues and husbands for procreation And it is no wonder if they make much of one another for besides thēselues they haue few friends in the world except the bird Trochilus and Swine of whom I can say little except this that followeth As for the little bird Trochilus it affecteth and followeth them for the benefit of his owne belly for while the Crocodile greedilie eateth there sticketh fast in his teeth some part of his prey which troubleth him very much many times ingendereth wormes then the beast to helpe himselfe taketh land and lyeth gaping against the sunne-beames westward the bird perceiuing it flyeth to the iawes of the beast and there first with a kind of tickling-scratching procureth as it were licence of the Crocodile to pull foorth the wormes and so eateth them all out and clenseth the teeth thoroughly for which cause the Beast is content to permit the Bird to goe into his mouth But when all is clensed the ingratefull Crocodile endeuoureth suddainely to shut his chappes together vppon the Bird and to deuoure his friend like a cursed wretch which maketh no reckoning of friendship but the turne serued requiteth good with euill But Nature hath armed this little bird with sharpe thornes vpon her head so that while the Crocodile endeuoureth to shut his chaps and close his mouth vpon it those sharpe thornes pricke him into his palate so that full sore against his vnkind nature hee letteth her flye safe away But where as there be many kinds of Trochili which are greedy of these wormes or clensings of the Crocodiles some of them which haue not thornes on theyr heades pay for it for there beeing not offence to let the closing of the Crocodiles mouth they must needes be deuoured and therefore this enforced amity betwixt him and the Crocodile is onely to be vnderstoode of the Claedororynchus as it is called by Hermolaus There be some that affirme that he destroyeth all without exception that thus come into his mouth and other-some say he destroyeth none but when he feeleth his mouth sufficiently clensed he waggeth his vpper chappe as it were to giue warning of auoydance and in fauour of the good turne to let the bird flie away at his owne pleasure Howbeit the other and former narration is more likely to be true and more constantly affirmed by all good Authors except Plutarch And Leo Afric saith that it was the constant and confident report of all Affrica that the Crocodile deuoureth all for theyr loue and kindnesse except the Claedororynchi which they cannot by reason of the thornes vppon their head That there is an amitie and naturall concord betwixt Swine and Crocodiles is also gathered because they onely among all other liuing foure-footed beastes doe without danger dwell feede and inhabite vppon the banks of Nilus euen in the midst of the Crocodiles and therefore it is probable that they are friends in nature But oh how small a sum of friends hath this beast and how vnwoorthy of loue among all creatures that neuer in nature hath but two in heauen or earth ayre or water that will aduenture to come neere it and one of these also which is the best deseruing it deuoureth and destroyeth it it get it within his danger Seeing the friendes of it are so few the enemies of it must needes be many and therefore require a more large catalogue or story In the first ranke whereof commeth as worthy the first place the Ichneumon or Pharaohs-mouse who rageth against their egges and their persons for it is certaine that it hunteth with all sagacity of sence to finde out theyr nests and hauing found them it spoyleth scattereth breaketh emptieth all theyr egs They also watch the old ones asleepe and finding their mouthes open against the beames of the Sunne suddenly enter into them and being small creepe downe theyr vast large throates before they be aware and then putting the Crocodile to exquisite and intollerable torment by eating their guttes asunder and so their soft bellies while the Crocodile tumbleth to and fro sighing and weeping now in the depth of water now on the Land neuer resting till strength of nature fayleth For the incessant gnawing of the Ichneumon so prouoketh her to seek her rest in the vnrest of euery part herbe element throwes throbs rowlings tossings mournings but all in vaine for the enemy within her breatheth thorough her breath and sporteth her selfe in the consumption of those vitall parts vvhich wast and weare away by yeelding to her vnpacificable teeth one after other till shee that crept in by stealth at the mouth like a puny theefe come out at the belly like a Conquerour thorough a passage opened by her owne labour industry as we haue also shewed at large in the story of Ichneumon But whether it be true or no that

any reasonable man that there are winged Serpents and dragons in the world And I pray God that we neuer haue better arguments to satisfie vs by his corporall and liuely presence in our Country least some great calamity followe there-vppon Now therefore we will proceed to the loue and hatred of this beast that is obserued with man and other creatures And first of all although Dragons be naturall enemies to men like vnto all other Serpents yet many times if there be any truth in story they haue beene possessed with extraordinary loue both to men women and children as may appeare by these particulers following There was one Aleua a Thessalian Neatheard which did keepe oxen in Ossa hard by the fountaine Hemonius there was a Dragon fell in loue with this man for his haire was as yellow as any gold vnto him for his hayre did this dragon often come creeping closely as a Louer to his Loue and when he came vnto him he would lick his haire and face so gently and in so sweete a manner as the man professed he neuer felt the like so as without all feare he conuersed with him and as he came so would hee goe away againe neuer returning to him empty but bringing some one gift or other such as his nature and kind could lay hold on There was a Dragon also which loued Pindus the sonne of Macedo King of Emathia This Pindus hauing many Brothers most wicked and lewd persons and he onely beeing a valiant man of honest disposition hauing likewise a comly and goodly personage vnderstanding the trechery of his bretheren against him bethought himselfe how to auoyd theyr hands and tyrannie Now forasmuch as hee knew that the kingdome which hee possessed was the onely marke they all shot at he thought it better to leaue that to them and so to ridde himselfe from enuy feare and perrill then to embrew his hands in theyr blood or to loose his life and kingdome both together Wherefore hee renounced and gaue ouer the gouernment and betooke himselfe to the exercise of hunting for he was a strong man fit to combat with wilde-beastes by destruction of whom hee made more roome for many men vppon the earth so that hee passed all his dayes in that exercise It hapned on a day that he was hunting of a Hind-calfe and spurring his horse with all his might and maine in the eager pursute thereof hee rode out of the sight of all his compapany and suddainely the Hind-calfe leaped into a very deepe Caue out of the sight of Pindus the Hunter and so saued himselfe Then he alighted from his horse and tyed him to the next Tree seeking out as diligently as he could for a way into the Caue whereinto the Hind-calfe had leaped and when he had looked a good while about him could find none he heard a voyce speaking vnto him and forbidding him to touch the Hind-calfe which made him looke about againe to see if hee could perceiue the person from whom the voyce proceeded but espying none hee grew to be afraide and thought that the voyce proceeded from some other greater cause and so leaped vpon his horse hastily and departed againe to his fellowes The day after he returned to the same place and when he came thether beeing terrified with the remembrance of the former voyce hee durst not enter into the place but stoode there doubting and wondering with himselfe what Shepheards or Hunters or other men might be in that place to diswarne him from his game and therefore he went round about to seeke for some or to learne from whence the voyce proceeded While he was thus seeking there appeared vnto him a Dragon of a great stature creeping vpon the greatest part of his body except his necke and head lifted vp a little and that little was as high as the stature of any man can reach and in this fashion hee made toward Pindus who at the first sight was not a little afraid of him but yet did not runne away but rather gathering his wits together remembred that hee had about him birds and diuers parts of sacrifices which instantly he gaue vnto the dragon and so mitigated his furie by these gyfts and as it were with a royall feast changed the cruell nature of the dragon into kind vsage For the Dragon beeing smoothed ouer with these gyfts and as it were ouer-taken with the liberality of Pindus was contented to forsake the old place of his habitation and to goe away with him Pindus also beeing no lesse gladde of the company of the Dragon did daily giue vnto him the greatest part of his hunting as a deserued price and ransome of his life and conquest of such a beast Neither was hee vnrequired for it for Fortune so fauoured his game that whether he hunted foules of the ayre or beastes of the earth hee still obtayned and neuer missed So that his fame for hunting procured him more loue and honour then euer could the Imperiall crowne of his Country For all young men desired to follow him admiring his goodly personage strength the virgins and maydes falling in loue contended among themselues who should marry him the wiues forsaking their husbands contrary to all womanly modestie rather desired his company thē the societie of their husbands or to be preferred among the number of the Goddesses Onely his Bretheren inraged against him sought all meanes to kill destroy him Therfore they watched all opportunities lying in continuall ambush where he hunted to accomplish theyr accursed enterprise which at last they obtained for as he followed the game they enclosed him in a narrow straight neere to a Riuers side vvhere he had no meanes to auoyde their hands they and their company beeing many and hee alone wherefore they drew out their swords and slew him When he saw no remedy but death he cryed out aloude for help whose voyce soone came to the eares of the watchfull Dragon for no beast heareth or seeth better out hee commeth from his denne and finding the murtherers standing about the dead body he presently surprised them and killed them so reuenging the quarrell of Pindus then fell vpon the dead body of his friend neuer forsaking the custodie thereof vntill the neighbours adioyning to the place taking knowledge of the fact came to burie the bodies But when they came and saw the Dragon among them they were afraid and durst not come neere but stoode a farre off consulting what to doe till at last they perceiued that the dragon beganne to take knowledge of their feare who with an admirable curtesie of nature perceiuing their mourning and lamentation for their dead friend and withall their abstinence from approching to execute his exequies or funeralls began to thinke that he might be the cause of this their terror farre standing off from the dead bodies wherefore he departed taking his farewell of the body which he loued and so gaue them leaue by his absence to

bestow vpon him an honourable buriall which they performed accordingly and the Riuer adioyning was named by the name of Pindus-death By which story may appeare that these sauage Dragons are made louing and tame to men by good turnes benefites bestowed vpon them for there is no nature which may not be ouer-come by kindnes And yet I may not leaue this matter thus nor from these two examples alone conclude the practise and possibility of loue betwixt men and dragons I will therefore adde some three or foure examples more There was a Dragon the louer of Aetholis as Plutarch writeth who came vnto her euery night and did her body no harme but gently slyding ouer her played with her till morning then also would he depart away as soone as light appeared that hee might not be espyed The Maydens friends came to the knowledge heereof and so remooued her farre away to the intent the dragon might come no more at her and thus they remained asunder a great while the dragon earnestly seeking for the mayden wandered farre and neere to find her out At last he met with her and not saluting her gently as he was wont flew vppon her binding her hands downe with the spire of his body hissing softly in her face beating gently with his tayle her back-parts as it were taking a moderate reuenge vpon her for the neglect of his loue by her long absence Another like story vnto this is reported by Elianus of a great Dragon which loued a fayre woman beloued also of a fayre man the woman oftentimes did sleepe with this dragon but not so willingly as with the man wherefore shee forsooke the habitation of her place for a month and went away where the dragon could not find her thinking that her absence might quench his desire But he came often to the place where hee was wont to meete with the woman and not finding her returned quietly backe againe and came againe another time at last he grew suspicious like a louer fayling in his expectation grew very sorrowfull and so continued till the month was exspyred euery night visiting the accustomed place At last the woman returned and the dragon presently mette with her and in an amourous fashion full of suspition and iealousie winding about her body did beate her as you haue heard in the former storie and this saith Elianus happened in Iudea in the dayes of Herod the King There was a little Dragon-whelpe bredde in Arcadia and brought vp familiarly with a little boy from his infancie vntill the boy became a young man and the dragon also became of great stature so that one of them loued another so well as man and beast could loue together or rather two play-fellowes from the Cradle At last the friends of the boy seeing the dragon grow so great in so short a space began to be suspicious of him where-vpon they tooke the bedde wherein the boy and the dragon were lodged and carried the same into a farre remote place of woods and wildernes and there set downe the bed with the boy and the dragon together The boy after a little while returned and came home againe to his friends the dragon wandered vp and downe in the woods feeding vpon herbes and poyson according to his nature and neuer more cared for the habitation of men but rested contented with a solitary life In the length of time it came to passe that the boy grew to be a perfect man and the dragon also remained in the wood although absent one from the other yet mutually louing as well as euer It hapned that this young man trauelled through that place where the dragon was lodged and fell among theeues when the young man saw their swords about his eares he cryed out the dragons den beeing not farre off his cry came to the dragons cares who instantly knowing the voyce of his play-fellow answered the same with another at whose hyssing the theeues grew afraid and began to runne away but their legges could not carry them so fast as to escape the dragons teeth and clawes for he came speedily to release his friend all the theeues that he could find he put to cruell death thē did he accompany his friend out of the place of perrill and returned backe againe to his den neither remembering wrath for that hee was exposed to the Wildernesse and there left by his play-fellow nor yet like peruerse men forsaking their olde friend in danger They that desire to reade more of this subiect shall finde store of examples in Elianus his sixt and thirteene bookes To conclude when Messalina the wife of Claudius did send certaine men to take away the life of Nero who was a riuall of Britanicus it is saide that when they had him in their hands to strangle him a dragon appeared out of the earth or floore of the chamber and did so terrifie these hangmen that they ranne away spared Neros life By which example another example of pietie in dragons is obserued Againe Telephus ignorantly lying with his mother had committed incest with her had not a dragon by diuine prouidence come and parted them asunder therefore Draconi similis est virtus indagatrix quae diligenter omnia perscrutatur rimaturque studiocissimè the vertue of discretion or perfit knowledge is like a dragon which diligently searcheth all thinges and studiously looketh into euery chinck so did this dragon preserue the chastitie of the mother and the sonne when they ignorantly and in the darke had defiled each other but for his appearance and demonstration I will adde but this one example more of their loue of chastitie in men and women In Lauinium there was a great holy wood neere vnto which stood a Temple of Iuno in that wood there was a great deepe denne of a dragon vnto the which dragon the Virgins came euery yeere beeing blind-folded with clouts and carrying Marchpanes in their hands When they entred the wood there was a certaine spirit as it was said without offence did leade them to the denne of the dragon and so euery one of the virgins did seuerally offer vp their Marchpanes to the dragon the dragon receiued the Marchpane at the hand of euery pure virgine and vnspotted but if they were defiled and held onely the name of Virgins then the dragon refused the Marchpane and therefore they were all examined at their comming forth that those which had lost their virginity might be punished by the Law And by this story although none but Heathens will beleeue it to be true because it is a fable meerely inuented to defend Idolatry which with my soule and spirit I doe detest yet I may collect thus much as a morrall out of fable that dragons in auncient time did honour virginity And thus seeing they neither loue nor are beloued of any other creature I will heere leaue to talke of their loue and friendship and passe on to their hatred and