"sunt cui ejusmodi ut illico denarrabimus. Alterum eorum quem "constat longe proceriorem esse : pullo equino triginta menses nato “haud absimilem crediderim: prominet in fronte cornu unicum "longitudine trium cubitorum : longe natu minor est alter: utpote "anniculus ac equino pullo simillimus: ejus cornu quaterni palmi "longitudinem haud excedit. Coloris est id animal equi mustellini, caput cervi instar: collo non oblongo: rarissimæque jube ab "altera parte solum dependentis. Tibias habet tenues: easdemque graciles admodum trinuli mos: ungulas anteriorum pedum "bifidas habet: caprinos pedes ferme referentes. Tibiarum poste"riorum pars exterior villosa est: pilique plurimi: sane id aial "ferum videtur. Verum ferotiam nescio qua comitate condivit "eos unicornes quidem Sultano Mechæ dono dedit ceu rem "inventu rarissimam, rem donoque preciosiorem. Aducti sunt "ex Æthiopiæ ab Æthiopum rege: ut eo munire necessitudinem conjunctissimi cum Sultano Mechæ præfecto iniret.” 66 Varthema, or Barthema, was translated into English in the year 1576, by Richard Eden, which translation I find the well-known, and not more known than esteemed, Mr. Evans, bookseller, in Pall Mall, has inserted at the end of his republication of Hakluyt's Voyages-which I now also lay before the reader. Of the Unicorns of the Temple of Mecca, which are not seen in any other place. "On the other part of the Temple are Parkes, or places en"closed, where are seen unicornes named of the Greeks, Mono"cerotæ, and are there shewed to the people for a Myracle, and not "without good reason, for their seldomness and strange nature. "The one of them is much higher than the other, yet not much "unlike to a coolte of thyrtye months of age; in the forehead "groweth only one horne, in manner right forth, of the length of "three cubits. The other is much younger-of the age of one "year, and like a young coolte: the horne of this is the length of "four handfuls. The beast is of the color of a horse of weesell "color, and hath a head like an hart, but no long neck, a thynne "mane hanging onlye on one syde, theyr legges are thyn and "slender like a fawne or hynde, the hoofs of the feete are divided * in two, much like the feete of a goat, the outwarde of the hynder "feete is very full of heare. This beast doubtless seemeth wylde "and fierce, yet tempereth that fierceness with a certain comelie66 ness. These unicornes one gave to the Sultan of Mecca as a "most precious giffte. They were sent to him out of Ethiope by "a Kynge of that country, who desired, by that present, to gratifie "the Sultan of Mecha." Notwithstanding all Barthema has said, the reader may be inclined to consider it only as a lie with circumstance," and to exclaim with Hermia : "I'll believe as soon "This whole earth may be bor'd, and that the Moon The following lively tale is extracted from an extremely pleasing work, Captain Thomas Skinner's Excursions in India; which, if it does not bring forward much additional evidence in favor of these animals, certainly impeaches Barthema's assertion, "locoque miri"culi populo spectandos præbent." "As unicorns have been supposed, if they really do exist, to “have their habitations among these hills, either on the Indian "side, or on the opposite one, we could not be indifferent to the "circumstance, nor cold about the possibility of gaining a peep "at such an extraordinary phenomenon. Whenever we found minutely upon the 66 66 66 66 intelligent people, we questioned them probability of such a piece, but nothing satisfactory were we "able to elicit from our enquiries. At length at this place (Bunassa) we met a villager, whose replies to our cross-examina"tion gave us so much hopes that we felt quite elated at the prospect of beholding the long-looked for animal. A big "beast,' said he, quite mad with wickedness, comes very often "at night out of the woods, and rushing into the fields, tears up the grain, and roars in such a manner that he makes us all "tremble. Has he horns?' we both exclaimed-' a tremendous "one!' was the reply- one only,'-' only one,' continued the Iman, quite delighted with the interest we seemed to take in his 66 66 narrative, and that O a terrible one,' stretching out his arms "to shew the length of it. He is sure to come into such a field "before midnight.' We resolved to watch for him, and engaged our informant to keep us company. "It was a fine rainy night, and the wind was howling through "the woods in a manner fearful enough to have tempted the "heroine of romance abroad. Before nine o'clock we were at our "posts, and planting ourselves beneath an overhanging crag of great height and wildness, within sight of the destined arena, " and within sound of a mighty cataract, we sat with our guns by "our sides, and a couple of flasks to fortify us against cold and "the rain, like bandits waiting for their prey. It was just light "enough to give double size to every object, and the waiving of "the trees never failed to make us startle, while the crackling of "the branches that yielded to the storm threw us into the most "feverish excitement. How shall we secure the animal? or if 66 we kill him, how get him stuffed and bear his bones to England?' "were the questions we continually asked each other; then like "the milk-maid in the fable, revelled in the fields of fancy, till quite lost in speculation upon the advantages that would attend so glorious a discovery. 66 66 "Midnight at length arrived, and our patience was not ex"hausted still the wind and rain continued. At length, just a "little before day-light, we heard a heavy racing above us; for "the rock beneath which we were sitting, projected with an abut"ment, as it were, to a wide terrace. We rose in agony almost "from expectation, and stood ready to confront the monster, that through our endeavours was no longer to live in fable alone! It was pitch dark, and blowing an hurricane; the underwood above "us was crackling before the pressure of some large animal, which "evidently approached us. With our eyes rivetted upon the brow "of the crag we had been sitting under, we stood with cocked guns and beating hearts, when, Ho!' a loud cry from our "native companion, there he goes,' was followed by a heavy "sound, as of the spring of a horse, and most assuredly there he 66 66 "went, without even giving us the gratification that the traveller "received from the disappearance of thestout gentleman,' after "having, like him, passed a night of restless curiosity. The "hill-man had seen little more than ourselves, and could not say, "whether it were the very beast we were in wait for, or some "other less formidable and less desirable. I have no doubt myself "that it was one of the large elks, the mohr of these mountains, " of which we had already seen several." Those who wish further information on this subject, may search for it in Pliny. NOTE XVII. "The Wahaubys considered the smoking of Tobacco to be unlawful."-Page 112. The Wahauby could scarcely have a worse opinion of tobacco than King James I, who concluded his Misocaprius with this sentence: "Tandem igitur, O cives, si quis pudor, rem infamam abjicite, "ortam ex ignominia, receptam errore, frequentatam stultitiâ: "unde, et ira numinis accenditus, corporis sanitas atteritur, res "familiaris arroditur, dignitas gentis senescit domi, vilescit foris: "rem visu turpem, olfactu insuavem, cerebro noxiam, pulmonibus "damnosam : et si dicere liceat atri fumi nebulis tartareos vapores "proxime repræsentantem." I find, however, the following praise of snuff in a book but little known, and, I believe, tolerably scarce -it is entitled, Raptas Ecstaticus in Montem Parnassum in eoque visus Satyrorum Lusus cum nasis tabaco prophoris sive "Satyricon novum Physico-medico-morale, Autore Joanne Henrico Cohausen, Hilderio-Saxone. Amsterdam, 1726. 86 66 "Vos medici, nil vestra facit fæcundia linguæ, "Naturæ motus linquite cuique suos; "Hæc nisi petophiles ægris destructæ sit omnis, "Si mihi cor dolet aut caput, inde facesse catinum "Præscriptis dolus est. Nemo mea fata repellet. NOTE XVIII. "The small town of Bedr."-Page 51. This place is famous for a battle between the Prophet and his opponents, of which the following is an account: "The sign or miracle here meant, was the victory gained by “Mohammed in the 2nd year of his hegira, (the 4th of March, A.D. 634) over the idolatrous Meccans, headed by Abou Sofiân "in the valley of Bedr, which is situate near the sea, between "Mecca and Medina. Mohammed's army consisted of no more "than 319, but the enemy's of near 1000; notwithstanding which "odds, he put them to flight, having killed 70 of the Koreish, and "taken as many prisoners, with the loss of only 14 of his own "men. This was the first victory obtained by the Prophet, and though it may seem no very considerable action, yet it was of great advantage, and the foundation of all his future power and 66 success. For which reason it is famous in Arabian History, " and more than once vaunted in the Koran as an effect of divine "assistance. The miracle, it is said, consisted of three things. "First, Mohammed, by the direction of the angel Gabriel, took handful of gravel, threw it towards the enemy in the attack, "saying, May their faces be confounded;' whereupon they im"mediately turned their backs and fled. But though the Prophet 66 66 66 a seemingly threw the gravel himself, yet he is told in the Koran "that it was not he, but God, who threw it; that is to say, by "the ministry of his Angel. Secondly, the Mohammedan troops "seemed to the infidels to be twice as many in number as them"selves, which greatly discouraged them. And thirdly, God sent "down to their assistance 1000, and afterwards 3000 angels, "led by Gabriel, mounted on his horse, Haizum; and, according "to the Koran, these celestial auxiliaries did all the execution, "though Mohammed's men imagined they themselves did it, and fought stoutly at the same time."-See Sale's excellent and learned Notes to the Koran. This battle is the more remarkable, because, after it was over, high disputes took place about the division of the spoils; to end |