“If you anoint a combe with the foame of a horse, wherewith a young man or youth doth use to comb his head, it is of such force as it will cause the haire of his head neither to encrease or any whit to appeare. The foame of a horse is also very much commended for them which have either pain or difficulty of hearing in their ears, or else the dust of horse dung, being new made and dryed, and mingled with oyle of Roses. The griefe or soreness of a man’s mouth or throat, being washed or annointed with the foame of a Horse, which hath bin
fed with Oates or barly, doth presently expell the paine of the Sorenesse, if so be that it be 2 or 3 times washed over with the juyce of young or greene Sea-crabs beaten small together.” But I could fill pages with remedial recipes furnished by the horse.
The Mimick Dog.
“The Mimicke or Getulian Dogge,” is, I take it, meant for a poodle. It was “apt to imitate al things it seeth, for which cause some have thought that it was conceived by an Ape, for in wit and disposition it resembleth an Ape, but in face, sharpe and blacke like an Hedgehog, having a short recurved body, very long legs, shaggy haire, and a short taile: this is called of some Canis Lucernarius. These being brought up with apes in their youth, learne very admirable and strange
feats, whereof there were great plenty in Egypt in the time of king Ptolemy, which were taught to leap, play, and dance, at the hearing of musicke, and in many poore men’s houses they served insteed of servaunts for divers uses.
“These are also used by Plaiers and Puppet-Mimicks to worke straunge trickes, for the sight whereof they get much money; such an one was the Mimick’s dog, of which Plutarch writeth that he saw in a publicke spectacle at Rome before the Emperor Vespasian. The dog was taught to act a play, wherein were contained many persons’ parts, I mean the affections of many other dogs; at last, there was given him a piece of bread, wherein, as was saide, was poison, having vertue to procure a dead sleepe, which he received and swallowed; and presently, after the eating thereof, he began to reele and stagger too and fro like a drunken man, and fell downe to the ground, as if he had bin dead, and so laie a good space, not stirring foot nor lim, being drawne uppe and downe by divers persons, according as the gesture of the play he acted did require, but when he perceived by the time, and other signes that it was requisite to arise, he first opened his eies, and lift up his head a little, then stretched forth himself, like as one doth when he riseth from sleepe; at last he geteth up, and runneth to him to whom that part belonged, not without the joy, and good content of Cæsar and all other beholders.
“To this may be added another story of a certaine Italian about the yeare 1403, called Andrew, who had a red Dog with him, of strange feats, and yet he was blind. For standing in the Market place compassed about with a circle of many people, there were brought
by the standers by, many Rings, Jewels, bracelets, and peeces of gold and silver, and these, within the circle were covered with earth, then the dog was bid to seeke them out, who with his nose and feet did presently find and discover them, then was hee also commaunded to give to every one his owne Ring, Jewell, Bracelet, or money, which the blind dog did performe directly without stay or doubt. Afterward, the standers by, gave unto him divers pieces of coine, stamped with the images of sundry princes, and then one of them called for a piece of English money, and the Dog delivered him a piece; another for the Emperor’s coine, and the dog delivered him a piece thereof; and so consequently, every princes coine by name, till all was restored; and this story is recorded by Abbas Urspergensis, where upon the common people said, the dog was a divell, or else possessed with some pythonicall spirit.”
It is curious to note some of the remedies against hydrophobia—and I only give a portion of the long list.