Section 13

Chap. XVIIT. Of certain other waies how to produce mtnflrous births,
tX/E may alfo produce Monflers by another way then that which we fpake of before ; for even after they are brought forth , we may fafhion them into a monflrous fhape, even as we lift: for as we may fhape young fruits as they grow, into the fafhion of any vcfTel or cafe that wc make for them to grow into; as- we may make a Quince like a mans head, a Cucumber like a Snake, by ma- king a cafe of that fafhion for them to grow in; fo alfo we may do by the births of living Creatures. Hippocrates in his book of Air, and Water, and Places, doth precilely fet down the manner hereof ; and (Tieweth how they do it, that dwell by the River Phafis, all of them being very long-headed, whereas no other Nation is fo befides. And furely Cuftcm was the firft caufe that they had fuch heads ; but aftciward Nature framed her felf to that Cu- flome ; infemuch that they etfeemed it an honourable thing to have a very long head. The begirnirg of that Cuftcme was thus. As focn as the child was new born, whiles his head was yet foft and tender, they would pre- fently crufrv it in thtir hards, and fo caufe it to grow out in length; yea they wculd bindit up with fwathing bands, that it might not grow round, but all in lergth: ar.d by this cuflcm it came to p»fle, that their heads afterward
grew
Of the (feneration of Animals* 51
grew fuch by nature. And in procefs of time, they were born with fuch heads, io that they needed not to be fo framed by handling ; for whereas the generative feed is derived from all the parrs of the body, found bodies yielding good feed, but crazie bodies unfound feed ; and oftentimes bald fathers bef etbaid children ; and blear-eyed fathers, blear-eyed children ; and a deformed father, for the moft part a deformed childe ; and the like alfocomeih to paffe concerning other fhapes: why fhould not alio long-headed fathers generate long-headed children ? But now they are not born with fuch heads , becaufe that pra&ife is quite out of ufe ; and fo nature, which Was upheld by that cuftom , ceafeth together with the cuttom. So if we would produce a two-legged Dog , fuch as fome arc carried about to be leen ; we mult take very young whelps, and cut off their feet, but heal them up very carefully: and when they be grown to flrength, join them in copulation with other dogs that have but two legs left j and if their whelps be nor two-legged, cut off their legs ftill by fucceffion, and ac the laft , nature will be overcome to yield their two-legged dogs by generati- on. By fome fuch pra&ife as you heard before , namely by handling , and often framing the members of young children, Mid-wives are wont to amend imperfc&ions in them ; as the crookedneffe or fharpneffe of their nofes, or fuch like,
Chap. XIX.
Of the wonderful force of imagination ; and how to produce party-coloured births,
PLutar^ln hisrehearfal of the opinions of Philofophers, writes, that Empedocles held that an infant is formed according to that which the mother looks upon ac the time of conception : for, faith he, women were wont to have commonly pictures and images in great requetf, and to bring forth children refembling the fame. Htppo- irate*) to clear a certain womans honcfty that had brought forth children very unlike their parents, afcribed the caufe of it to a certain picture which fhe had in her chamber. And the fame defence QuintMan ufeth on the behalf of a woman, who being her felf fair, had brought forth a Black- moor, which was fuppofed by all men to be her flaves fon. Damafcen reports, that a certain young woman brought forth a child that was all hairy ; and fearching out the reafon thereof, he found the hiary image of John Baptift in her chamber, which fhe was wont to look upon. Heliodorits begins that excellent hiftory which he wrote, with the Queen of jEthi. opia, whobroughc forth Chariclea a fair daughter ; the caufe whereof was, the fable of Andromeda pictured in that chamber , wherein fhe lay with the King. We read of fome others , that they brought forth horned children , becaufe in the rime of their coition they looked upon the fable of Att&on painted be- fore them. Many children have hare-lips, and all becaufe their mothers being with child , did look upon a Hare. The conceit of the mind, and the force of Imagination is great; but it is then moft operative, when it is exceffively bent upon any fuch thing as it cannot attain unto. Women with child , when they long moft vehemently , and have their minds earneftly fet upon any thing, do thereby alter their inward fpirits ; the fpirits move the blood, and fo imprint the likeneffe of the thing mufed upon, in the tender fubftance of the child. And furely all children would have feme fuch marks or other, by reafon of their mothers longing, if this longing were not in fome fort fa- tisfied. Wherefore the fearchers out of fecretshave juftly afcribed the marks and fignes in the young ones , to the imagination of the mother ; efpecially that imagination which prevails with her in the chiefeft anions, as in coition, in letting go her feed, and fuch like: and as man of all other living creatures, is moft fwift and fleeting in his thoughts andfulleft of conceits ; fo the variety of his wit affords much variety of fuch eflfc&s ; and therefore they are more in mankind, then 10 other living creatures: for other creatures are not fo divers minded, fo that
K 2 they
jt Natural Magick, ^Boo/^i.
they may the better bring forth every one his like in his own kind. Iacob was well acquainted with this force of imagination, as the Scriptures witneffe : for en- deavouring
To bring forth particoloured Sheep,
he took that courfe which I would with every man to take, that attempts any fuch enterprize. He took certain Rods and Poles of Popler, and Almond-tree , and fuch as might becafily balked; and cut off half the rine, pilling them by white ftrakes, fothat the Rods were white and black in feveral circles, like a Snakes co- lour. Then he put the Rods which he had pilled, into the gutters and watering- troughs, when the Sheep came to drink, and were in heat of conception, that they mighc look upon the Rods. And the Sheep conceived before the Rods,and brought forth young of party-colours, and with fmall and great ipots. A delightful fight it was. Now afterward, Iacob parted thefe Lambes by themfelves, and turned the faces of the other Sheep towards thefe party-coloured ones, about the time of concep- tion : whereby it came to pafle, that the other Sheep in their hear, beholding thofe that were party-coloured, brought forth Lambs ot the like colour. And fuch experiments might be praftiled upon all living Creatures that bear wool • and would take place in all kinds of beatis ; for this courfe will prevail even in
(jemrat'mg party-coloured Horfes\
A matter which Horfe- keepers, and Horfe-breeders do pradtife much ; for they are wont to hang and adorn with tapeftry and painted clothes of fundry colours, the houfes and rooms where they put their Mares to take Horfe j whereby they procure Colts of a bright Bay colour, or of a dapple Gray, or of any one colour, or of fun- dry colours together. And Abfyrttts teacheth the fame in effeft •> counfelling us to cover the Mares body with feme fluff of that colour, which we would have the Colt to be of: for look what colour fhe is let forth in, the fame will be derived into the Colt i for the horfe that covers her, will be much affeSed with the fight of fuch co- lours, as in the heat of hislullhelookethon; and will beget a Colt of the fame hue as the example then before his eyes doth prefent unto him. Oppianus in his firft book of Hunting, writes the fame argumenr. Such is, faith he, the induftry and pra- difednefle of manswir, that they can alter the colour of the young ones from the mother, and even in the wombe of their Dam procure them to be of divers colours : for the Horfe- breeder doth paint the Mares back with fundry colours, (even fuch as they would procure to be in the Colt,)again(l the time that both (he defires horfe, 8c the Stallion is admitted to cover her. So the Stallion, when he cometh and fees fuch goodly preparation as it were for his wedding,prefently begins tofomc at the mouth, md to neigh after her, and is poffeffed with the fire of raping luft throughout his whole body, raving and taking on, that he cannot forthwith fatisfie himfelf upon his bride. At length the Horfe-breeder takes off their fetters,and lets them loofe to- gether; and the Mare admits him, and afterward brings forth a Colt of as many colours as fhe beheld in the time of her copulation ; for as (be conceives the Coir, fo withal fhe conceives thofe colours which fhe then looks upon.
How to procure white Pea-cocks.
.j ?Aizm nvil iinii svsfl T*r*ow rwib.'i 3 uc ■> i -\ ,ounj j 10
Informer times, white Pea-cocks were fuch a rare fight in Colen , that every one admired them as a moft 11 range thing: but afterward they became more common, by reafon that merchants brought many of them out of Norway i for whereas black or elfe party-coloured Peacocks were carried into that Country to befeen, prefently as they came thither, they waxed white ; for there the old ones fit upon their eggs in the air , upon the tops of very high mountaines, full of fnow ; and by Continual fitting there, it caufeth fome alteration in their own colour ; but the young which they hatch , are white all over. And no doubt but fome fuch courfes will
Of the (feneration of
take good effect in all kinds of birds ; for if we take their Cages of Coops wherein they are kept, and their nefts wherein they fit, and white them on the infide with fomc plattering work, or elfe cover them all over with white clothes or curtains, and fo keep them in with grates, that they may not get out, but there couple and fit, and hatch their egges, they will yeeld unto us white broods. So if you would
Procure Pigeons of party colour sy
you mull take that courfe which Oppiannt hath fet down. At fuch time, as they fall to kifliog their mate, and are defirous of copulation, let him that keeps them lay before their eyes fundry clothes of the braveft colours they can get, but efpecially purple : for the pigeons will in theit heat of luft be much affected and delighted with the fight thereof, and the young ones which they bring forth , (hall refemble the fame colours. The fubiil Fowler, faith he, that gives himfelf to take and to bring up birds,is well acquainted with, and is wont to pra&ifc fuch experiments, and very artificially procures fine colours in young Pigeons:he cafieth before their fpark- ling eyes fine wrought tapeftry,and red coverlet s,and purple garments;and fo whiles he feeds their eyes with pleafing fights, he fieals away their imagination to the co- lours which they look upon, and thereby derives the very fame colours into the young ones.
How to procure a (hag- hair'd Dog,
In fa .' ting time you muftftrew their kennels, and the places where they lie and couple, and ufually haunt, with the fleeces and hides of beads • and fo, while they continually look upon thofe fights, they will beget fhag whelps like Lions. This we heard came to paffe by chance, and without any fuch intended purpofe, that a little Bitch lying continually in a Rams fleece, when (he came to be with whelp, (he brought forth puppies of the like hair as the fleece was.
How to procure Swine, and other beafis to he white.
Swine-herds, and Keepers of beads, when they would have white litters, are wont to beautifie, and to build the (tables and places whither the beads refort to lye , with white roofs and white eaves; and the Swine which were brought forth in fuch white flies, and the other beads likewife that were brought forth in fuch wht- ted places, became thereby white all over.
Chap. XX.
How U may be wrought^ that Women jh
BY this which hath been fpoken, it is eafie for any man to work the like efFe&s in mankind, and to know how to procure fair and beautiful children. Nay, Writers make mention , that thefe things which we fpeak of, have oftentimes fallen out by chance. Wherefore it was not here to be omitted. The beft means to pro- duce this effeft, is to place in the bed-chambers of great men, the images of Cm- %idy Adonis, tadCanymedesi or elfe to fet them there in carved and graven works, in fome folid matter, that they may aiwayes have them in their eyes : whereby it may to paffe, that whenfoever their wives lie with them, ftill they may think upon thofe pictures, and have their imagination flrongly and earneftlybent thereupon: and not only while they are in thea£t, but after they have conceived and quickned alfo: fo (hall the child when it is born, imitate and expreflc the fame form which his mother conceived in her mind, when (he conceived him, and bare in her mind, while (he bare him in her wombe. And I know by experience, that this courfe will take goodeffeft } for after I had ccunfelled many toufcit, there wasawoman,
54- Natural Mag ice. ^oo^z.
who had a great defire to be the mother of a fair Son, that heard of it, and put it in pradife ; for fhe procured a white boy carved of maible, well proportioned eve- ry wayjand him (he had always before her eyestfor fuch a Son it was that fhe much drfired. And when fhe lay with her Husband, and likewile afterward, when fhe was with child, ftill fhe would look upon that image, and her eyes and heart were continually fixed upon it: whereby it came to paffe, that when her breeding time was expired , fhe brought forth a Son very like in all points, to that marble image, but efpecially in colour, being as pale and as whice, as if he had been very marble indeed. And thus the truth of this experiment was manifettly proved. Ma- ny other women have put the like courfe in pradtife, and their skill hath not failed tbem. Oppiantu mentions this kind of pra&iie, that it is ufual amongft the Lace- demonians: for they, faith he, when they perceive that their wives are breeding youngbones, hang up fine pictures, and place goodly images in their fight; fome, of the molt beautiful and handfeme youngmen that ever mankind afforded , as of Nireui, N^rcijftu^tnd valiant Hjacinthtu, and of other young lufly gallants that were molt comely and beautiful in face, and very fightly for all the parts of their body; andlome, of fuch excellent gods as was Apollo crowned withagarlaad of frefh coloured Bay, and Evan that had a Diadem of Vine-leaves about his head,and goodly hair hanging down under it: and this they did, that while their Wives ftood gazing continually upon fuch brave pictures, and comely portraitures, they might breed and bring forth children of the fame comlinefle and beauty.
Ch a p. XXI. How we may procure either malts or females to be generated.
£?Mpedoclesrti$o( opinion, That males or females were generated according to the heat or cold that was in them; and thence it is, faith he, that the firft males are reported to have been generated in the Eaftern and Southern parts of the earth, but the firft females in the Northern parts. But Varmemdes quite contrary sffirm- ed, That males were efpecially generated towards the North, as having in them more folidity and thickneffe ; and females efpecially towards the South,' as being mere loofe and open, according to the difpofition of the place. Hppenax held, That miles and females are generated, according as the feed is either ftrong and fo- lid, or fluid, weak and feeble. jtn*xagoro4 writes, that the feed which itTucth out of the right parts of the body, is derived into the right parts of the wombe ; and likewife that which iffueth out of the left parts of the body, falleth into the left parts of the wombe : but if they change courfes, and the right feed fall into the left cell or receit in the wombe, or the left feed into the right cell, then it ge- nerates a female. Leuci^pm ht\6, That there was no caufe either in the feed or heat, orfolidi:y,or place, that they fhould be different fcxes, but only as it pleafes nature to mark the young ones with different genitories, that the male hath a yard, and the female a wombe. Democritm affirms, that cither fex in every part proceeds indifferently from cither parent ; butthe young one takes in lex after that parent which was moft prevalent in that generation. Hipponax faith, if the fetd whereof the young is begotten, prevail moft, then it is a male; but if the nourifhment which irreceivesin the breeding, prevail more then the feed, then it is a female. But all Pbyfitians with one conlent affirm, that the right fide hath moft heat in it ; wherefore if the woman receive and retain the generative feed in the right fide of her wombe, then that which fhe conceives, is a male j but if inthe left fide, it is a female. The experience whereof may be evidently feen in inch liurg Creatures a; bring forth many at one burthen : for if you cut open a Sow that is great with Pi?, you fhali find the Boar-pigs lying in the right fide, and tbe.Sow-pigs in the left fide of her wombe. And hence it is, that Phyfitians counfel women, as foon as they have taken in mans feed, to turn themprelently on their right fide. And hence ifepchatrlf you knit up a Rams right ft one. he begets Ewe-lambs only, asP//>;wri- icthv A Bull, as foon as he hath rid a Cow, gives evidenrfigns to any man to con- jecture