The Digital Ark: Early Modern Collections of Curiosities in England and Scotland, 1580-1700
A Catalogue of Many Natural Rarities (1664)
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Wing H3243. Copy text: EEBO reproduction of Yale University Library copy. Ambiguities checked against British Library copy 957 e.13, the Folger copy, and Bodleian Library copy Gough Lond 195.
Robert Hubert
A Catalogue of Many Natural Rarities, with Great Industry, Cost, and
thirty Years travel in Foraign Countries, collected by Robert Hubert, alias FORGES, Gent. and sworn Servant to His Majesty. And dayly to be seen,
at the place called the Musick House, at the Miter, near the West end of St. Pauls Church
London
Printed by Tho. Ratcliffe, for the Author
1664
A
CATALOGUE
OF MANY
Natural RARITIES,
WITH
Great Industry, Cost, and thirty
Years travel in Foraign
Countries, London, Printed by Tho. Ratcliffe, for the
Author, 1664. 1 A CATALOGUE OF MANY Natural RARITIES. I. Rarities HUMAN
A Giants Thigh-bone, more than 4. feet in Length;
found in 
Syria.
A Mummy, intire, and adorned with Hieroglyphicks,
that shew both the Antiquity, and eminent Nobility of the Person, whose
Corps 2 it is, taken out of one of the Egyptian
Pyramids.
II. Rarities of BEASTS and Parts of them.
A Hahut or Sloth, a
fourfooted Animal of America, in the Head and
Neck somewhat resembling a Man. It hath 3. Clawes one each foot, but the
Clawes are like a Boares tuskes, it is of Florida, and is the slowest of all Beasts, from whence it hath its
Name. It was given by Esq; Scott, an ingenious
Gentleman and a great traveller in America.
A Haget, which sleepes six months: it is a
creature of the Island Mayonto in the Lake Yondarro, two hundred miles from Hudsons river in America,
it hath a Costly furre, and is held for excellent meat in that
Country.
A Linx, it is a fierce creature with an excellent
furre, it is as big as an ordinary water Spaniel, and is a very quick
sighted creature, this beast leap't from a tree, and 3 had almost kill'd a Woman, but that she was speedily delivered by a
Moor, who shot him to death. It was given by Mr.Linzey Chirurgion of Popler.
An Ermine; which living had rather suffer death,
then to be defiled; as some Authers testifie.
A Monstrous Catt, with two bodies, one head, eight
leggs and two tayles, it was presented by worthy Mr. Thornton, Chaplaine to the right honorable the Earle of Bedford.
A Muske Ratt of Russia,
this Creature lives in fresh rivers and has a large long tayle and
duck-feet behinde, the better to swimme withall.
Parts of Beasts.
The Hornes of a Dog, of a Land near China.
The Hornes of a Hare, which were the Prince
Electors of Saxony.
A Rinoceros Horne, that was also given by 4 his Highnesse the Duke of Holstein.
The Claw and Scale of a Rinoceros, which is
esteemed the Unicorne.
A very long winding Horne of a Ram in Germany.
The Black hornes of a
Russia Ram, four growing
together; two streight, and two crooked.
A strange horne of a Virginia Deere.
A strange horne of a German Raine Deere.
Another sorte of Raine Deeres horne.
A pair of Antlopes hornes.
A Male and Female Barbarouses heads, either of
them are as big as a Swines head; it is a strange beast of the
Deserts of East India, it hath two tusks like
a Boare in the lower jaw, and two great tusks growing up on the
nose.
A Guinney Bats-skin, larger then a great Coney
skin.
5
A soft Ball of haire, bigger then a mans fist, found in the maw of a
Calf in Holland.
A Black Ball, with a hard shell found in the stomack of a wilde Bull
in Brasil.
A little Orbicular Ball, hard and light, found
in the stomack of a strange beast of India.
A strange Tuske of a great Boar.
A great Tooth of an Hippopotamus.
Besides the things above mentioned, there are in a chest great
variety of strange bones, teeth, and clawes of many different
Creatures.
III. BIRDS.
A Phenicopter or Passoflamingo; given by the Ingenious Lover of Rarities Mr.
Povey Treasurer to his Highnesse the Duke of
Yorke. This bird is good meat and was much
esteemed by the delicate-mouthed Romans.
6
A Manucodiata, or Bird of Paradise with feet, for it hath great feet, to shew that it
perches on trees in a land as yet unknown: for they are never seen
alive; but are found always dead in the Moluccos
Islands, by reason of a continual wind that bloweth six months
one way & six months the other way and because of their sharp
head, little body, and a great feathered tayle, they are blown up so
high that they fall dead in another climat or Countrey.
A Bird called the Alcion of East India.
A Tropick-bird, this Bird is called so, because
that kind is seen near the Tropick or under the line: for when the
Mariners see them fly in the aire, they then can conjecture where about
they are. It is a Sea foule, of a gray colour, but the quills of the
feathers of hi swings are black, and the feathers white, and his bill
like a crow, but very red; and his feet like a duckes, but of two
colours.
An Arcuata Coccinea, a sort of Sea-Curlew, highly esteemed by the Natives of Brasile, who call it Guaro. It changes the colour of its feathers thrice, viz. from 7 black to
ash-colour, and then to white, but the second year put on new ones of a
scarlet, which the longer the bird lives it growes more bright and
orient; It is found in Marahoon and Rio de Janeiro. Given me together with the full
Relation of it, by the learned Dr. Charlton one
of the Kings Majesties Physitians in ordinary, and excellently knowing
in Natural Rarities.
A strange Sea-fowle as big as a Goose; it is
called the Sea Pinguin, it cannot fly, for his
wings are like finnes, and is so thick of feathers that one cannot
shoote him, unlesse behinde against the growth of his thick down or
feathers, he is found threescore leagues from the Coast of Canada.
A Sea-Crow, it is as big as a Raven, it hath feet
like a Duck and a bill like a Crow.
A Sea-Parret, or Coppernose of Greene-land, the bill is
of several colours, but the feet of a scarlet, and like a Duck.
A Great Bird of Guiney called the Guiney Wake, it resembles something a Pea-cocke
on the head, and hath a tuffe like the bristles 8
of a Hog on the top of his head, and hath a scent like musk, and as
ill-favored feet as the Peacock.
Several Tominei or Humming
Birds of several countries, which live by the dew that they suck from
the flowers with their little long tongues.
A very rare little Bird.
The Nest and the Bird altogether do not weigh
24. graines, it is a lesser species of humming
Bird then ordinary.
The Head and Bill of the
Bird Ibis of Ægypt; it is the bird that taught the use of
Glysters; and in that Countrey there is a Law that condemnes any to
death, who kills one of them. For they devoure the Serpents in those
parts.
An Indian Storkes head and bill.
An Acoras head and bill of Brasil.
A Pelicans head, bill and bag with the feet, to
prove that it is a water fowle: he does not make himself to bleed a
purpose for his young ones, but by accident, by carrying of 9 shellfishes in his thin bag makes it to bleed.
A Toucans head and bill of Peru; the head and bill of that bird are bigger then all his
body; it is a very rare one and did belong to the King of Spain.
The Head and Legge of an Estridge.
The Head and Bill of a Stone-pecker, of Germany.
A Legge of a Casoware or Emeu.
A Legge of a Dodo a great heavy bird that cannot
fly; it is a bird of the Mauricius Islan.
Several sorts of Egges, of bird, fishes and
serpents.
The Nest of a Bird in Africa, built with a long Neck on a Tree, to
secure himself and youngones from Apes and Monkies.
A Nest of a Bird made like the secret parts of a
man, by a little Bird in Brasil, to secure him
and his young ones from the Serpents.
10
A Nest of another Bird, made like another thing
and of other materials, it is also built on a tree, but of a Countrey
distant from Brasil above 3000 miles.
An other Nest of a little Bird of India, but no body does know of what material it
is made, yet the great persons of that Country eates it for good
meat.
A large bush of black feathers, that for the Rarity and beauty, doth
exceed that which the master of these Rarities did see, of the great
Turks or Sultans at Constantinople.
IV. FISHES.
A Sea Elephant or Rock
fishes head as big as a bushell. This sort of fish loves to be near the
Rocks therefore the Seamen when they espy the fish, come not near the
place, for fear of a Rock under water.
The Head of a Sea-sheep, of Caepe de Vert
11 in Africa, the fish is
good meat and the head very like a sheeps head.
A Sea-Lyons head, for its forme it is a species of
doggefish, but is very good meat especially the liver.
A Crack-Shell-fishes head, this fish lives upon
shell-fishes, and hath three great teeth in the inner part of his mouth,
with the which he grinds the shells to small peeces, it is a fish of America.
A great Sea-Catts head of China.
A great Sturgeons head of the German Ocean; The Sturgeon hath no
teeth, but receives his food by a round hole that is under his head, by
which he sucks in his food.
A Head and Tayle of a Dolphin, the Dolphins
tayle is different from all other fishes for it growes thwartwise the
better to rebound out of the water, as he does often against a
storme.
A great Sword-Fishes head and Sword of the black
Sea; it is one of the swiftest fishes that swims, and is excellent meat,
slic'd, 12 broyled, with oyle peper and salt and
the juice of a lemon on it.
The Scull of a Sea Morce of Greene land, this fish does sleep hanging on the Rocks by the
great teeth of the upper jaw and so is taken in Norway.
A strange fishes head that did belong to the King of Bohemia.
An Extraordinary great Tortises head of East India, it is called the Logger-headed Tortoise.
A fish called the Dagger fish for the forme of the
head, it is a species of Sea Unicorne.
The Head of a fish of Madagascar, this fish moves
the upper jaw, and not the lower.
The Head of a fish that is found in fresh rivers as the Danubius in Hungaria, and the Elbe in Saxe, it is a fish
with a round great head and small eyes and two long hornes like a beard,
and is a good tasted fish, and is called Siluti.
13
Whole Fishes.
A Shoveller or Blew
Sharke, very perfect, given by Doctor Eastgate, Physician in Popler.
A Monk-fish Shark, the Sharke does ingender
like fourfooted creatures on land, and has ten or twelve at a
litter; When their young ones are in any danger they receive them in
their stomach and then disgorge them out again.
A Spotted Dog-fish of the Coast of France.
A Shovell Dogge fish, it is a species of Sharke, his eyes are seated afore distant one
from another: It was given by his highnesse the Duke of Holstein.
A great Frog fish of the Baltick Sea, this fish is as big as a great hog.
A Sea Otter, this Creature is an Amphibium, and hath his forefeet like finnes:
but seated in the midst of his body like a crosse; his skinn is
hairy like down or silk, it is so soft and bright.
14
A Sea Leopard, so called from his spots, it is
a species of Seale, and is also an Amphibium.
A little Sea Calfe or Seale which also participates of both Elements, and hath
foure feet but short, the two hinder broad, and no eares, the better
to endure long in the water.
Olaus the Great
writes, that this creature is the most unconstant to his female of
any; which is the cause often times of his death, for the fisher men
to take him counterfit the braying of a female, they are common in
the Finland Sea.
A Sea Wolf, it is a creature that hath the
strongest teeth and bites the hardest of any for his bignesse: for
his head being but off from his body living, a quarter or half an
hour after is able to bite ones hand off.
A Sea Ape, for his forme, and is called the
Joynt fish for its nature, for if one holds ones hand afore his
head, when he is living it makes the joynts of hand and arme to
cracke, this fish is found in Brasil.
A little Tortoise, called the Hawks-bill-Tortoise.
15
A Sea Tortoise hath 3. hearts, and it is of a
threefold nature, for it lives in the Sea like a fish, it layes
egges in the sand by the shoar side, to be hatcht by heat like a
fowle, and it crawles
one
on
4. fennes like feet, and hath flesh and blood like a 4.
footed beast.
A lesse Tortoise newly hatch't out of his
egge; all Sea Tortoises are good meate when
they are in season.
A great Sea Tortoise; it is a Creature much
addicted to generating, for the male will remain on the female ten
days or more, to the great impoverishing of himself to carry on, but
to the bettering of the female in her laying of foure or five
hundred of egges at a time, in a hole she makes in the sands, then
covers them, and so they are afterwards hatched by the Sun.
A Male Conny fish, armed with a hard shell,
and two hornes, or prickles before and two behind.
A Triangular fish; it is a female Conny fish, larger then the male, the better
to contain her spawne, and is also armed with the like hard shell,
but not with prickles. 16 Nature forcing her to
follow the male for her defence.
A long narrow fish called the Sea Pelican: for
the forme of his head. Also it is called the Sea
Dart, for the forme of his body and tayle that is like the
head of a barbed arrow.
A great Sea Porcupine fish of the West India.
A Hedge-Hog-fish. It is a species of the Sea Porcupine, only the prickles are shorter.
It was given as an addition of these Rarities by his Highnesse the
Duke of Holstein.
A Sea Mouse, so called for the forme of his
head and beard; this fish contrary to the nature of other fishes
shrieks in the water and out of the water like a mouse, but for his
finnes he is something like a Serpent in colour, and is about a foot
long, but is very good meat.
A great horned Soal fish. It is like a large
Soal, but hath his Mouth right a fore, with one great horne between
his eyes, and both the sides of his body of one colour, 17 different from the Nature of other Soales that are
brown of one side and white on the other.
A Saw fish, Vulgarly called the Sword-fish,
but is not. This fish is the enemy to the Whale; for with the prickles of his weapon he torments the
Whale so much that the great monstrous fish kills her self by
swimming too hastily without her Pilot-fish against the shore, her
body being so fat and heavy, and her skin so thin.
A little prickled Dog fish of the German Sea.
A Sturgeon of Holland.
A Sturgeon of an other species, such as is
found in Italy.
A Parret, or Angrey
fish of Brasile, it is a species of
Globe-fish, which cannot swim in a storme, and therefore fills his
maw with stones, to lye steady in the bottom of the water.
A Sucking fish of Ice
land, it is a species of Lump-fish,
that cannot swim likewise in a storme, but sticks to the Rocks with
a 18 seeming mouth that is under the fore part
of his belly.
A Poyson fish of East
India, so venomous that thirteen men in a ship dyed by
eating of one of them, he is called by some the Sea Hare; he is for his forme something long and foure
square and is a species of Conny-fish.
A Hermit fish of the bottome of the Sea, it is
a creature that liveth in the shell of an other fish, the fishermen
makes use of them to baite other fishes withal.
A Souldier fish, it is a creature that liveth
on Mountains or highland in the Caribea
Islands under the rootes of trees, but once a year cometh to the Sea
side to spawn in vast multitudes, and then they possess themselves
of the shells of other fishes, and so march back again with their
plundred shells.
A Woodcock fish of the Baltic Sea, his head is like a long bill full of sharp
teeth, and for the length it is counted a Sea
Serpent.
A Prickled Toad fish of India, being a species of Globe
fish.
19
A 4. Prickled fish of East India. All other
fishes, though greater, are afraid of him, for his prickles that he
hath before and behind; therefore they will not come near him, and
he is alwayes taken alone.
An Angel fish, so called for his beautifull
colours, that he hath under water, this is of the West Indias.
A great flying-fish or Sea
Swallow, that flyes sometimes aboard the ships, and
thinking to escape a fish that is his adversary, becomes a good
friend to man, by being good meat, when well dress'd.
A Trumpet fish of the Baltic Sea, it is a kind
of Sea Serpent, and somewhat resembleth the
Needel fish.
A Smith fish, it is likewise called S. Peters fish, the one half is the head, and
the other half is the body; it was given by his Highnesse the Landgrave of Hessen.
A Wave fish so called for the manner of the
growing of his scales.
AWeapon fish of Bermudos, this fish hath a 20 long
sharp bone on his back to defend himself, which he raiseth, or
letteth fall in a hollow case, when he will.
An other sort of Weapon fish of the West Indias.
A fish called the Sea cocke of the Spanish coasts.
A little fish of Guiney called the Cataphractus, that hath two prickles before,
that are venemous.
A Sun fish, for sleeping in the Sun it is also
called the Moon-fish, for shining in the
night to the amazement of Seamen that sees so great a light; this
fish is of a strange forme, for tis like a head onely, but hath a
very little mouth for so great a body.
A great Netted Stare fish, for his forme, it
is one of the sensiblest creatures of the world, and hath but one
eye. It was given by Sr. Thomas Wardner
Governour of St. Christophers Island.
A very rare great Starre fish of India; this fish feedes on flat shell fishes,
and his mouth is in the Center of his body.
21
A large Comett, or Sixfingers fish of India, it is a
species of Starre fish.
A little Crowned Starre fish of the Coast of
Denmarke.
A little round boded Starre fish with long
narrow feet or poynts.
A Flat flowered Starre fish of the German Sea.
A five pointed little Starre
fish of the Coast of Holland.
A prickled Crab called the Sea Spyder, which ha's little clawes on his feet, like
birds clawes; It was given to the augmenting of these Rarities, by
the Learned Petrus Caresius, the King of Denmark's Resident in the united Provinces.
A King Crab of the Moluccos Island this creature has the eyes on his back,
and is also called a Sea Spyder, for the
resemblance.
A great Sea Crab.
A Witland Crab; it is like a deaths head, and
lives in the ground like Connies in a 22
burrow, in some Islands of the West
Indias.
An other species of King Crab or Sea Spyder, but as light as a sheet of Paper,
yet it is as big as an ordinary face.
An Icus Marinus, that is called the Sea Orange.
A Torpedo or Benumming fish, for it taketh
away the sense of feeling from the fisher mans hands when he is in
his Net. He is of Africa, and did belong to
the King of France.
A very perfect great and true Remora of India, whose property is to hinder or stay
great ships as they swim; it hath on his head many open spaces out
of which proceeds a glutinous humour, with the which he sticks so
fast to any smooth thing that a man cannot well losen him.
A strange black Plaice, from the Sea of Denmark.
A little prickled Globe Fish, also called the
Sea Owle, for his forme.
23
An Hippocampus of the Mediterranean Sea; his
belly is said to be very venemous.
An Hippocampus of Brasil, of an other sort: for he has a little white horne
under his head.
A little Spouting or Foutain
fish; for it sticks to the Rocks, and when one will take
him, he spouts the water in ones face.
A strange sort of Oyster, that is called the
Sentry fish for his nature, for he is
fastened to the Rocks and most commonly stands open to catch fish;
for as the fish thinks to eat him, he takes his enemy prisoner and
then entertaines him as good meat.
A Navell fish, a round slymy mishapen thing,
that sticks to the Rocks, and contracts it self in the shape of a
Navell, and is a venemous creature.
A true Purple-fish, that sticks to the Rocks
and is an insect of the Sea composed of many hard shells layd over
one another like the scales of wood-lice. I walking by the Sea side
to search after the secrets of Nature, found one of them in the West India: but
24
I wondred at the variety of colours wherewith it stained my
hand.
For, first it was green, then blew, afterwards, purple,
and lastly it became a beautifull Red; and taking my handkerchief to
my hands it died the same likewise, and the colours remaine in the
linnen not to be washed out.
A Limpet, which sticks also to the rocks, and
is an Insect of the Sea, having a flat shell, but the creature
within is something like a snaile, with little hornes and is very
good meat.
A Needle-fish, it is a small little long fish
of the forme
of of
of
a needle.
A Sea Louse, is also an insect of the Sea in
Greenland, and sticks to the Whale, for food.
Some Sea-fleas, when the sea is at a low Ebbe,
they are found by hundreds under some Rocks, and after stormes, on
the sands by the shore side.
Some Sea-Scorpions; they are insects of the
Sea and have six feet like a Scorpion, and a long tayle.
25
Some Mint fishes, they are little round
creatures, but when they are dry they are flat and mark'd like
money.
A Sea Eye, it is a species of the Mint fish,
round and clear like Gelley, but venemous.
A Paraquito fish of the Adriatic Sea; it is a little green fish like a Paraquito,
but hath small teeth afore like unto a Mouses.
A little Burre-fish, it is green and like a
burre that sticks to ones cloathes, it is one of the species of Icus Marinus.
A little fish found in moarish grounds in Swedland, it hath a little prickle on the back that is
venemous.
A little Sea Serpent, something resembling a
Conger, but the head is bigger, for the
proportion of its body.
A Sea Insect called the Sea-chairs; it hath many scales like a wood louse, two
long hornes, and a forked tayle.
A Water Insect called squilla Fluviatilis, or the water Cricket.
26
Also many hundred of very rare and beautifull fish shells all
different in their formes, works, or colours, and other things
belonging to Animals, in Chests and Boxes.
Amongst some of them a very rare Mother of Pearle, or the Pearle
oyster, with an oriential Pearle in the midst; and a Carvall fish
shell of the Red Sea, and two or three species of shells that grow
contrary to the nature of all shells in general: for they grow
towards the left hand. Another sort called the Antipathio shell for the Center is on the botttome, and
the other shells in generall has the Center on the top.
Parts of FISHES.
A Ribb of a Triton or Mereman, taken by Captain Finny,
upon the shouts of Brasil, five hundred
Leagues from the Maine; given by Doctor Esgate Physitian.;
The Vein of the tongue of that Whale that was
taken up at Greenwich, a little before Cromwel's death, it is like a vein stocke that
is withered.
A peece of the Skin of the Whale; the 27 pizzle
eight or nine foot long, the Drumpanne, a tooth, a finne of one of
the Gills, some twelve foot long, and the bone that the Whale spouts
the water out withall and a neck bone.
The Tayle of a Sea Cat, or stingray, it will
saw like an iron saw.
A very great Saw, or Weapon of a Saw-fish.
A Round flat bone of a fish like a pancake.
An Extraordinary great Lobsters Claw.
A Great Jawe of a large Tabourein, it is a
Species of Sharke, and hath four or five tyre
or rows of teeth, it was sent the master of these Rarities from the
West India.
V. SERPENTS, &c.
A Serpent above twenty foot long of the East India, it hath in the upper chap four rowes
of teeth; this Serpent when he 28 was living,
could swallow men or beasts.
A long Narrow Serpent like a peece of narrow
hair-coloured Satten edged with white Satten.
A Beautifull Serpent called Ibaboca of Brasil, some ten or twelve
foot long.
A Spotted Serpent of the Island
Jamaica; this, with the three following Serpents was given to
the increase of these Rarities, by worthy Mr. Povey one of the Royal Society of
Philosophers, and Treasurer to his highnesse the Duke of Yorke.
A Gray Coloured Serpent, this Serpent being held
before the light, the skin appears like Net-work.
A Gold Coloured Serpent, for this Serpent skin is
like cloth of Gold.
An other Serpent of India
like Cloth of Silver, with black spotts.
A Black Serpent of Virginia, it is eaten for good meat.
29
A Boicininga, or Rattle
Snake; Nature has formed him with a rattle at his tayle that
men might avoyd the danger of his biting; for being once bitten by him,
a Man dyes in halfe an houre unlesse he hath of the rattle snake roote,
for to apply alittle of it to the offended place, and by eating a little
of it also; therefore the Savages of Virginia
seldom travel without it.
A Viper of Italy.
A Viper of Germany.
An Adder of England.
A little Serpent of Germany.
A Slow-Worme of Hessen.
An other coloured little Serpent.
An Aspe.
A great Tatoo or Armadillo
of the Duke of Orleans; it lives under ground
like a Mole, and is as big as a pretty big dog; it is a great Rarity in
the East India, and a noble present of so great a
Prince.
30
An Armadillo of the West
India that is esteemed good meat there.
An other sort of Armadillo of the East India that was presented King James for a Rarety.
A great Crocodile, given by Noble Squire Courtine, a lover of vertue and ingenuity.
A little Spotted Crocidile of Egypt.
A very little Crocodile, as it first came out of
his egge.
A little Aligater of Brasil, it is a species of Crocodile.
A great Lizzard of Africa,
that is said to be so loving to Man, that if the Man be a sleep and in
danger of some other creature, he will then awake him.
A great Spotted Lizard skin, that his Highnesse
the Landgrave of Hessen
gave as a Rarity.
An other species of Lizard of Numidia, or of Arabia, it is called by
some the land Crocodile.
31
A Bugelugey, it is a creature of some parts of Africa, a kind of Lizard, that hath great scales
like a fish.
A Camaleon of Barbary; it
is said to live only by the air, but it is not so, for he lives by flyes
and, yet he can live long without food, his skin being so nervous, and
very little porous.
A True Salamander, is said to live in the fire, as
has been too often reported, but will live longer in the fire then any
living creature of his bignesse, for the matter or moisture that
proceeds from him condenses and so smothereth the fire, as milk or glew
doth.
A Guaena of America, it is
a sort of Lizard as big as a good Rabett, but in those parts held for
better meat; it lives by the fruits of trees, and is so harmelesse that
one may take him by the tayle as he is on a tree
A Black land Tortoise full of little yellow
specks, such as those in Germany or Greece.
A little land Tortoise of Canada with many other different land Tortoises out of the 32 East and West Indies;
they are all generally good meat.
A fair Sincus Terrestris of Egypt, it hath four feet like a Lizard, but resembles a fish,
though it be a land creature; it is said that one part of his body is
cooling; but the other part is
ptovocative
provocative
to man or woman.
A Coale Black Toade.
Frogs with two feet and a tayle.
Frogs with foure feet and a tayle.
Two sortes of Scorpions.
VI. Insects or FLIES.
A Flie bigger then a Sparrow, called the bill-Scarabeus.
A rare great Flie called the Salamander Flie for
his colours, and that it is like to wrought velvet.
A great Scarabeus of the Amazones, very entire, and of beautifull colours.
33
A Lanterne Flie of Peru;
two or three of these Flies fastened to a stick, give light to those
that travel in the Countrey.
A Black Elephant Flie, for his forme.
A Buck Flie, for his hornes.
A Leopard Flie, for the colours of his spots on
his body.
A Parret-Flie, for his shape and for his rare
changeable colours.
A Mole Flie, for his feet and for his silken hairy
downe.
A Rich Coloured great Cantharides of the East Indies.
An Emerauld Flie so called for his rare glittering
green colour.
A Saphir Flie so called for his bright shining
blew colour.
A Musk Flie, it is called so for his Odoriferous
sent when he is alive.
34
A West India Cacaorche. An Insect some thing
broad, but can insinuate himself in the least chinck of a chest to the
great offence of men by spoiling of leather or woolen.
A little broune Scarabeus of East Indies.
A Rare Dragon-Flie.
A Rare Butter-Flie of Germany.
A Rare Butter-Flie of Swedland, with several hundred of other rare insects and
Flies, all different one from another, either in shape, or colours.
35
THE SECOND PART OF THE CATALOGUE
I. VEGETABLES.
A Sticke that is grown hollow like a nett; it was
Prince Maurice of Nassaw's
Rarity, that he brought out of Brasil.
A Stick that is grown like a knott, and is a pipe
to play on.
A Stick like a Crosse.
A Stick like St. Andrew's
Crosse.
36
A Stick like a Serpent.
A Stick or peice of wood grown like the secret parts of a man.
An other Stick or peece of wood grown as the above
mentioned.
A Stick with two branches grown together; it was a
Rarity of the Marquesse of Badon.
A Natural Brush or broom of India.
A Bagge grown on a tree like woven stuffe, as
tiffeny or Cobweblawn of India.
A Blossome of a Suggar
Cane.
A Branch of a Palme tree of the Jews land.
A great Codde or Blossome or another species of
Palme of the West India.
A Right Cedar fruit, with a peece of the branch of
one of the Cedars of Mount Libanon.
An Eare of Corne or Mace of
Virginia, 37 whereof
one graine produces hundreds.
An Eare of a strange Corne in a Countrey in Affrica, whereof one grain produces more then a
thousand.
A great Blossome of the Fox-tayle-plant of St. Thomas de Lovando in Affrica.
A Limon, that represents both the secret parts of
an Hermapherodite.
A Rose of Jerico, that is
an hundred years old, and yet can open so wide, that it cannot well be
put in ones hat, and the next day will be closed lesse then ones
fist.
An Excrescence, or plant like a Rubbing brush.
A Fruit of Brasil, that
growes with a cover; it is called the Apes Nutt,
because when the fruit is ripe, the Apes open it, to eate the many
kernells that are in it; the fruit is thick, hard and very heavy and
growes naturally with a cover, therefore it is also called the cover'd fruit.
A great Maraca, a fruit of India, that 38 hath an hard shell like a
Nutt, but as big as a mans head, it is like the scull of a man with the
Sutures.
An other sort of Maraca, that growes on a high
tree, but one cannot well climb on it, because the branches are so small
and so full of prickles, but that does not hinder the ratts from being
lickorish of them: for if that fruit or Nut falls they make a hole to
eat what is in it, and the Savages make a strong
drink of the sap within, but of the shells they make their necessary
household stuffe, as Cuppes, Spoones, Dishes and the like.
A Ganobany fruit of Guiney.
A Bacbob or great Ganobany
given by the King of Sweds Physician; this fruit
is great and heavy, and on the out side it is like velvet.
A great Gourd in the forme of a Pear.
A Red Gourd of Guiney.
An other pretty shap't Gourd.
39
A Tomarus fruit of BinneyGuiney
A little double Pine-apple.
A Cocos fruit whole; the fruit and tree, afford
many necessary things for the benefit of man, as Milke, Wine, Water,
Oyle, Vineger, Needles, Thread, Boards, Cordage, sayles, and other
things.
A Cocos Nut something round, representing a
face.
A long Cocos Nut something like a Fish in
shape.
A Prickle-Apple of India.
A large Carab; it is a fruit that growes on a high
tree in the Caribeis; the shell of it burnt,
casts a sent like perfume, and the inward part tasts like dry spic'd
bread.
A Loafe of Bread made of
the Cassado-Roote; the sap or moisture of that
root is deadly poyson, yet it makes god bread, for the fire evaporates
the malignant nature of it.
40
A Silke Cotton Codd, such as in China, they make their fine paper of it.
An other Species of Cotton in a Codd of the West
Indies.
A Stinging long Beane of
Brasile.
A Fruit or great Beane like
the heart of a Sheepe.
A long Cassia fruit of Egypt.
A Fruit called the May-cock; it is common in Virginia, and the
outward part of it is meat there, and not the inward.
A Bunch of Ethiopian Pepper.
A square thing made of the Cocos Barke, to cover
the secret parts of Men or Women, and it is also in that Countrey their
ready mony.
A Purse woven without a seame of the Cocos fruit.
A Peece of Wood that turneth water into two
colours at once.
41
A peece of Wood, and part stone together; His
Majesty King Charles the first did try it, and gave it to the owner of these
Rarities.
Two very perfect Mandrakes, the one Male, and the other Female; both of them did grow in Africa;
they are esteemed of Women in those parts, and are found by accident in
the feilds by a red flower that the root bears and a long stalk, when it
is in perfection.
A Fruit called Genipapa, it is of the forme of a
Limon, but of strange operation, for the juice is as cleere as water;
but a little of it put on ones hand dyeth it of a purple colour; but to
redouble it with more of the same liquour, it makes the place as black
as Jett and no art of man can fetch it out, but it will grow out of it
self in nine dayes; and if the hogs eat of it, it doth not endanger
them, but makes their fat of a purple colour.
42
II. Sea PLANTS, &c.
A Very fair purple Sea Feather.
A large gray coloured Sea
Feather.
A fine Limon coloured Sea Fann.
A Deep yellow colour'd Sea
Fann grown to a great pibble-stone.
An Iron-coloured Sea Fann, as stiffe as Iron
wire.
A Plant or little Tree of Black Horne; for the
branches being burnt, they stink and wrinkle like horne; and being put
in warm water become very soft; but the root or lower part is hard white
stone.
A very great Trumpet plant, that growes in the
bottom of the Indian Sea, and they make trumpets
of it in those parts.
A Purple Sea Plant, given by Dr. Towers of Hamburgh.
43
A very rare Sea Plant of two colours.
A fine Yellow Sea Plant like a branch of small
Birch.
A Plant of the Sea, a Rock,
and a Shell fastned or grown all together.
A Sea Plant like Heath.
A Sea Plant like the haire of ones beard.
A Black Spunge, grown in branches like a Tree on a
Rock; it is a very fine Rarity.
A very rare Sea Plant or Shrubb, with shell
fishes, growne, like fruits on a tree; it is esteemed rare and
strange.
A Sea Plant grown on a white Corall.
A Strange Sea Plant call'd the transparent Corall; it is of the Colour of Glue.
A Branch of the Solid white Corall.
A Tree of Rough white Corall, also called the bush corall, it is perfect and rare.
44
A White Corall with little double shell fishes,
that grew in each part of it; it is a Rarity that was much esteemed of
the Emperour in his room of Rarities.
A red Corall on the Rock as it did grow.
A white Corall grown on a Plant.
A perfect white Corall called Harts horne Corall.
A branch of soft Yellowish Corall.
A branch of black and white
Corall, called Joynt Corall.
A peece of Red Corall grown on a shell
together.
A peece of Red and white Corall grown
together.
A great round Sea Stone like a great moushroome or
toadestoole.
A rare Concretion of the Sea with several sorts of
shells together.
45
A Concretion of Mussells
together.
A Concretion of Stones and
Iron together.
A Stone found in the bottome of the Sea in the
forme of an humane face.
Some of the right Alcionum of the red Sea, by
which the water of the Sea appears red in the shallow parts of it where
that is found.
Over and above these things mentioned, there are in several chests and
boxes, many hundreds of stones of the Sea, plants of the Sea, with
Corall and Coralins, and Alcionums, Concretions of things of a different
nature, and such like, which are omitted for brevity sake: but upon
farther encouragement may be declar'd in time.
III. MINERALS, Stones of strange shape, and things
turned into Stones, with Chrystals and precious Stones.
An Hungarian Rock of vitriol, in the shape of a mans visage.
46
A Rock of Copper and Crystall together.
A Rock of a kinde of Emerauld and Amethist together.
A Rock glittering like Silver.
A Rock of Portugal of a
strange forme
A Rock with Muscle
shells.
A Rock like a bunch of grapes of the Cardinal Richelieu.
A Rock with whole flat shells of a Mountain in Germany.
A Rock of a Quarry of stone near to the City of Franck-ford.
A Rock like a great peece of wax, or rosin.
A Rock of Mosse in stone
belonging to the Emperour Ferdinand the
third.
A Cake in stone, a Rarity that was esteemed very
much by divers persons beyond Seas.
47
A Stone, like the bottom shell of a great Oyster,
but never was one.
A peece of old wood turned to stone, yet reserving
the colour.
A peece of old worme-eaten barke of a tree in Stone.
A peece of old Birch-wood, that appears to have
been chapt off at both ends, turned into stone, yet reserves the true
resemblance and colour of the perfect wood.
A peece of Oaken Wood turned into Jasper, it is
polished on the one side, that the grain of the Wood may appear, and was
sawed off from a peece of Wood like a billet, that a Cardinal had in Rome, for a great Rarity.
A Right Eagle Stone, it is true Calcedonyan stone, but like a lump of Gumme Tragacant; it was the Kings of Marrocco, it is a precious stone that is very Rare: for that King
permits none in his countrey to have any of them but himself, as a token
of his royalty, but yet gives them to eminent persons, as a mark of his
great favour.
48
A great Lapis Ammonis, that did belong to the King
of France.
An other great Lapis Ammonis, coale black.
A Yellow stone like Wax,
that has on it the representation of a vine leaf or flower; it is of a
glittering substance.
A great Triangular Stone, that hath a
representation of trees and bushes.
A great Jasper stone in a frame, it doth represent
a moorish ground with rivers, trees and bushes.
An Extraordinary rare Calcedonian stone in a
frame, it is like a peece of Ice on the ground.
A Marble stone of the river Arno in a frame, the Emperour Ferdinand
the third confessed he never saw a rarer: for it doth represent a bridge
and an old ruinous tower, a tree with the bark, and birds flying in the
Air, it was the great Duke of Florences
Rarity.
49
Another stone picture like an arme of the Sea, with Cottages and a Church
by the waterside.
A very rare Stone picture representing clowdy skyes, and an excellent
rocky Cave Given by the Earl of Pembrook.
An other very fine stone picture like a ruinous town on a hill.
An other stone of the same Nature in a frame.
A very rare stone picture like a City all on fire.
The Master of these
Rarities, had it as a rare thing from the Prince Elector of Cullens hands.
A white stone that does represent a tree, as if it was made by art with a
pen.
Another very rare white Stone that does represent two or three trees also
as if they were drawn with a pen.
A large peece of Ice glasse, but it is something
brittle, and is a kinde of Gipsum.
50
A peece of Crystal, like a town built on a hill,
it is much esteemed by ingenious spirits.
Another peece of Crystal very clear and rare, that
hath in the midst a representation of a mossey figure or statiew, with
the liknesse of 2 hornes on the head; all this
representatiou
representation
is but one, yet it appears to be 3 or 4 by the reflections of
the same natural Crystal.
A peece of European Crystal, very clear.
A peece of East India Crystal.
A peece of West India Crystal.
A peece of Yellow Crystal.
A peece of Sea-green Crystal.
A peece of blewish Crystal.
A peece of bush Crystal.
A peece of wave Crystal.
A peece of frisled Crystal.
51
And divers other sorts or species of Chrystals,
that are not nomianted for brevity sake.
IV. METTALS, MINERALS, &C.
Several sorts of Iron Ore.
Several Lead Ores.
Several Tinne Ores.
Several Copper Ores.
Several Silver Ores.
Several Gold Ores.
Besides Mettals, and Minerals growing something rare, as Lead and Crystal together.
Tinne and Crystal
together.
Iron and Cristal
together.
52
Copper and Crystal
together.
Silver and Crystal
together.
Gold in the midst of a white
stone.
An Iron Bullet in the midst of a Stone.
A Touch stone, and a Metalline substance on the
other side like Copper.
A very strange kind of Mineral, held to be Quicksilver, that is fixed in his mine; for being
burnt it evaporates its self into a stinking vapour like to Quicksilver,
it is something rare; for the master of these Rarities, in his travells
never saw more then two peeces, and this was one of them.
A Flint and Copper grown
together.
Several sorts of Talkes.
Several sorts of Sulphur.
Several sorts of Earths out of Mines.
Several sortsof other Minerals as Cinabaris, Antimonium, Saffor, Murienum, Flores Martis,
and divers other Metals and Minerals and the like.
Precious STONES.
Amethist in the Mine.
53
Granates in the Mine.
A sort of rich Diamond in the Mine.
Chrysolits in the Mine.
Jasper from the Mine.
Lapis Lazuli from the Mine.
Malaguita from the Mine.
Turkeise from the Mine.
Rubies from the Mine.
Vermilions from the Mine.
Emerauld from the Mine.
Hyacinths from the Mine.
And divers other sorts of precious stones and different sorts of
Pearls, for their colours and shapes, with several Toad stones and
Eagle stones and
such like.
A Bohemian Topaz, on a rich pedestal of Ebony.
54
An other rare Topaz, that hath in it a
representation of a forrest, or bushy-hills.
A peece of AmbarAmber, that hath in it a
representation of a rising vapour or Cloud.
Divers other peeces of transparent Amber, that have all something or
other in them, as Flies, Spyders, Ants or the like.
Divers Stones of strange shapes and regular
formes.
Several Lapides
Ammonis, or stones like
Serpents.
Several Glosopetrat, or Tongue stones.
Several stones like unto Cloak buttons.
Several Lapides Lincei.
Several Lapides Judaici.
Lapis Hæmatites of Numidia.
Lapis Nephriticus of India.
Stones like Caps.
Stones like Hearts.
Stones like Starres.
55
Stones like Wheeles of Watches.
Stones like little Pillars.
Stones like Crosses.
Stones like Screws.
Stones like Pease.
Stones like Darts-heads.
Stones square like Dice.
Stones in shape like Tobaco rowls.
Stones with well formed impressions.
A Stone that is hollow and does appear as if it had a hole quite
thorough but it has not.
A Stone like a Dogs tooth.
Agate Stones like the eyes of fishes.
A Stone like a little eare.
A Stone like ones gummes with teeth.
A Stone like the little Toe of ones left foot.
A Stone like the secret parts of a Woman.
Several Stones like unto Sugar plums,
Sweet-meates, March-pane, Sugar-candy, Sugar-cake and the like, and
divers other sorts of stone of the like nature.
56
V. Things of strange Operation.
A Hard white Stone, that if one puts it in the
fire, doth suddenly turn to dust.
Stones that being put into a glasse of water, crack into small peces, so
that one may hear them crackle.
A Stone that if one blows on it, it smells; but if
one does not blow, it will not smell at all; and the harder one blowes,
the stronger it sents.
A Stone that if one puts it on the fire, gives an
excellent smell.
A Stone that is hard and heavy, yet being put in
the water does sent odoriferously like a hat-full of violet flowers.
A good Load-Stone, that is as rare as any other
thing, though common for his sudden attraction of Iron.
A Stone being held in a moist hand, gives 57 a sent
like a nasty hog, and therefore is called the swine
stone.
A peece of Wood as bad for being scraped; and a
little worme, smells like a stinking Jakes.
A peece of Wood being scrapt in a glasse of water,
it makes the water appear of two colours; for if one hold the glasse
betwixt two men, the one will say it is yellow and the other will say
that it is of a darke blew.
A peece of wood that is not heavy, yet sinks suddenly under water.
A stone, so hard, that can it scratch steel, yet being cast in the water
does not sink but swimes on the water.
A Mineral stone, that rubbing of it to a peece of
bright Iron or Steele, turns it suddenly into Copper.
Stones from the West India
that are hard, yet being put in vineger stirs to
and fro, and seemes to creep or go.
Other sorts of Stones that have the like property
of stirring in vineger.
58
But above all these Stones for admiration, is a little stone like a gray
coloured Agate, called by some Oculus Mundi; it
being put in a glasse of clear water, becomes as clear as crystal, and
then taken out, in a little time returnes to its first opacity; this
Rarity was presented to the better adorning of the forementioned
curiosities, by worthy Sr. Francis Peters.
A mineral substance, that being put in a glasse of
wine, makes infinite bubbles like atomes that rises in the middle of the
Wine to the delighting of the beholders.
An other mineral substance, like silke, called Amianthus, and also Asbestos, it being
put in the fire does not consume.
A Crustated Sponge; a little of it dryed and
applyed to ones wrist, makes it to itch for eight dayes together.
A fruit that being stuck on a forke and then held
over a candle, makes a very pleasant fire work.
A Rose of Jerico that is
drawn up together, a little bigger then a tenis ball, and is an hundred
years old.
59
Besides these above mentioned things, there are Chests and Boxes
furnished with many hundreds of Rarities, as several shells, stones,
bones, marcasits, mineralls, fruits, Nutts, excrescences, and such like
things all different in shapes, and operations, and of divers countries,
Their Names and Natures being omitted for to avoid prolixity: But if the
owner of this collection of Rarities does sell them to any Noble minded
party, he then, God willing, will write at large a more ample
declaration to the expressing of each thing in particular, to honour
that vertuous person that shall buy them.
60
A Catalogue of the Names of those Great Princes and
persons of Quality whose Love of Vertue, Learning, and of the admirable
workes of God in Natural Rarities has been shewed by their Bountifull
adding of something to the increase of the forementioned
Collection.
CHARLES the First, King of Great Britaine, France, and Ireland, &c.
CHARLES the Second, King of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland.
Ferdinand the third, Emper. of Germany &c.
Elionora Empresse, &c.
Ferdinand. the fourth, King of the Romans, &c.
Elleonora Queen Dowagere of Sweade, &c.
Christina Queen of Swede,
&c.
John Philips Archbishop of Mentz and Prince Elector, &c.
Charles Lewis Palsgrave of the Rhein and Prince Elector, &c.
John George Prince Elector of Saxony, &c.
Maximilianus Henry Archbishop of Collen and Prince
Elector, &c.
Christian Lewis Duke of Lunemburg and Brunzwich, &c.
61
Frederick Duke of Holstein,
&c.
William Landgrave of Hessen,
Prince of Hersefeild, &c.
Gaston Duke of Orleans,
&c.
Philip Earl of Pembrooke.
Monsieur de Believre Great
Prresident
President
of France.
The Honorable Sr. Thomas Row, His Majesties
Ambassadour to the Great Mogor in India, and also
Embassador to the Emperour of the Turks at Constantinople, and to the Emperour of Germany and also to divers other Kings, Princes and Free
States.
Sr. Thomas Wardner General for the Caribea Islands, and Governour of St. Christophers, and one of the Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber to
King Charles the first.
Sr. Francis Peters a friend to Ingenuity and
Rarities.
Frederick Shink Governour of Selle, and Privy Councellour to the Duke of Brunzwich.
The Learned Petrus Carisius Resident for the King of
Denmark, in the united Provinces.
Sr. Theodore de Mayerne, Physitian to Queen Mother Heneretta Maria.
Esquire Courtine a lover of vertue and Ingenuity.
62
Mr. Povey Treasurer to his Royal Highnesse the Duke of
Yorke.
Dr. Saltzman Physician, and Professor in the
University of Strasburgh.
Dr. Fausius, Professor in the University of Hidelberg.
Dr. Moretus, Professor in Astronomy in the University
of Prague.
Dr. Cornelius van der Lingon Physician in the
University of Utrecht.
Dr. Housewetel, Physician to the King of Sweden, and Cheif Physician in Hamburg.
Dr Bezler Cheif Physician in Nuramberg.
Dr. Brown Physician in Ausburg.
Dr. Dewit, Physician in the Country of Lief-land.
Dr. Eastgate, Physician in Poplar.
Mr. Thornton Chaplain to the
Righ
Right
Honorable Earl of Bedford.
Mr. Cornelius Middlegest, Clerk to the Company of the
Royal Adventurers of England Trading into Africa
FINIS.
CATALOGUE
OF MANY
Natural RARITIES,
WITH
Great Industry, Cost, and thirty
Years travel in Foraign
Countries, London, Printed by Tho. Ratcliffe, for the
Author, 1664. 1 A CATALOGUE OF MANY Natural RARITIES. I. Rarities HUMAN
A Giants Thigh-bone, more than 4. feet in Length;
found in Syria.
A Mummy, intire, and adorned with Hieroglyphicks,
that shew both the Antiquity, and eminent Nobility of the Person, whose
Corps 2 it is, taken out of one of the Egyptian
Pyramids.
II. Rarities of BEASTS and Parts of them.
A Hahut or Sloth, a
fourfooted Animal of America, in the Head and
Neck somewhat resembling a Man. It hath 3. Clawes one each foot, but the
Clawes are like a Boares tuskes, it is of Florida, and is the slowest of all Beasts, from whence it hath its
Name. It was given by Esq; Scott, an ingenious
Gentleman and a great traveller in America.
A Haget, which sleepes six months: it is a
creature of the Island Mayonto in the Lake Yondarro, two hundred miles from Hudsons river in America,
it hath a Costly furre, and is held for excellent meat in that
Country.
A Linx, it is a fierce creature with an excellent
furre, it is as big as an ordinary water Spaniel, and is a very quick
sighted creature, this beast leap't from a tree, and 3 had almost kill'd a Woman, but that she was speedily delivered by a
Moor, who shot him to death. It was given by Mr.Linzey Chirurgion of Popler.
An Ermine; which living had rather suffer death,
then to be defiled; as some Authers testifie.
A Monstrous Catt, with two bodies, one head, eight
leggs and two tayles, it was presented by worthy Mr. Thornton, Chaplaine to the right honorable the Earle of Bedford.
A Muske Ratt of Russia,
this Creature lives in fresh rivers and has a large long tayle and
duck-feet behinde, the better to swimme withall.
Parts of Beasts.
The Hornes of a Dog, of a Land near China.
The Hornes of a Hare, which were the Prince
Electors of Saxony.
A Rinoceros Horne, that was also given by 4 his Highnesse the Duke of Holstein.
The Claw and Scale of a Rinoceros, which is
esteemed the Unicorne.
A very long winding Horne of a Ram in Germany.
The Black hornes of a
Russia Ram, four growing
together; two streight, and two crooked.
A strange horne of a Virginia Deere.
A strange horne of a German Raine Deere.
Another sorte of Raine Deeres horne.
A pair of Antlopes hornes.
A Male and Female Barbarouses heads, either of
them are as big as a Swines head; it is a strange beast of the
Deserts of East India, it hath two tusks like
a Boare in the lower jaw, and two great tusks growing up on the
nose.
A Guinney Bats-skin, larger then a great Coney
skin.
5
A soft Ball of haire, bigger then a mans fist, found in the maw of a
Calf in Holland.
A Black Ball, with a hard shell found in the stomack of a wilde Bull
in Brasil.
A little Orbicular Ball, hard and light, found
in the stomack of a strange beast of India.
A strange Tuske of a great Boar.
A great Tooth of an Hippopotamus.
Besides the things above mentioned, there are in a chest great
variety of strange bones, teeth, and clawes of many different
Creatures.
III. BIRDS.
A Phenicopter or Passoflamingo; given by the Ingenious Lover of Rarities Mr.
Povey Treasurer to his Highnesse the Duke of
Yorke. This bird is good meat and was much
esteemed by the delicate-mouthed Romans.
6
A Manucodiata, or Bird of Paradise with feet, for it hath great feet, to shew that it
perches on trees in a land as yet unknown: for they are never seen
alive; but are found always dead in the Moluccos
Islands, by reason of a continual wind that bloweth six months
one way & six months the other way and because of their sharp
head, little body, and a great feathered tayle, they are blown up so
high that they fall dead in another climat or Countrey.
A Bird called the Alcion of East India.
A Tropick-bird, this Bird is called so, because
that kind is seen near the Tropick or under the line: for when the
Mariners see them fly in the aire, they then can conjecture where about
they are. It is a Sea foule, of a gray colour, but the quills of the
feathers of hi swings are black, and the feathers white, and his bill
like a crow, but very red; and his feet like a duckes, but of two
colours.
An Arcuata Coccinea, a sort of Sea-Curlew, highly esteemed by the Natives of Brasile, who call it Guaro. It changes the colour of its feathers thrice, viz. from 7 black to
ash-colour, and then to white, but the second year put on new ones of a
scarlet, which the longer the bird lives it growes more bright and
orient; It is found in Marahoon and Rio de Janeiro. Given me together with the full
Relation of it, by the learned Dr. Charlton one
of the Kings Majesties Physitians in ordinary, and excellently knowing
in Natural Rarities.
A strange Sea-fowle as big as a Goose; it is
called the Sea Pinguin, it cannot fly, for his
wings are like finnes, and is so thick of feathers that one cannot
shoote him, unlesse behinde against the growth of his thick down or
feathers, he is found threescore leagues from the Coast of Canada.
A Sea-Crow, it is as big as a Raven, it hath feet
like a Duck and a bill like a Crow.
A Sea-Parret, or Coppernose of Greene-land, the bill is
of several colours, but the feet of a scarlet, and like a Duck.
A Great Bird of Guiney called the Guiney Wake, it resembles something a Pea-cocke
on the head, and hath a tuffe like the bristles 8
of a Hog on the top of his head, and hath a scent like musk, and as
ill-favored feet as the Peacock.
Several Tominei or Humming
Birds of several countries, which live by the dew that they suck from
the flowers with their little long tongues.
A very rare little Bird.
The Nest and the Bird altogether do not weigh
24. graines, it is a lesser species of humming
Bird then ordinary.
The Head and Bill of the
Bird Ibis of Ægypt; it is the bird that taught the use of
Glysters; and in that Countrey there is a Law that condemnes any to
death, who kills one of them. For they devoure the Serpents in those
parts.
An Indian Storkes head and bill.
An Acoras head and bill of Brasil.
A Pelicans head, bill and bag with the feet, to
prove that it is a water fowle: he does not make himself to bleed a
purpose for his young ones, but by accident, by carrying of 9 shellfishes in his thin bag makes it to bleed.
A Toucans head and bill of Peru; the head and bill of that bird are bigger then all his
body; it is a very rare one and did belong to the King of Spain.
The Head and Legge of an Estridge.
The Head and Bill of a Stone-pecker, of Germany.
A Legge of a Casoware or Emeu.
A Legge of a Dodo a great heavy bird that cannot
fly; it is a bird of the Mauricius Islan.
Several sorts of Egges, of bird, fishes and
serpents.
The Nest of a Bird in Africa, built with a long Neck on a Tree, to
secure himself and youngones from Apes and Monkies.
A Nest of a Bird made like the secret parts of a
man, by a little Bird in Brasil, to secure him
and his young ones from the Serpents.
10
A Nest of another Bird, made like another thing
and of other materials, it is also built on a tree, but of a Countrey
distant from Brasil above 3000 miles.
An other Nest of a little Bird of India, but no body does know of what material it
is made, yet the great persons of that Country eates it for good
meat.
A large bush of black feathers, that for the Rarity and beauty, doth
exceed that which the master of these Rarities did see, of the great
Turks or Sultans at Constantinople.
IV. FISHES.
A Sea Elephant or Rock
fishes head as big as a bushell. This sort of fish loves to be near the
Rocks therefore the Seamen when they espy the fish, come not near the
place, for fear of a Rock under water.
The Head of a Sea-sheep, of Caepe de Vert
11 in Africa, the fish is
good meat and the head very like a sheeps head.
A Sea-Lyons head, for its forme it is a species of
doggefish, but is very good meat especially the liver.
A Crack-Shell-fishes head, this fish lives upon
shell-fishes, and hath three great teeth in the inner part of his mouth,
with the which he grinds the shells to small peeces, it is a fish of America.
A great Sea-Catts head of China.
A great Sturgeons head of the German Ocean; The Sturgeon hath no
teeth, but receives his food by a round hole that is under his head, by
which he sucks in his food.
A Head and Tayle of a Dolphin, the Dolphins
tayle is different from all other fishes for it growes thwartwise the
better to rebound out of the water, as he does often against a
storme.
A great Sword-Fishes head and Sword of the black
Sea; it is one of the swiftest fishes that swims, and is excellent meat,
slic'd, 12 broyled, with oyle peper and salt and
the juice of a lemon on it.
The Scull of a Sea Morce of Greene land, this fish does sleep hanging on the Rocks by the
great teeth of the upper jaw and so is taken in Norway.
A strange fishes head that did belong to the King of Bohemia.
An Extraordinary great Tortises head of East India, it is called the Logger-headed Tortoise.
A fish called the Dagger fish for the forme of the
head, it is a species of Sea Unicorne.
The Head of a fish of Madagascar, this fish moves
the upper jaw, and not the lower.
The Head of a fish that is found in fresh rivers as the Danubius in Hungaria, and the Elbe in Saxe, it is a fish
with a round great head and small eyes and two long hornes like a beard,
and is a good tasted fish, and is called Siluti.
13
Whole Fishes.
A Shoveller or Blew
Sharke, very perfect, given by Doctor Eastgate, Physician in Popler.
A Monk-fish Shark, the Sharke does ingender
like fourfooted creatures on land, and has ten or twelve at a
litter; When their young ones are in any danger they receive them in
their stomach and then disgorge them out again.
A Spotted Dog-fish of the Coast of France.
A Shovell Dogge fish, it is a species of Sharke, his eyes are seated afore distant one
from another: It was given by his highnesse the Duke of Holstein.
A great Frog fish of the Baltick Sea, this fish is as big as a great hog.
A Sea Otter, this Creature is an Amphibium, and hath his forefeet like finnes:
but seated in the midst of his body like a crosse; his skinn is
hairy like down or silk, it is so soft and bright.
14
A Sea Leopard, so called from his spots, it is
a species of Seale, and is also an Amphibium.
A little Sea Calfe or Seale which also participates of both Elements, and hath
foure feet but short, the two hinder broad, and no eares, the better
to endure long in the water.
Olaus the Great
writes, that this creature is the most unconstant to his female of
any; which is the cause often times of his death, for the fisher men
to take him counterfit the braying of a female, they are common in
the Finland Sea.
A Sea Wolf, it is a creature that hath the
strongest teeth and bites the hardest of any for his bignesse: for
his head being but off from his body living, a quarter or half an
hour after is able to bite ones hand off.
A Sea Ape, for his forme, and is called the
Joynt fish for its nature, for if one holds ones hand afore his
head, when he is living it makes the joynts of hand and arme to
cracke, this fish is found in Brasil.
A little Tortoise, called the Hawks-bill-Tortoise.
15
A Sea Tortoise hath 3. hearts, and it is of a
threefold nature, for it lives in the Sea like a fish, it layes
egges in the sand by the shoar side, to be hatcht by heat like a
fowle, and it crawles
one
on
4. fennes like feet, and hath flesh and blood like a 4.
footed beast.
A lesse Tortoise newly hatch't out of his
egge; all Sea Tortoises are good meate when
they are in season.
A great Sea Tortoise; it is a Creature much
addicted to generating, for the male will remain on the female ten
days or more, to the great impoverishing of himself to carry on, but
to the bettering of the female in her laying of foure or five
hundred of egges at a time, in a hole she makes in the sands, then
covers them, and so they are afterwards hatched by the Sun.
A Male Conny fish, armed with a hard shell,
and two hornes, or prickles before and two behind.
A Triangular fish; it is a female Conny fish, larger then the male, the better
to contain her spawne, and is also armed with the like hard shell,
but not with prickles. 16 Nature forcing her to
follow the male for her defence.
A long narrow fish called the Sea Pelican: for
the forme of his head. Also it is called the Sea
Dart, for the forme of his body and tayle that is like the
head of a barbed arrow.
A great Sea Porcupine fish of the West India.
A Hedge-Hog-fish. It is a species of the Sea Porcupine, only the prickles are shorter.
It was given as an addition of these Rarities by his Highnesse the
Duke of Holstein.
A Sea Mouse, so called for the forme of his
head and beard; this fish contrary to the nature of other fishes
shrieks in the water and out of the water like a mouse, but for his
finnes he is something like a Serpent in colour, and is about a foot
long, but is very good meat.
A great horned Soal fish. It is like a large
Soal, but hath his Mouth right a fore, with one great horne between
his eyes, and both the sides of his body of one colour, 17 different from the Nature of other Soales that are
brown of one side and white on the other.
A Saw fish, Vulgarly called the Sword-fish,
but is not. This fish is the enemy to the Whale; for with the prickles of his weapon he torments the
Whale so much that the great monstrous fish kills her self by
swimming too hastily without her Pilot-fish against the shore, her
body being so fat and heavy, and her skin so thin.
A little prickled Dog fish of the German Sea.
A Sturgeon of Holland.
A Sturgeon of an other species, such as is
found in Italy.
A Parret, or Angrey
fish of Brasile, it is a species of
Globe-fish, which cannot swim in a storme, and therefore fills his
maw with stones, to lye steady in the bottom of the water.
A Sucking fish of Ice
land, it is a species of Lump-fish,
that cannot swim likewise in a storme, but sticks to the Rocks with
a 18 seeming mouth that is under the fore part
of his belly.
A Poyson fish of East
India, so venomous that thirteen men in a ship dyed by
eating of one of them, he is called by some the Sea Hare; he is for his forme something long and foure
square and is a species of Conny-fish.
A Hermit fish of the bottome of the Sea, it is
a creature that liveth in the shell of an other fish, the fishermen
makes use of them to baite other fishes withal.
A Souldier fish, it is a creature that liveth
on Mountains or highland in the Caribea
Islands under the rootes of trees, but once a year cometh to the Sea
side to spawn in vast multitudes, and then they possess themselves
of the shells of other fishes, and so march back again with their
plundred shells.
A Woodcock fish of the Baltic Sea, his head is like a long bill full of sharp
teeth, and for the length it is counted a Sea
Serpent.
A Prickled Toad fish of India, being a species of Globe
fish.
19
A 4. Prickled fish of East India. All other
fishes, though greater, are afraid of him, for his prickles that he
hath before and behind; therefore they will not come near him, and
he is alwayes taken alone.
An Angel fish, so called for his beautifull
colours, that he hath under water, this is of the West Indias.
A great flying-fish or Sea
Swallow, that flyes sometimes aboard the ships, and
thinking to escape a fish that is his adversary, becomes a good
friend to man, by being good meat, when well dress'd.
A Trumpet fish of the Baltic Sea, it is a kind
of Sea Serpent, and somewhat resembleth the
Needel fish.
A Smith fish, it is likewise called S. Peters fish, the one half is the head, and
the other half is the body; it was given by his Highnesse the Landgrave of Hessen.
A Wave fish so called for the manner of the
growing of his scales.
AWeapon fish of Bermudos, this fish hath a 20 long
sharp bone on his back to defend himself, which he raiseth, or
letteth fall in a hollow case, when he will.
An other sort of Weapon fish of the West Indias.
A fish called the Sea cocke of the Spanish coasts.
A little fish of Guiney called the Cataphractus, that hath two prickles before,
that are venemous.
A Sun fish, for sleeping in the Sun it is also
called the Moon-fish, for shining in the
night to the amazement of Seamen that sees so great a light; this
fish is of a strange forme, for tis like a head onely, but hath a
very little mouth for so great a body.
A great Netted Stare fish, for his forme, it
is one of the sensiblest creatures of the world, and hath but one
eye. It was given by Sr. Thomas Wardner
Governour of St. Christophers Island.
A very rare great Starre fish of India; this fish feedes on flat shell fishes,
and his mouth is in the Center of his body.
21
A large Comett, or Sixfingers fish of India, it is a
species of Starre fish.
A little Crowned Starre fish of the Coast of
Denmarke.
A little round boded Starre fish with long
narrow feet or poynts.
A Flat flowered Starre fish of the German Sea.
A five pointed little Starre
fish of the Coast of Holland.
A prickled Crab called the Sea Spyder, which ha's little clawes on his feet, like
birds clawes; It was given to the augmenting of these Rarities, by
the Learned Petrus Caresius, the King of Denmark's Resident in the united Provinces.
A King Crab of the Moluccos Island this creature has the eyes on his back,
and is also called a Sea Spyder, for the
resemblance.
A great Sea Crab.
A Witland Crab; it is like a deaths head, and
lives in the ground like Connies in a 22
burrow, in some Islands of the West
Indias.
An other species of King Crab or Sea Spyder, but as light as a sheet of Paper,
yet it is as big as an ordinary face.
An Icus Marinus, that is called the Sea Orange.
A Torpedo or Benumming fish, for it taketh
away the sense of feeling from the fisher mans hands when he is in
his Net. He is of Africa, and did belong to
the King of France.
A very perfect great and true Remora of India, whose property is to hinder or stay
great ships as they swim; it hath on his head many open spaces out
of which proceeds a glutinous humour, with the which he sticks so
fast to any smooth thing that a man cannot well losen him.
A strange black Plaice, from the Sea of Denmark.
A little prickled Globe Fish, also called the
Sea Owle, for his forme.
23
An Hippocampus of the Mediterranean Sea; his
belly is said to be very venemous.
An Hippocampus of Brasil, of an other sort: for he has a little white horne
under his head.
A little Spouting or Foutain
fish; for it sticks to the Rocks, and when one will take
him, he spouts the water in ones face.
A strange sort of Oyster, that is called the
Sentry fish for his nature, for he is
fastened to the Rocks and most commonly stands open to catch fish;
for as the fish thinks to eat him, he takes his enemy prisoner and
then entertaines him as good meat.
A Navell fish, a round slymy mishapen thing,
that sticks to the Rocks, and contracts it self in the shape of a
Navell, and is a venemous creature.
A true Purple-fish, that sticks to the Rocks
and is an insect of the Sea composed of many hard shells layd over
one another like the scales of wood-lice. I walking by the Sea side
to search after the secrets of Nature, found one of them in the West India: but
24
I wondred at the variety of colours wherewith it stained my
hand.
For, first it was green, then blew, afterwards, purple,
and lastly it became a beautifull Red; and taking my handkerchief to
my hands it died the same likewise, and the colours remaine in the
linnen not to be washed out.
A Limpet, which sticks also to the rocks, and
is an Insect of the Sea, having a flat shell, but the creature
within is something like a snaile, with little hornes and is very
good meat.
A Needle-fish, it is a small little long fish
of the forme
of of
of
a needle.
A Sea Louse, is also an insect of the Sea in
Greenland, and sticks to the Whale, for food.
Some Sea-fleas, when the sea is at a low Ebbe,
they are found by hundreds under some Rocks, and after stormes, on
the sands by the shore side.
Some Sea-Scorpions; they are insects of the
Sea and have six feet like a Scorpion, and a long tayle.
25
Some Mint fishes, they are little round
creatures, but when they are dry they are flat and mark'd like
money.
A Sea Eye, it is a species of the Mint fish,
round and clear like Gelley, but venemous.
A Paraquito fish of the Adriatic Sea; it is a little green fish like a Paraquito,
but hath small teeth afore like unto a Mouses.
A little Burre-fish, it is green and like a
burre that sticks to ones cloathes, it is one of the species of Icus Marinus.
A little fish found in moarish grounds in Swedland, it hath a little prickle on the back that is
venemous.
A little Sea Serpent, something resembling a
Conger, but the head is bigger, for the
proportion of its body.
A Sea Insect called the Sea-chairs; it hath many scales like a wood louse, two
long hornes, and a forked tayle.
A Water Insect called squilla Fluviatilis, or the water Cricket.
26
Also many hundred of very rare and beautifull fish shells all
different in their formes, works, or colours, and other things
belonging to Animals, in Chests and Boxes.
Amongst some of them a very rare Mother of Pearle, or the Pearle
oyster, with an oriential Pearle in the midst; and a Carvall fish
shell of the Red Sea, and two or three species of shells that grow
contrary to the nature of all shells in general: for they grow
towards the left hand. Another sort called the Antipathio shell for the Center is on the botttome, and
the other shells in generall has the Center on the top.
Parts of FISHES.
A Ribb of a Triton or Mereman, taken by Captain Finny,
upon the shouts of Brasil, five hundred
Leagues from the Maine; given by Doctor Esgate Physitian.;
The Vein of the tongue of that Whale that was
taken up at Greenwich, a little before Cromwel's death, it is like a vein stocke that
is withered.
A peece of the Skin of the Whale; the 27 pizzle
eight or nine foot long, the Drumpanne, a tooth, a finne of one of
the Gills, some twelve foot long, and the bone that the Whale spouts
the water out withall and a neck bone.
The Tayle of a Sea Cat, or stingray, it will
saw like an iron saw.
A very great Saw, or Weapon of a Saw-fish.
A Round flat bone of a fish like a pancake.
An Extraordinary great Lobsters Claw.
A Great Jawe of a large Tabourein, it is a
Species of Sharke, and hath four or five tyre
or rows of teeth, it was sent the master of these Rarities from the
West India.
V. SERPENTS, &c.
A Serpent above twenty foot long of the East India, it hath in the upper chap four rowes
of teeth; this Serpent when he 28 was living,
could swallow men or beasts.
A long Narrow Serpent like a peece of narrow
hair-coloured Satten edged with white Satten.
A Beautifull Serpent called Ibaboca of Brasil, some ten or twelve
foot long.
A Spotted Serpent of the Island
Jamaica; this, with the three following Serpents was given to
the increase of these Rarities, by worthy Mr. Povey one of the Royal Society of
Philosophers, and Treasurer to his highnesse the Duke of Yorke.
A Gray Coloured Serpent, this Serpent being held
before the light, the skin appears like Net-work.
A Gold Coloured Serpent, for this Serpent skin is
like cloth of Gold.
An other Serpent of India
like Cloth of Silver, with black spotts.
A Black Serpent of Virginia, it is eaten for good meat.
29
A Boicininga, or Rattle
Snake; Nature has formed him with a rattle at his tayle that
men might avoyd the danger of his biting; for being once bitten by him,
a Man dyes in halfe an houre unlesse he hath of the rattle snake roote,
for to apply alittle of it to the offended place, and by eating a little
of it also; therefore the Savages of Virginia
seldom travel without it.
A Viper of Italy.
A Viper of Germany.
An Adder of England.
A little Serpent of Germany.
A Slow-Worme of Hessen.
An other coloured little Serpent.
An Aspe.
A great Tatoo or Armadillo
of the Duke of Orleans; it lives under ground
like a Mole, and is as big as a pretty big dog; it is a great Rarity in
the East India, and a noble present of so great a
Prince.
30
An Armadillo of the West
India that is esteemed good meat there.
An other sort of Armadillo of the East India that was presented King James for a Rarety.
A great Crocodile, given by Noble Squire Courtine, a lover of vertue and ingenuity.
A little Spotted Crocidile of Egypt.
A very little Crocodile, as it first came out of
his egge.
A little Aligater of Brasil, it is a species of Crocodile.
A great Lizzard of Africa,
that is said to be so loving to Man, that if the Man be a sleep and in
danger of some other creature, he will then awake him.
A great Spotted Lizard skin, that his Highnesse
the Landgrave of Hessen
gave as a Rarity.
An other species of Lizard of Numidia, or of Arabia, it is called by
some the land Crocodile.
31
A Bugelugey, it is a creature of some parts of Africa, a kind of Lizard, that hath great scales
like a fish.
A Camaleon of Barbary; it
is said to live only by the air, but it is not so, for he lives by flyes
and, yet he can live long without food, his skin being so nervous, and
very little porous.
A True Salamander, is said to live in the fire, as
has been too often reported, but will live longer in the fire then any
living creature of his bignesse, for the matter or moisture that
proceeds from him condenses and so smothereth the fire, as milk or glew
doth.
A Guaena of America, it is
a sort of Lizard as big as a good Rabett, but in those parts held for
better meat; it lives by the fruits of trees, and is so harmelesse that
one may take him by the tayle as he is on a tree
A Black land Tortoise full of little yellow
specks, such as those in Germany or Greece.
A little land Tortoise of Canada with many other different land Tortoises out of the 32 East and West Indies;
they are all generally good meat.
A fair Sincus Terrestris of Egypt, it hath four feet like a Lizard, but resembles a fish,
though it be a land creature; it is said that one part of his body is
cooling; but the other part is
ptovocative
provocative
to man or woman.
A Coale Black Toade.
Frogs with two feet and a tayle.
Frogs with foure feet and a tayle.
Two sortes of Scorpions.
VI. Insects or FLIES.
A Flie bigger then a Sparrow, called the bill-Scarabeus.
A rare great Flie called the Salamander Flie for
his colours, and that it is like to wrought velvet.
A great Scarabeus of the Amazones, very entire, and of beautifull colours.
33
A Lanterne Flie of Peru;
two or three of these Flies fastened to a stick, give light to those
that travel in the Countrey.
A Black Elephant Flie, for his forme.
A Buck Flie, for his hornes.
A Leopard Flie, for the colours of his spots on
his body.
A Parret-Flie, for his shape and for his rare
changeable colours.
A Mole Flie, for his feet and for his silken hairy
downe.
A Rich Coloured great Cantharides of the East Indies.
An Emerauld Flie so called for his rare glittering
green colour.
A Saphir Flie so called for his bright shining
blew colour.
A Musk Flie, it is called so for his Odoriferous
sent when he is alive.
34
A West India Cacaorche. An Insect some thing
broad, but can insinuate himself in the least chinck of a chest to the
great offence of men by spoiling of leather or woolen.
A little broune Scarabeus of East Indies.
A Rare Dragon-Flie.
A Rare Butter-Flie of Germany.
A Rare Butter-Flie of Swedland, with several hundred of other rare insects and
Flies, all different one from another, either in shape, or colours.
35
THE SECOND PART OF THE CATALOGUE
I. VEGETABLES.
A Sticke that is grown hollow like a nett; it was
Prince Maurice of Nassaw's
Rarity, that he brought out of Brasil.
A Stick that is grown like a knott, and is a pipe
to play on.
A Stick like a Crosse.
A Stick like St. Andrew's
Crosse.
36
A Stick like a Serpent.
A Stick or peice of wood grown like the secret parts of a man.
An other Stick or peece of wood grown as the above
mentioned.
A Stick with two branches grown together; it was a
Rarity of the Marquesse of Badon.
A Natural Brush or broom of India.
A Bagge grown on a tree like woven stuffe, as
tiffeny or Cobweblawn of India.
A Blossome of a Suggar
Cane.
A Branch of a Palme tree of the Jews land.
A great Codde or Blossome or another species of
Palme of the West India.
A Right Cedar fruit, with a peece of the branch of
one of the Cedars of Mount Libanon.
An Eare of Corne or Mace of
Virginia, 37 whereof
one graine produces hundreds.
An Eare of a strange Corne in a Countrey in Affrica, whereof one grain produces more then a
thousand.
A great Blossome of the Fox-tayle-plant of St. Thomas de Lovando in Affrica.
A Limon, that represents both the secret parts of
an Hermapherodite.
A Rose of Jerico, that is
an hundred years old, and yet can open so wide, that it cannot well be
put in ones hat, and the next day will be closed lesse then ones
fist.
An Excrescence, or plant like a Rubbing brush.
A Fruit of Brasil, that
growes with a cover; it is called the Apes Nutt,
because when the fruit is ripe, the Apes open it, to eate the many
kernells that are in it; the fruit is thick, hard and very heavy and
growes naturally with a cover, therefore it is also called the cover'd fruit.
A great Maraca, a fruit of India, that 38 hath an hard shell like a
Nutt, but as big as a mans head, it is like the scull of a man with the
Sutures.
An other sort of Maraca, that growes on a high
tree, but one cannot well climb on it, because the branches are so small
and so full of prickles, but that does not hinder the ratts from being
lickorish of them: for if that fruit or Nut falls they make a hole to
eat what is in it, and the Savages make a strong
drink of the sap within, but of the shells they make their necessary
household stuffe, as Cuppes, Spoones, Dishes and the like.
A Ganobany fruit of Guiney.
A Bacbob or great Ganobany
given by the King of Sweds Physician; this fruit
is great and heavy, and on the out side it is like velvet.
A great Gourd in the forme of a Pear.
A Red Gourd of Guiney.
An other pretty shap't Gourd.
39
A Tomarus fruit of BinneyGuiney
A little double Pine-apple.
A Cocos fruit whole; the fruit and tree, afford
many necessary things for the benefit of man, as Milke, Wine, Water,
Oyle, Vineger, Needles, Thread, Boards, Cordage, sayles, and other
things.
A Cocos Nut something round, representing a
face.
A long Cocos Nut something like a Fish in
shape.
A Prickle-Apple of India.
A large Carab; it is a fruit that growes on a high
tree in the Caribeis; the shell of it burnt,
casts a sent like perfume, and the inward part tasts like dry spic'd
bread.
A Loafe of Bread made of
the Cassado-Roote; the sap or moisture of that
root is deadly poyson, yet it makes god bread, for the fire evaporates
the malignant nature of it.
40
A Silke Cotton Codd, such as in China, they make their fine paper of it.
An other Species of Cotton in a Codd of the West
Indies.
A Stinging long Beane of
Brasile.
A Fruit or great Beane like
the heart of a Sheepe.
A long Cassia fruit of Egypt.
A Fruit called the May-cock; it is common in Virginia, and the
outward part of it is meat there, and not the inward.
A Bunch of Ethiopian Pepper.
A square thing made of the Cocos Barke, to cover
the secret parts of Men or Women, and it is also in that Countrey their
ready mony.
A Purse woven without a seame of the Cocos fruit.
A Peece of Wood that turneth water into two
colours at once.
41
A peece of Wood, and part stone together; His
Majesty King Charles the first did try it, and gave it to the owner of these
Rarities.
Two very perfect Mandrakes, the one Male, and the other Female; both of them did grow in Africa;
they are esteemed of Women in those parts, and are found by accident in
the feilds by a red flower that the root bears and a long stalk, when it
is in perfection.
A Fruit called Genipapa, it is of the forme of a
Limon, but of strange operation, for the juice is as cleere as water;
but a little of it put on ones hand dyeth it of a purple colour; but to
redouble it with more of the same liquour, it makes the place as black
as Jett and no art of man can fetch it out, but it will grow out of it
self in nine dayes; and if the hogs eat of it, it doth not endanger
them, but makes their fat of a purple colour.
42
II. Sea PLANTS, &c.
A Very fair purple Sea Feather.
A large gray coloured Sea
Feather.
A fine Limon coloured Sea Fann.
A Deep yellow colour'd Sea
Fann grown to a great pibble-stone.
An Iron-coloured Sea Fann, as stiffe as Iron
wire.
A Plant or little Tree of Black Horne; for the
branches being burnt, they stink and wrinkle like horne; and being put
in warm water become very soft; but the root or lower part is hard white
stone.
A very great Trumpet plant, that growes in the
bottom of the Indian Sea, and they make trumpets
of it in those parts.
A Purple Sea Plant, given by Dr. Towers of Hamburgh.
43
A very rare Sea Plant of two colours.
A fine Yellow Sea Plant like a branch of small
Birch.
A Plant of the Sea, a Rock,
and a Shell fastned or grown all together.
A Sea Plant like Heath.
A Sea Plant like the haire of ones beard.
A Black Spunge, grown in branches like a Tree on a
Rock; it is a very fine Rarity.
A very rare Sea Plant or Shrubb, with shell
fishes, growne, like fruits on a tree; it is esteemed rare and
strange.
A Sea Plant grown on a white Corall.
A Strange Sea Plant call'd the transparent Corall; it is of the Colour of Glue.
A Branch of the Solid white Corall.
A Tree of Rough white Corall, also called the bush corall, it is perfect and rare.
44
A White Corall with little double shell fishes,
that grew in each part of it; it is a Rarity that was much esteemed of
the Emperour in his room of Rarities.
A red Corall on the Rock as it did grow.
A white Corall grown on a Plant.
A perfect white Corall called Harts horne Corall.
A branch of soft Yellowish Corall.
A branch of black and white
Corall, called Joynt Corall.
A peece of Red Corall grown on a shell
together.
A peece of Red and white Corall grown
together.
A great round Sea Stone like a great moushroome or
toadestoole.
A rare Concretion of the Sea with several sorts of
shells together.
45
A Concretion of Mussells
together.
A Concretion of Stones and
Iron together.
A Stone found in the bottome of the Sea in the
forme of an humane face.
Some of the right Alcionum of the red Sea, by
which the water of the Sea appears red in the shallow parts of it where
that is found.
Over and above these things mentioned, there are in several chests and
boxes, many hundreds of stones of the Sea, plants of the Sea, with
Corall and Coralins, and Alcionums, Concretions of things of a different
nature, and such like, which are omitted for brevity sake: but upon
farther encouragement may be declar'd in time.
III. MINERALS, Stones of strange shape, and things
turned into Stones, with Chrystals and precious Stones.
An Hungarian Rock of vitriol, in the shape of a mans visage.
46
A Rock of Copper and Crystall together.
A Rock of a kinde of Emerauld and Amethist together.
A Rock glittering like Silver.
A Rock of Portugal of a
strange forme
A Rock with Muscle
shells.
A Rock like a bunch of grapes of the Cardinal Richelieu.
A Rock with whole flat shells of a Mountain in Germany.
A Rock of a Quarry of stone near to the City of Franck-ford.
A Rock like a great peece of wax, or rosin.
A Rock of Mosse in stone
belonging to the Emperour Ferdinand the
third.
A Cake in stone, a Rarity that was esteemed very
much by divers persons beyond Seas.
47
A Stone, like the bottom shell of a great Oyster,
but never was one.
A peece of old wood turned to stone, yet reserving
the colour.
A peece of old worme-eaten barke of a tree in Stone.
A peece of old Birch-wood, that appears to have
been chapt off at both ends, turned into stone, yet reserves the true
resemblance and colour of the perfect wood.
A peece of Oaken Wood turned into Jasper, it is
polished on the one side, that the grain of the Wood may appear, and was
sawed off from a peece of Wood like a billet, that a Cardinal had in Rome, for a great Rarity.
A Right Eagle Stone, it is true Calcedonyan stone, but like a lump of Gumme Tragacant; it was the Kings of Marrocco, it is a precious stone that is very Rare: for that King
permits none in his countrey to have any of them but himself, as a token
of his royalty, but yet gives them to eminent persons, as a mark of his
great favour.
48
A great Lapis Ammonis, that did belong to the King
of France.
An other great Lapis Ammonis, coale black.
A Yellow stone like Wax,
that has on it the representation of a vine leaf or flower; it is of a
glittering substance.
A great Triangular Stone, that hath a
representation of trees and bushes.
A great Jasper stone in a frame, it doth represent
a moorish ground with rivers, trees and bushes.
An Extraordinary rare Calcedonian stone in a
frame, it is like a peece of Ice on the ground.
A Marble stone of the river Arno in a frame, the Emperour Ferdinand
the third confessed he never saw a rarer: for it doth represent a bridge
and an old ruinous tower, a tree with the bark, and birds flying in the
Air, it was the great Duke of Florences
Rarity.
49
Another stone picture like an arme of the Sea, with Cottages and a Church
by the waterside.
A very rare Stone picture representing clowdy skyes, and an excellent
rocky Cave Given by the Earl of Pembrook.
An other very fine stone picture like a ruinous town on a hill.
An other stone of the same Nature in a frame.
A very rare stone picture like a City all on fire.
The Master of these
Rarities, had it as a rare thing from the Prince Elector of Cullens hands.
A white stone that does represent a tree, as if it was made by art with a
pen.
Another very rare white Stone that does represent two or three trees also
as if they were drawn with a pen.
A large peece of Ice glasse, but it is something
brittle, and is a kinde of Gipsum.
50
A peece of Crystal, like a town built on a hill,
it is much esteemed by ingenious spirits.
Another peece of Crystal very clear and rare, that
hath in the midst a representation of a mossey figure or statiew, with
the liknesse of 2 hornes on the head; all this
representatiou
representation
is but one, yet it appears to be 3 or 4 by the reflections of
the same natural Crystal.
A peece of European Crystal, very clear.
A peece of East India Crystal.
A peece of West India Crystal.
A peece of Yellow Crystal.
A peece of Sea-green Crystal.
A peece of blewish Crystal.
A peece of bush Crystal.
A peece of wave Crystal.
A peece of frisled Crystal.
51
And divers other sorts or species of Chrystals,
that are not nomianted for brevity sake.
IV. METTALS, MINERALS, &C.
Several sorts of Iron Ore.
Several Lead Ores.
Several Tinne Ores.
Several Copper Ores.
Several Silver Ores.
Several Gold Ores.
Besides Mettals, and Minerals growing something rare, as Lead and Crystal together.
Tinne and Crystal
together.
Iron and Cristal
together.
52
Copper and Crystal
together.
Silver and Crystal
together.
Gold in the midst of a white
stone.
An Iron Bullet in the midst of a Stone.
A Touch stone, and a Metalline substance on the
other side like Copper.
A very strange kind of Mineral, held to be Quicksilver, that is fixed in his mine; for being
burnt it evaporates its self into a stinking vapour like to Quicksilver,
it is something rare; for the master of these Rarities, in his travells
never saw more then two peeces, and this was one of them.
A Flint and Copper grown
together.
Several sorts of Talkes.
Several sorts of Sulphur.
Several sorts of Earths out of Mines.
Several sortsof other Minerals as Cinabaris, Antimonium, Saffor, Murienum, Flores Martis,
and divers other Metals and Minerals and the like.
Precious STONES.
Amethist in the Mine.
53
Granates in the Mine.
A sort of rich Diamond in the Mine.
Chrysolits in the Mine.
Jasper from the Mine.
Lapis Lazuli from the Mine.
Malaguita from the Mine.
Turkeise from the Mine.
Rubies from the Mine.
Vermilions from the Mine.
Emerauld from the Mine.
Hyacinths from the Mine.
And divers other sorts of precious stones and different sorts of
Pearls, for their colours and shapes, with several Toad stones and
Eagle stones and
such like.
A Bohemian Topaz, on a rich pedestal of Ebony.
54
An other rare Topaz, that hath in it a
representation of a forrest, or bushy-hills.
A peece of AmbarAmber, that hath in it a
representation of a rising vapour or Cloud.
Divers other peeces of transparent Amber, that have all something or
other in them, as Flies, Spyders, Ants or the like.
Divers Stones of strange shapes and regular
formes.
Several Lapides
Ammonis, or stones like
Serpents.
Several Glosopetrat, or Tongue stones.
Several stones like unto Cloak buttons.
Several Lapides Lincei.
Several Lapides Judaici.
Lapis Hæmatites of Numidia.
Lapis Nephriticus of India.
Stones like Caps.
Stones like Hearts.
Stones like Starres.
55
Stones like Wheeles of Watches.
Stones like little Pillars.
Stones like Crosses.
Stones like Screws.
Stones like Pease.
Stones like Darts-heads.
Stones square like Dice.
Stones in shape like Tobaco rowls.
Stones with well formed impressions.
A Stone that is hollow and does appear as if it had a hole quite
thorough but it has not.
A Stone like a Dogs tooth.
Agate Stones like the eyes of fishes.
A Stone like a little eare.
A Stone like ones gummes with teeth.
A Stone like the little Toe of ones left foot.
A Stone like the secret parts of a Woman.
Several Stones like unto Sugar plums,
Sweet-meates, March-pane, Sugar-candy, Sugar-cake and the like, and
divers other sorts of stone of the like nature.
56
V. Things of strange Operation.
A Hard white Stone, that if one puts it in the
fire, doth suddenly turn to dust.
Stones that being put into a glasse of water, crack into small peces, so
that one may hear them crackle.
A Stone that if one blows on it, it smells; but if
one does not blow, it will not smell at all; and the harder one blowes,
the stronger it sents.
A Stone that if one puts it on the fire, gives an
excellent smell.
A Stone that is hard and heavy, yet being put in
the water does sent odoriferously like a hat-full of violet flowers.
A good Load-Stone, that is as rare as any other
thing, though common for his sudden attraction of Iron.
A Stone being held in a moist hand, gives 57 a sent
like a nasty hog, and therefore is called the swine
stone.
A peece of Wood as bad for being scraped; and a
little worme, smells like a stinking Jakes.
A peece of Wood being scrapt in a glasse of water,
it makes the water appear of two colours; for if one hold the glasse
betwixt two men, the one will say it is yellow and the other will say
that it is of a darke blew.
A peece of wood that is not heavy, yet sinks suddenly under water.
A stone, so hard, that can it scratch steel, yet being cast in the water
does not sink but swimes on the water.
A Mineral stone, that rubbing of it to a peece of
bright Iron or Steele, turns it suddenly into Copper.
Stones from the West India
that are hard, yet being put in vineger stirs to
and fro, and seemes to creep or go.
Other sorts of Stones that have the like property
of stirring in vineger.
58
But above all these Stones for admiration, is a little stone like a gray
coloured Agate, called by some Oculus Mundi; it
being put in a glasse of clear water, becomes as clear as crystal, and
then taken out, in a little time returnes to its first opacity; this
Rarity was presented to the better adorning of the forementioned
curiosities, by worthy Sr. Francis Peters.
A mineral substance, that being put in a glasse of
wine, makes infinite bubbles like atomes that rises in the middle of the
Wine to the delighting of the beholders.
An other mineral substance, like silke, called Amianthus, and also Asbestos, it being
put in the fire does not consume.
A Crustated Sponge; a little of it dryed and
applyed to ones wrist, makes it to itch for eight dayes together.
A fruit that being stuck on a forke and then held
over a candle, makes a very pleasant fire work.
A Rose of Jerico that is
drawn up together, a little bigger then a tenis ball, and is an hundred
years old.
59
Besides these above mentioned things, there are Chests and Boxes
furnished with many hundreds of Rarities, as several shells, stones,
bones, marcasits, mineralls, fruits, Nutts, excrescences, and such like
things all different in shapes, and operations, and of divers countries,
Their Names and Natures being omitted for to avoid prolixity: But if the
owner of this collection of Rarities does sell them to any Noble minded
party, he then, God willing, will write at large a more ample
declaration to the expressing of each thing in particular, to honour
that vertuous person that shall buy them.
60
A Catalogue of the Names of those Great Princes and
persons of Quality whose Love of Vertue, Learning, and of the admirable
workes of God in Natural Rarities has been shewed by their Bountifull
adding of something to the increase of the forementioned
Collection.
CHARLES the First, King of Great Britaine, France, and Ireland, &c.
CHARLES the Second, King of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland.
Ferdinand the third, Emper. of Germany &c.
Elionora Empresse, &c.
Ferdinand. the fourth, King of the Romans, &c.
Elleonora Queen Dowagere of Sweade, &c.
Christina Queen of Swede,
&c.
John Philips Archbishop of Mentz and Prince Elector, &c.
Charles Lewis Palsgrave of the Rhein and Prince Elector, &c.
John George Prince Elector of Saxony, &c.
Maximilianus Henry Archbishop of Collen and Prince
Elector, &c.
Christian Lewis Duke of Lunemburg and Brunzwich, &c.
61
Frederick Duke of Holstein,
&c.
William Landgrave of Hessen,
Prince of Hersefeild, &c.
Gaston Duke of Orleans,
&c.
Philip Earl of Pembrooke.
Monsieur de Believre Great
Prresident
President
of France.
The Honorable Sr. Thomas Row, His Majesties
Ambassadour to the Great Mogor in India, and also
Embassador to the Emperour of the Turks at Constantinople, and to the Emperour of Germany and also to divers other Kings, Princes and Free
States.
Sr. Thomas Wardner General for the Caribea Islands, and Governour of St. Christophers, and one of the Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber to
King Charles the first.
Sr. Francis Peters a friend to Ingenuity and
Rarities.
Frederick Shink Governour of Selle, and Privy Councellour to the Duke of Brunzwich.
The Learned Petrus Carisius Resident for the King of
Denmark, in the united Provinces.
Sr. Theodore de Mayerne, Physitian to Queen Mother Heneretta Maria.
Esquire Courtine a lover of vertue and Ingenuity.
62
Mr. Povey Treasurer to his Royal Highnesse the Duke of
Yorke.
Dr. Saltzman Physician, and Professor in the
University of Strasburgh.
Dr. Fausius, Professor in the University of Hidelberg.
Dr. Moretus, Professor in Astronomy in the University
of Prague.
Dr. Cornelius van der Lingon Physician in the
University of Utrecht.
Dr. Housewetel, Physician to the King of Sweden, and Cheif Physician in Hamburg.
Dr Bezler Cheif Physician in Nuramberg.
Dr. Brown Physician in Ausburg.
Dr. Dewit, Physician in the Country of Lief-land.
Dr. Eastgate, Physician in Poplar.
Mr. Thornton Chaplain to the
Righ
Right
Honorable Earl of Bedford.
Mr. Cornelius Middlegest, Clerk to the Company of the
Royal Adventurers of England Trading into Africa
FINIS.