The Digital Ark: Early Modern Collections of Curiosities in England and Scotland, 1580-1700

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Marcus Valerius Martialis (38-41 - 101-104)

Alias Martial

Hispanic poet working in Rome in the first century AD. Dictionary of National Biography entry: http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198606413.001.0001/acref-9780198606413-e-3987?rskey=TJgbtV&result=1 Other biography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martial Relationships: Marcus Valerius Martialis was a associate or acquaintance (general) of Domitian (24 Oct 51-18 Sep 96)

Marcus Cocceius Nerva (35-28 Jan 98) was a associate or acquaintance (general) of Marcus Valerius Martialis
References in Documents:
Grew, Musaeum Regalis (1685)

The SKIN of a young RHINOCEROS, composed indifferently to the shape of the Animal. In the Description whereof Jacobus Bontius (b) (b) Histor. Nat. Ind. Orient. comes the nearest to the truth. Yet is he very short and defective. To whose therefore, as far as may be by this Skin, I shall add a better.

'Tis a yard long, and almost a foot over; his head nine inches long, almost eight over at the top. His Snout broadish, as in a Calf. His Eyes little, as those of a Hog, about ¼ of an inch long. They stand low, not much more than three inches above his Nose end. His Ears also like a Hogs. His Legs, as of the Hippopotamus, rateably short; about ten inches long. His Tail, five and ½; flat, as that of the Castor; but not so broad, near the Buttocks an inch and ½, at the end ½ an inch.

The said Skin is every where thick, and very hard; excepting only his Ears which are softer, and extream thin. It hath about ten Plicæ or Folds; two under the nether Jaw, one on the Breast, in the figure of the letter V, on the Neck one on each side, one between the Shoulders semicircular, on the Back two transversly extended to the bottom of the sides, with two more strait ones, carry'd obliquely on the Buttocks.

The lower part of the Forehead and Snout cover'd with a kind of hard Crust. His Ears naked and smooth. All the other parts rough with round scaly Crusts; on the Back, Sides, and Belly, lesser, near a ¼ of an inch over; on the nether Chap and Shoulders, bigger; on his Buttocks and Legs, the biggest, about ½ an inch over. His Hair is black, short, and fine. So few, that there are not many more than scales or shells; growing for the most part, out of the centre of the shell; so that he is almost naked. His Dock is also naked on both sides, but on the edges there grows a considerable quantity of longer and thicker Hair. The Animal being very young, had no Horn, nor so much as any sign of it.

The Rhinoceros, says Bontius, (a) (a) Histor. Nat. is near as big as an Elephant, saving that he is not so tall. He will lick a Man to death, (b)(b) Ibid. by raking away the flesh to the Bone with his rough and sharp Tongue.

In Piso's Figure, which he hath added to Bontius's Description, and which, he saith, was taken from the life, the Eyes are placed very low, as they are also in this Skin. But the Cloven-Feet, in the same Picture, I find not here: peradventure, the Skin not being well taken off the Feet.

In the time of Domitian the Emperour, there was one so big, as to toss not only a Bear, but a Bull upon his Horn. (c) (c) Mart. Epigr. 22. & Epigr. 9. lib. 1. But what Martial means, speaking of the Rhinoceros, Namq; gravem gemino Cornu sic extulis Ursum, &c.

I do not well understand. The Figure given by Piso, as above, represents but one Horn only. Neither doth Bontius (who saith he hath seen great numbers of them both in houses and in the woods) describe or mention any more than one Horn, And those who do speak of another, yet make it a very small one, and not over against the other, but on the forepart of his back, and so in a place where it is immoveable, and can no way be made use of for the tossing up of any thing, as the other on his Nose.

The Rhinoceros breeds not in India, (d) (d) Linschot p. 88. but in Bengala and Patane, where they much frequent the River Ganges.