Part 54 (1/2)

Cap. lx.x.xiij.

[Sidenote: Siren. Siren is like an eagle below, sings sweet songs to mariners, and tears them to pieces.]

++Syrene, the mermayde is a dedely beste that bringeth a man gladly to dethe / frome the nauyll vp she is lyke a woman w{i}t{h} a dredfull face / a long slymye here, a grete body, & is lyke the egle i{n} the nether parte / haui{n}ge fete and tale{n}tis to tear asonder suche as she geteth / her tayl is sealed like a fisshe / and she singeth a maner of swete song, and therwith deceyueth many a G.o.de mariner / for wha{n} they here it, they fall on slepe co{m}monly / & than she co{m}meth, and draweth them out of the s.h.i.+ppe, and tereth them asonder / they bere their yo{n}ges in their armes, & geue them souke of their papis whiche be very grete, ha{n}ginge at their brestis / but {th}e wyse maryners stoppe their eares whan they se her / for whan she playth on the wat{er}, all they be in fear, & than they cast out an empty to{n}ne to let her play w{i}t{h} it tyll they be past her / this is specifyed of the{m} {tha}t haue sene it. Ther be also in

[Sidenote: +Sirens, serpents.+]

some places of arabye, serp{n}tis named sirenes, that ronne faster than an horse, & haue wynges to flye.

[Cap. lx.x.xv.]

[Sidenote: Solaris.]

++Solaris is a fishe so named because it is gladly be the londes syde in the so{n}ne / he hathe a great hede, a wyde mouth, & a blake skine, & slipper as an ele / it waxeth gret, & is G.o.de

[Sidenote: _Sole._]

to be eten. Solea is the sole, that is a swete fisshe and holsom for seke people.

Cap. lx.x.xvi.

[Sidenote: Solopendria.]

++Solope{n}dria is a fisshe / whan he hathe swalowed i{n} an angle, than he spueth out al his guttes till he be quyt of

[Sidenote: Sea-Scorpion.]

the hoke / and than he gadereth i{n} all his guttes agayne. The[A]

Scorpion of the see is so named because wha{n} he is taken in any mannys handes he p.r.i.c.keth him w{i}t{h} his stinge of his tayle. Plini{us} saith that the dede creuyce that layeth on the drye sonde be the see syde, beco{m}meth scorpyons.

[Text note: [A _orig._ Tge]]

Cap. lx.x.xix.

[Sidenote: _Sturgeon._ Eats no food, has no mouth, grows fat on east wind. Has no bones in his body.]

++Sturio / the sturgio{n} is a gret fisshe in the ro{n}ninge waters / and he taketh no fode i{n} his body, but lyueth of {th}e styl and swete ayres therfore he hathe a small bely / w{i}t{h} a hede and no mouthe, but vnder his throte he hathe a hole {tha}t he closeth whan he wyll / he openeth it whan it is fayre weder / & with an east wynde he waxeth fat / and whan that the north winde bloweth, than falleth he to the grou{n}de / it is a fisshe of ix. fote longe whan he is ful growen / he hath whyte swete flesshe & yolow fatte / & he hathe no bone in all his body but only in his hede.

Cap. xcij.

[Sidenote: _Tench._]