Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1854-10-13
Jt!i5rGllaaruus.
Credulity Of the Ancients.

III udlS VI lpiti NilSu LoDlp-tC di
establishments were not, the wisdom
of our ancestors. struggling through
the mists of the ignorance ages,
could not prevent them from believ-
ing strange thing, aid setting them
forth TO the world in all simplicity,
finding credence for the most won
derful assertions IN the eager mind $
Of the cravers after knowledge -
What would the youngest visllant OF
the Surrey, or the Regents Park,
say, to be told that his flexible and
familiar friend the elephant, who
kneels down that he may mount TO
the pavilion on his hack, has no joints !
And yet, Aristotle, Diodorus, Stra-
DO, Cassiodorus, and many other
learned Thebans, with ancient hon
ored names, believed this to be the
case, aud thus expressed their con
victlon:
"The elephant, having no joints,
is obliged TO sleep standing; the
hunters, therefore, cut the trees a
cross against which the animal leans,
as being once down, he cannot rise
again. No sooner does this animal
hear pig erunt than he takes to
flight ia the utmost terror"
Elian asserts thai he had seen an
elephan, write letter; and another
sage declares that he had heard him
speak One could almost believe
either acts of our sagacious friend,
bu, still we are forced To siipulate
for an all-bui.
A horse and pigeon werr beliey-
ed to have no gall, but Piuy is caught
tripping when, after this, he goes on
TO say that the gall Of horse is poi
son As for the pigeon it was
thought profate TO disbelieve this
omission Of nature in favor OF bird
which bad been chosen as symbol
of all that was pure, gentle and ho-
ly.
With respect to our old friend the
badger, he is described by no less a
philosopher than Albcrtus Magnns,
as having his legs shorter on one side
than on the olher-allliough, he adds,
despairIHgly, II is impossible TO prove
il Aldrovandas, who agrees IN the
poor badgers detective formation,
inserts Il saving clause by remarking
this inequality (Which would make
HIN more splendid than badger is)
cannot be observed he also doubts
that the bear produces her cubs with
out form and void, and begins i'm
ncdiately 10 lick them into shape, al
though such was the received opln-
ion IN his day. | hardly dare TO trust
myself 10 talk about singing swans,
which were said 10 become melodi-
Gus Just before their death, and
thought 10y some naturalis,s to have
very good voices at all times, but TO
sing IN places where no one could
hear them. Aldroynndus tells his
world that the swans on the banks of
the Thames sing beautifully. Has
any one on a swan-hopping expedi-
ton ever heard them The same
! authors relate that the peacock is al
ways uneasy in his mind about the
ugliness Of his feet, and screams
when he looks at them. This super
; siition has been useful to the poets
OF the East, who introduce The fact
into their verses, adding that the de-
fornity arose from The peacock hav-
ing made friends with the serpent in
Eden, and combined with the enc
my OF mankind against our first pa
. rents. Storks were generally believ-
: ed to inhabit only free countries, be.
+ ing thorough republicans in their pol
!. itics.
Ia the matter Of the basilisk, sala.
. mander and phenlx, although ac-
knowledged TO be rare creatures, they
> were believed 90 exist as well as ser
!, penis having head at eacl. end bul
q ,hay seem 10 have been abandoned al
!. mere hierogly phlcs or chemical es-
/. sences a, an early period. The vol
was very mysterious beast in days
+, Of yore, lending his shape TO witch
. es and wizards, who found pIeasur,
in roaming about in bis skin. Who
ever came upon a wolf unawares
and was seen first by the animal, be-
came Immediately dumb; as many ,
classic poet has told us. without men