Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1885-10-22
ILLUsTRIOUS CRANKS.
Remarkable Traits Exhibited by Great
Men-Iiats, Apes, Pigs, Hens and
Other Curious Pets.


Other Curious Pets.
The attachment which some men
have formed for animals of various
kinds is an amusing subject When
philosophers have had neither wife nor
children they have taken to dogs,
horses, serpents, birds, and even spi-
ders. -'
Goethe rarely passed day without
bringing out from the chimney-corner
a live snake which he kept there, and
he carcssed it like bosom friend.
Tiberius, u Roman emperor, also
made an intimate companion of SER
pent, which he trained to take food
out of his hand.
Augustus was exceedingly fond of a
parrot, but still more so of quail, the
loss of which made him as sad as if he
had lost battle.
Honorius, another Roman emperor,
was so grieved at the loss of favorite
hen named Roma that he would will
ingly have given Rome itself to bring
it back; but Alaric had taken Rome.
The Emperor Domitian occupied his
leisure in catching flies.
Louis XI., when i'll in Plessis-le-
Tours, only found pleasure in an ex-
hibition of dancing pigs, oddly dressed
up, which were trained for his special
entertainment.
Richter was very fond of tame ami
mails, which he constantly had about
him. Sometimes mouse, then n great
white cross spider, which he kept in
paper box with glass top. There
was a little door beneath, by which he
could feed his prisoner with dead flies.
In the autumn he collected his winter
food for his little tree-frog and his tame
spider. "How l wish," he wrote once
to his friend Otto, "that you could
have met me in the street or in the
Harmony. Then you would have seen
my little squirrel upon my shoulder,
who bites no longer"
Next to his money, Rembrandt loved
nothing so much as his monkey. He
was one day painting a picture of a
noble family, when the news was
brought to him of his apes death. He
could scarcely contain his grief, and
lamented his unhappy lot. Sobbing
and crying, he forthwith began define
ating the form of the ape upon the
family picture. They demonstrated
with him, and protested that an ape
was quite out of place in the company
of such distinguished personages. The
family were most indignant, and order
ed him to efface the traces of the ami
NAL. But he continued to weep, and
went on painting his ape. The head
of the family demanded to know wheth-
er it was his portrait or that of mon
key which Rembrandt was pretending
to delineate. "It is the portrait of d
monkey" said Rembrandt. Then
you may keep the picture. i" Il think
SC" said the painter. And the picture
still survives.
Henry LII. of France was so foolish
ly fond of spaniels that he used to car
ry litter of them in basket suspend
ed round his neck when giving his audi
ences. His passion for these animals
cost him on the average not less than
100,00 crowns year.
Charles l. Of England was also very
fond of spaniels, and the breed of his
dogs is still famous in this country.
Frederick the Great was also great
dog-fancier. eI
The painter Razzi formed friendships
with all sorts of animals, and he filled
his house with squirrels, monkeys,
Augora cats, dwarfs, asses, he goats,
and Elba ponies. Besides these, he
had an enormous raven, who gravely
strobe about among the other animals
as if he were the exhibitor of this Noah's
ark. When anyone knocked ut the
door the raven called "Come in!'' in
loud voice. 0,
Poisson, confined in the Bastille,
made friend Of spider, which he
tanned. The jailer, one day, seeing
Poisson take pleasure in contemplating
the insect, crushed it under his foot,
and left the prisoner distressed and
melancholy at the loss of his friend.
Latude. in the same prison, made
companions OF some six-and-twenty
rats who inhabited his cell. He gave
each of them name; and they learned
to come to him at his call. He fed
them, played with them, and they thus
greatly relieved tho ennui of his cap
tivity.
But Latude only made friends of rats
from necessity. The Marquis de Mon
tespan, in perfect freedom of choice,
had. the extraordinary taste to amuse
himself with mice when occupying the
igilded apartments of Versailles. True,
the mice were white, and had been
brought to him all the way from Siberia;
but the, taste was q most odd one, nev-
ertheless. Aha& sR E&@bEs ~
Cardinal Mazarin, the French minis
ter, employed his leisure in playing
with an ape, and Cardinal Richelieu
amused him with his collection of cats.
The poet Altieri was proud of his
horses, and took great delight in fond
ling and caressing them. '1s
Cowper was at no time so happy as
when feeding his tame hares. o ,Gale4
There are other historic names asso-.
ciated with pet animals, among which
may be named the vulture Of Semira-
mis-, the butterfly Of Virgil, the star
ling of Nero, the ape of Commodus, the
sparrow Of Heliogabalus, and the dove
of Mohammed.
I'D r d.