History of Monsters 573

was run through. Image II shows the creature just as we found it in the public museum.

There has also been no shortage of animal offspring born with human feet, or sometimes with the feet of various other types of creatures. Jacob Rueff recounts that in France, a mare covered by a stag gave birth to a foal with the hind legs and feet of a deer; this animal was later presented as a gift to the King of France by its owner. Similarly, the same author mentions a foal born in Switzerland to a mare impregnated by a bull; it had horse-like feet, but the rest of its body was much like a bull. We state this with confidence primarily because Giambattista della Porta, in his *Natural Magic*, cited Gesner’s account of a horse sired by a bull and a mare seen at the foot of Mount Splügen in Rhaetia.

Authors typically call an animal bred from a bull and a mare a "Hippobos." For this reason, I have chosen to publish an illustration of this beast born with monstrous feet—which might rightly be called "horn-footed." Indeed, in the formation of this creature's feet, Nature seemingly intended to produce both solid-hoofed and cloven-hoofed features, resulting in a monstrous shape, as depicted in Image III. It is shown alongside coltsfoot (*farfara*), a plant which botanists call "horse-hoof."

Having discussed these terrifying feet, I do not wish to overlook a cat born with horrific feet in the year 1554. Lycosthenes records in his *Chronicle* that he kept a very fertile domestic cat at his home in Basel. After she reached eight years of age, she began to produce mostly monstrous offspring and, contrary to the nature of other mothers, began to devour the kittens she had birthed. Among the other kittens from a single litter, one was found with two horrific feet that were coiled almost into a spiral, as shown in Image IV.

Pliny, writing about the horse of the Dictator Julius Caesar—which is said to have allowed no rider but Caesar himself—noted that it had front feet similar to human feet. With these words, Pliny described a horse that was more monstrous than it was an omen. Suetonius also recorded a description of this horse in these words: "C. Julius Caesar rode a remarkable horse with feet that were almost human, having split hooves that looked like toes. It was born in his own stables and raised with great care, as the soothsayers had declared it a sign that its master would rule the world." This horse is shown in Figure V.

Nor should this seem strange to anyone, since in July 1629, in the territory of Padua near the town of Monteortone, in a villa called Amolaradiena, a cat was seen with human legs. According to the account of the illustrious Licetus, the animal dragged these legs behind its hindquarters. The monster was brought to the city of Padua and eventually thrown into the river. This occurred after the wife of a certain ox-herd in the aforementioned villa, having given birth to a perfectly healthy boy, then brought forth this horrific monster.

One must also mention a monster horrific for the variety of its feet, captured in 1531 in the territory of the Bishop of Salzburg, specifically in the forest called Amesberg. According to Lycosthenes, it was a quadruped with a nearly human head, bearded and crested, with the hind feet of an eagle and front feet like a lion's. It had a dog's tail and a tawny body leaning toward yellow. Possessing an unusual ferocity, it fled from humans and sought out hiding places. However, since it could neither be forced nor enticed to eat, it died a few days later. Its likeness is Image VI.

Many learned men, such as Paré, attribute the causes of these monsters to the varied and promiscuous mixing of different species, which results in the birth of creatures that are half-human and half-beast. They argue that an equal deformity is produced in the offspring if beasts of different kinds mate. Consequently, they vent their wonder and anger at men who, fearing neither God nor the laws, debase themselves to the point of believing there is no difference between themselves and cattle, daring to mingle with them. Nevertheless, we should not entirely embrace this opinion. According to Aristotle, it is impossible for offspring to be born from the mating of animals that differ significantly in species, body temperature, and gestation period. Therefore, we must seek other natural causes.

Thus, the Philosopher left written in his *Problems* that monsters sometimes arise from corrupt seed; however, by "corrupt seed," he did not mean seed that was entirely putrefied