History of Monsters. 627

bers than is necessary, it is very rare for them to be born in the wombs of animals that produce a single offspring. Instead, they occur more frequently in those animals that have numerous births, and especially among birds. Hens, in particular, are prolific in producing monstrous offspring, as they produce a great number of young—not only because they breed frequently, like pigeons, but also because they always carry many potential births within them. Consequently, many doubled fetuses are brought forth; the embryos fuse due to their close proximity, and monstrous chicks—like those shown in the accompanying illustrations—often emerge from the eggs. This does not happen only in chicks, however, because the fetuses of other animals also fuse in the womb, and many of their members adhere, resulting in deformity. Thus, we might rightly sing with Lucretius:

Some reft of feet, or widowed of their hands, Many found mouthless, blind without a face, Or bound by the fusion of limbs throughout the body.

HUMAN MONSTERS that are single in their lower parts and doubled in their upper parts.

Since the preceding section presented monsters with a single head but doubled in their lower parts, it now remains, and seems logically consistent, to review here those monsters that are the opposite: namely, those that have duplicated upper parts but terminate in a single lower body.

First of all, Saint Augustine mentions a monster of this kind, which was later recounted by Petrus Crinitus in his work *On Honest Discipline*. This was a boy born in the town of Emmaus during the reign of Emperor Theodosius; he was single as far as the navel but doubled in his upper parts, possessing four arms, four hands, and two heads. Paulus Diaconus, writing about the Emperor, noted that after the death of Theodosius, a similar birth occurred that was perfectly formed up to the navel and thereafter doubled in the upper part, having two heads, two chests, and four arms. Indeed, while one of them was awake, the other fetus slept, and they frequently performed different actions in turn. Furthermore, according to Saint Jerome, another monster of this kind is said to have been born at Lydda at the same time, which was composed of two heads, four arms, and two feet.

Likewise, Albertus Magnus, in his commentaries on Aristotle, mentions a certain two-bodied monster that was single in its lower parts. And Cardanus, in his commentaries on Hippocrates, made it known that a monster lived in Egypt until its fourth year which was doubled as far as the navel, while the lower parts represented only a single boy.

Additionally, George Buchanan, the chronicler of Scottish affairs, as reported by Camerarius, recorded that a monster was born in Scotland which, below the navel, did not differ from the common human form, representing the appearance of a male, but all its members were doubled above the navel. The King of Scotland saw to it that it was raised and educated in various languages, and particularly in music, in which it made wonderful progress—so much so that it sang melodiously to the great admiration of all.

There were two other remarkable things about this monster: first, that these heads often quarreled with one another; and second, that when the lower parts were injured, both bodies felt the pain, but if any of the upper parts were injured, the sensation of pain was felt by only one of the bodies. The reason for this effect is not far to seek: for the upper parts of the monster were distinct from one another, whereas the lower parts were seen to be common to both bodies. Hence, the nerves that impart sensation to the limbs, since in the legs for both