|
Edward Topsell (''circa'' 1572 – 1625) was an English cleric and author best remembered for his bestiary. Topsell was born and educated in Sevenoaks, Kent.〔The householder, or, perfect man: preached in three sermons (1610).〕 He attended Christ's College, Cambridge, earned his B.A. and probably an M.A., as well, before beginning a career in the Church of England. He served as the first rector of East Hoathly, and subsequently became the perpetual curate of St. Botolph's in Aldersgate (1604). He was the author of books on religious and moral themes, including ''The Reward of Religion'' (1596) and ''Time's Lamentation'' (1599), among others. Topsell's ''The History of Four-footed Beasts'' (1607) and ''The History of Serpents'' (1608), both published by William Jaggard, were reprinted together as ''The History of Four-Footed Beasts and Serpents'' in 1658. An 1100-page treatise on zoology, Topsell's work repeats ancient and fantastic legends about actual animals, as well as reports of mythical animals. Topsell, not a naturalist himself, relied on earlier authorities, most notably the ''Historiae animalium'' of the Swiss scholar Conrad Gessner. "I would not have the Reader," Topsell writes, "... imagine I have ... related all that is ever said of these Beasts, but only () is said by many." Topsell's work is remembered chiefly for its detailed and vigorous illustrations, including the famous image known as ''Dürer's Rhinoceros''. The illustrations have been widely reproduced in many contexts, and Topsell's bestiary has been reprinted in various modern editions, usually in greatly reduced form. ==Superstitions about actual animals== Topsell, repeating ancient legends, assigns exotic attributes to actual animals. He writes, for example, that: *Weasels give birth through their ears. *Lemmings graze in the clouds. *Elephants worship the sun and the moon and become pregnant by chewing on mandrake. *Apes are terrified of snails. Of the procreation of mice, Topsell writes, it "is not only by copulation, but also nature worketh wonderfully in ingenduring them by earth." 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Edward Topsell」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|