Tales of animals, comprising quadrupeds, birds, fishes, reptiles and insects / by Peter Parley ; with numerous engravings on wood.

  • Parley, Peter.
Date:
1837
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Tales of animals, comprising quadrupeds, birds, fishes, reptiles and insects / by Peter Parley ; with numerous engravings on wood. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    his face between the bars; the Lion, in a moment, made a bound, leaped against the bars, patted him with his paws, licked his hands and face, and trembled with pleasure. The female also ran to him ; but the Lion drove her back, and seemed angry; and, fearful that she should snatch any favours from Felix, a quarrel was about, to take place , but Felix entered the cage to pacify them. Fie caressed them by turns; and was afterwards frequently seen betwixt them. He had so great a command over these animals, that whenever he wished them to separate and retire to their cages, he had only to give the order; when he had a desire that they should lie down, and show strangers their paws, or throats, on the least sign they would throw themselves on their backs, hold up their paws one after another, open their throats, and, as a recompense, obtain the favour of licking his hand. I will give you an account which has often been cited as a proof that the Lion is grateful for acts of kindness. In the days of ancient Rome, about two thousand years ago, a Roman governor treated one of his slaves or subjects, called Androcles, so cruelly that he ran away. To escape pur- suit he fled to a desert and crept into a cave. What was his horror to find that this cave was a Lion’s den, and to see a large Lion approach him ! He expected instantly to be destroyed; but the Lion, on the contrary, approached Androcles, holding up his paw or foot with a supplicating air. Androcles examined the Lion’s paw, and found a thorn in it; he drew out the thorn, and the Lion, appa- rently relieved, fawned upon his benefactor as a dog does upon his master. After some time Androcles ventured back to the place where he lived before. He was soon discovered, and, being taken up as a runaway slave, was condemned to be the prey of a wild beast. He was accordingly thrown into a place where a large Lion, recently caught, was let in upon him. The Lion came bounding toward Androcles,