Un-natural history; or Myths of ancient science; being a collection of curious tracts on the basilisk, unicorn, phoenix, behemoth or leviathan, dragon, ... homines caudati, &c. now first tr. from

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1886 edition. Excerpt: ... Dragon as distinguished from the false. The following are his words:--III. The creature is called the Dragon, not from its shape, but from its hurtful nature. It is a long and thin animal, while the true Sea Dragon is quite different. There is a dried specimen in France of this shape, and without feet, but furnished with bat's wings. Its head is serrated, and its crest comes to a peak on its head. It has a flexible tail, two feet in length, and bristling with prickles. The skin is like that of a skate." We also meet with a "Dragon" among the catalogue of plants. Old vine-shoots which have borne the brunt of many years are called ' Dragons' from their knotted appearance. See Pliny, bk. XVII., chap. 22., Nat. Hist., and compare Scaliger Exerc. 169., page 2. I shall not now speak of the dracunculus. We have now to refer to the mountain which bears the name of Dragon. We shall be brief. It is situated in Asia near Imolus. Imolus lies in Cadmus. Pliny should be consulted, bk. V., chap. 29. These meanings are, however, all foreign to the present discussion. Our present purpose is to speak of the Serpent of this name, and to describe it. We shall now proceed to this. IV. The different names of the Dragon are as follows:--In Hebrew "tanin" means a Dragon, but it also means a Whale. Derivation of the Greek "Drakon." We have to notice how the Greek termination "on" becomes "o" in Latin. It is quite a usual change. Thus Leon becomes leo; Dion, Dio; Lacon, Laco. The Dragon is called the King of Serpents, as the Regulus is the King of the smaller kinds of Serpents. That the Dragon should be called a Winged Serpent is neither a new fact nor a remarkable one. I shall give a reason for it further on. It is known to some as the "ringed" and "large"...