then of the female:  his tongue is very litle, and so farre in his mouth, that it cannot be seene:  of all beastes they are most gentle and tractable, for by many sundry wayes they are taught, and doe vnderstand:  insomuch that they learne to doe due honor to a king, and are quick sense and sharpenesse of wit.  When the male hath once seasoned the female, he neuer after toucheth her.  The male Elephant liueth two hundreth yeeres, or at the least one hundred and twentie:  the female almost as long, but the floure of their age is but threescore yeres, as some write.  They cannot suffer winter or cold:  they loue riuers, and will often go into them vp to the snout, wherewith they blow and snuffe, and play in the water:  but swimme they cannot, for the weight of their bodies.  Plinie and Soline write, that they vse none adulterie.  If they happen to meete with a man in wildernesse being out of the way, gently they wil go before him, and bring him into the plaine way.  Ioyned in battel, they haue no small respect vnto them that be wounded:  for they bring them that are hurt or weary into the middle of the army to be defended:  they are made tame by drinking the iuise of barley. [Sidenote:  Debate between the Elephant and the Dragon.] They haue continual warre against Dragons, which desire their blood, because it is very cold:  and therefore the Dragon lying awaite as the Elephant passeth by, windeth his taile (being of exceeding length) about the hinder legs of the Elephant, and so staying him, thrusteth his head into his tronke and exhausteth his breath, or else biteth him in the eare, whereunto he cannot reach with his tronke, and when the Elephant waxeth faint, he falleth downe on the serpent, being now full of blood, and with the poise of his body breaketh him:  so that his owne blood with the blood of the Elephant runneth out of him mingled together, which being colde, is congealed into that substance which the Apothecaries call Sanguis Draconis, (that is) Dragons blood, otherwise called Cinnabaris, although there be an other kinde of Cinnabaris, commonly called Cinoper or Vermilion, which the Painters vse in certaine colours.

[Sidenote:  Three kinds of Elephants.] They are also of three kinds, as of the Marshes, the plaines, and the mountaines, no lesse differing in conditions.  Philostratus writeth, that as much as the Elephant of Libya in bignes passeth the horse of Nysea, so much doe the Elephants of India exceed them of Libya:  for the Elephants of India, some haue bene seene of the height of nine cubits:  the other do so greatly feare these, that they dare not abide the sight of them.  Of the Indian Elephants onely the males haue tuskes, but of them of Ethiopia and Libya both kindes are tusked:  they are of diuers heights, as of twelue, thirteene, and fourteene dodrants, euery dodrant being a measure of nine inches.  Some write that an Elephant is bigger then three wilde Oxen or Buffes.  They of India are black, or of the colour of a mouse, but they of Ethiope or Guinea are browne:  the hide or skinne of them all is very hard, and without haire or bristles:  their eares are two dodrants broad, and their eyes very litle.  Our men saw one drinking at a riuer in Guinea, as they sailed into the land.