|
[28] Tertium est genus eorum, qui uri appellantur. Hi
sunt magnitudine paulo infra elephantos, specie et colore et
figura tauri. Magna vis eorum est et magna velocitas, neque homini
neque ferae quam conspexerunt parcunt. Hos studiose foveis captos
interficiunt. Hoc se labore durant adulescentes atque hoc genere
venationis exercent, et qui plurimos ex his interfecerunt, relatis
in publicum cornibus, quae sint testimonio, magnam ferunt laudem.
Sed adsuescere ad homines et mansuefieri ne parvuli quidem excepti
possunt. Amplitudo cornuum et figura et species multum a nostrorum
boum cornibus differt. Haec studiose conquisita ab labris argento
circumcludunt atque in amplissimis epulis pro poculis utuntur. |
[28] The third kind is that of animals named aurochs.
Their size is not much lesser than those of elephants, and as
to look, colour and structure they look like bulls. They have
a great strenght and speed and they don't fear men or wild animals
as they meet them. The Germans kill aurochs trapping them in
hollows they dig for this purpose; adulescents mould themselves
by this work and train to this kind of hunting, and those who
succeed in catching many aurochs, showing the horns in public
as a proof, receive many praises. But aurochs can't get accustomed
to man or become tame, neither if catched when calves. Their
horns are very different from our cattle's by width, shape and
look and are carefully sought: their brinks are rimmed with silver
to be used as cups in the grandest banquets. |
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created: June
28th 2004 and last updated:
June
30th 2010