Lions Eating Apes as a Cure for Illness
At least two natural histories of the period, Edward Topsell’s The historie of foure-footed beastes (1607) and Philemon Holland’s translation of Pliny’s The historie of the world (1601, 1634, and 1635), discuss the medicinal use of apes for lions. According to these writers, lions would either eat apes whole or drink their blood in order to heal from disease. Topsell refers to classical authorities in his margins, such as Claudius Aelianus (whose “On the Characteristics of Animals, an unsystematic collection of largely paradoxical animal stories, was a major source of Byzantine zoological lore used by writers in many genres”; Alexander P. Kazhdan, The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium, Oxford University Press, 2005, Oxford Reference Online).
Of the Ape
A Lyon ruleth the beasts of the earth, and a Dolphin the beasts of the sea, when the Dolphin is in age and sicknes, she recouereth by eating a sea-ape: and so the Lyon by eating an ape of the earth, and therefore the Egiptians paint a Lyon eating an ape, to signifie, a sicke man curing himselfe. The hart of an ape sod [i.e., soaked] and dried, whereof the weight of a groat drunk in a draught of stale Hunny, sod in water, called Mellicraton, strengthneth the heart, emboldneth it, and driueth away the pulse and pusillanimity thereof: shapeneth ones vnderstanding, and is souereigne against the falling euill.
Of the Lyon
They eate also Apes, but more for Phisicke then for nourishment … And in his best estate he is afflicted with a quartan Ague, euen then when he seemeth to bee in health, and except this disease, did restraine his violence and mallice by weakning of his body, he would be farre more hurtful to mankind then he is: and this is to be vnderstood, in the summer time he falleth into this disease sometimes at the sight of a man, & is cured by the bloud of dogs, according to Albertus and Physioligus, when he feeleth himselfe sick, throgh aboundance of meat, he faleth a vomiting, either by the strength of nature, or else helpeth himselfe by eating a kind of grasse, or green corne in the blade, or else rapes [i.e., turnip-like plants], and if none of these preuaile, then he fasteth, and eateth no more till he find ease, or else if hee can meete with an Ape, he deuoureth and eateth his flesh, and this is the principall remedy and medicine, which hee receiueth against all his diseases, both in youth and age, and when he groweth old, being no more able to hunt Harts, Boares, and such beasts, he exerciseth his whole strength in the hunting, and taking of Apes, whereupon he liueth totally. [Topsell then repeats his parallel from his chapter “Of the Ape,” quoted above, between the dolphin and lion in eating apes.]
Pliny’s description of lions eating apes:
The Lion is neuer sicke but of the peeuishnesse of his stomacke, loathing all meat: and then the way to cure him is to ty vnto him certaine shee Apes, which with their wanton mocking and making mowes [i.e., grimacing derisively] at him, may moue his patience, and driue him for the very indignitie of their malapert saucinesse, into a fit of madnesse; and then so soone as he hath tasted their bloud he is perfectly wel again: and this is the only help.