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THE WORK OF ULISSE ALDROVANDI

NOBLEMAN OF BOLOGNA original: "Patritii Bonon." — Aldrovandi was a member of the prominent Aldrovandi family in Bologna.

THE HISTORIES

OF SERPENTS AND DRAGONS.

First Book.

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THE REASONING OF THE ORDER. Aldrovandi here explains the methodology and organizational logic he used to categorize these creatures.

Aristotle, the prince of philosophers and our common teacher, correctly left it written in his history of animals that serpents are to be counted among those living creatures endowed with blood. Therefore, we have judged it not at all foreign to reason that, after having fully described the history of all quadrupeds four-footed animals, we should now commit the nature and habits of serpents and dragons to written records with all possible diligence. We do this not only so that we might adorn this work on irrational animals with a crowning touch to our immense labor, but also because the nature of some quadrupeds is so wicked and destructive to man that armed men are forced to go hunting for them (as was recently published in the final volume on quadrupeds with toes digitorum quadrupedum This refers to Aldrovandi's previous volume classifying animals by their feet/toes). Indeed, the habits of serpents are so harmful and so contrary to human nature—for they do injury with both teeth and venom—that to overcome and kill them, it is not merely a "hunt" that must be undertaken, but sometimes a formidable battle.

For we read in the histories of the Indians Likely referring to classical accounts of India by authors such as Megasthenes or reports from Alexander the Great's campaigns that when hunters set out to conquer snakes of immense magnitude, they first appoint a leader whose commands the others must obey. They station scouts in watchtowers, provoke the enemy, set hidden snares, and send infantry ahead through the thickets; they fortify the open fields and level places with wings of cavalry. Finally, they signal the capture and victory with the blare of trumpets and the noise of horns.

Therefore, we have decided to divide this History of Dragons and Serpents into two classes. In the first, we shall discuss those commonly called "serpents" which lack feet, as these are better known. In the second class, we shall speak of the great serpents, which sometimes even possess feet, and are called "Dragons." This is despite the fact that distinguished non proletarij literally "not of the common sort"; referring to high-ranking or scholarly authorities authors often seem to confuse these names "Dragon" and "Serpent" with one another, as will become manifest in the progress of this work.