In prioribus tribus Ursinus[1] Herculem Aesculapio ad aram sacrificare putat, dum dextra pateram libatoriam exhibeat: sed forte eiusmodi iudicium ex quarto numo desumit, in quo, ut diximus, apertissima Herculis imago est, cum tauro dimicantis. Nam ubi ex professo de populorum istorum colonia, et rebus gestis scribit, secus sentire videtur, dum ab altera numismatum parte in bigis Apollini sagittario Galeoten filium, aut Empedoclem, aut Herculem latus existimat claudere. Scribit autem in haec verba: Urbi stagnum, sive aestuarium imminebat, quod aestate quum pestilentem ob Solis ardorem, aerem exalaret, civitati {pernitiosissimum} <perniciosissimum> erat, cumque pestilitas[2] ob eam causam crassando evulgaretur, Empedocles Agrigentinus sapientia clarus, ut {Selinotinis} <Selinusiis/Selinuntiis> remedium afferret, derivata ex {Selinonte} <Selinunte>, et Hypsa fluminibus, fossa, et unico alveo, ac maximo impetu utriusque fluvii aquis in stagnum irrumpentibus quum pigras prius, limo torpescentes, salsas stagni aquas motu copiaque dulcium aquarum diluisset, civitatem suo ingenio, et sumptibus ab ea lue liberavit; quo beneficio meritus est, ut {Selinontini} <Selinusii/Selinuntii> tanquam civium liberatori, alterique velut Aesculapio divinos honores tribuerent. Hinc forsitan in {Selinontinorum} <Selinuntiorum> numismatibus sacra faciente aut Empedocle, aut Hercule Alexicaco Gallus, et Parias serpens ad aras Aesculapii adsculpitur: ad haec num in altera numismatum parte in curribus Apollini Sagittario, Galeotes filius, aut Empedocles, an denique Hercules latus claudat, liberam cuique coniecturam, et opinionem relinquo. Haec itaque Ursinus opinionis suae, ut vides, incertus. Quod si mihi meum interponere liceat iudicium, putarim Empedoclis imaginem esse, et Aesculapii vice cultum illum fuisse ob allatam causam.

Fulvio Orsini thinks that on the first three coins he is Hercules who at the altar is sacrificing to Aesculapius while with right hand shows the libation cup: but perhaps he infers such a supposition from the fourth coin on which, as we said, there is a more than evident portrait of Hercules fighting with the bull. For when he writes clearly about the colony and the deeds of these populations, he seems to think otherwise, when according to the other side of the coins he reckons that on two-horse chariots beside Apollo bowman there are his son Galeotes, or Empedocles, or Hercules. For he writes by using these words: Nearby the city there was a pond or a lagoon, which in summer, when it was stinking out the air because of the heat of the sun, was extremely deadly for the population, and since for such a reason the pestilence - the malaria - was spreading by growing always heavier, Empedocles of Agrigentum, renowned for his intelligence, in order to help the inhabitants of Selinus, after he dug a ditch starting from the rivers Selinus and Hypsas – today Belice, and after by only a river-bed and the very impetuous waters of both rivers storming into the pond he diluted the salty waters formerly lazy and stagnant in the mud through the use of the movement and the abundance of the sweet waters, he rescued the population from that scourge by his ingeniousness and at his own expense, and because of this help he earned that Selinus' inhabitants gave him divine honors as though he were the liberator of the citizens and a second Aesculapius. Hence perhaps in the coins of Selinus inhabitants nearby the altars of Aesculapius is represented the rooster and the snake parias - the Coluber of Aesculapius - while Empedocles or Hercules Evils-driver-out are making sacred rites: on this subject I leave to anyone the freedom of hypothesis and opinion whether on the other side of the coins on chariots beside Apollo bowman there is his son Galeotes or Empedocles, or lastly Hercules. These are therefore the words of Fulvio Orsini who, as you can see, is uncertain about his own opinion. If I am allowed to interpolate my point of view, I would think that the figure is that of Empedocles, and that this has been a cult instead of that for Aesculapius because of the produced reasons.

In {Tianensium} <Tyanorum> quodam numo etiam Gallus conspicitur erectae figurae ceu cucu<r>ritum edens, cui supra cristam granum tritici, et a tergo astrum: ante talis inscriptio: {ΤΙΑΝΟ} <ΤΥΑΝΩΝ>. Ab altera parte Martis caput galeratum. Credendum ergo Gallum in tali numo expressisse, quoniam Martis ales est, et granum tritici fertilitatis ex agricultura symbolum esse. Quod ad stellam attinet, quae pariter in aliquot aliis vicinorum populorum numis conspicitur, nonnulli eo referendum putant, quod magna Graecia prius Hesperia dicta sit: Hesperum itaque sive vesperuginem (quam Venerem non sine ratione quidam opinati sunt) his nummis exprimi.

In a coin of the inhabitants of Tyana there is a standing straight rooster as crowing, on whose comb there is a grain of wheat and at its back a star: on the recto there is this inscription: tyanøn. On the verso there is the helmeted head of Mars. Therefore we have to think that they represented the rooster in this coin since it is the bird of Mars, and according to the agriculture the grain of wheat is a symbol of fertility. As far as the star is concerned, which likewise can be observed on some other coins of neighboring peoples, some think it must be referred to the fact that earlier Magna Graecia has been called Hesperia: therefore on these coins is represented Hesperus or Evening Star (which some not without reason has thought to be Venus).

Calenorum item duo visuntur numismata Galli imaginem ferentia, quorum primum, quod aereum est, ab uno latere sex pilas habet sine inscriptione, ab altero Gallum erectum cum inscriptione ΚΑΛΕΝΩ. Alterum pariter aereum ab una caput galeratae Minervae, ab altera Gallum cum astro a tergo, et inscriptione ante pectus ϹΑΛΕΝΩ. Reperitur quoddam Antonini {pii} <Pii> Augusti numisma, in quo tribus Gallis totidem simulacra velut abblandiri videntur, quod ad mansuetissimum Antonini ingenium spectare crediderim, ut qui pugnacitatem commitigare procuraret, omnemque belli ferociam, quanto posset studio emolliret, utpote qui mallet vivum civem servare, quam mille hostes interficere solusque omnium principum sine civili sanguine, et hostili etiam, quantum ad se pertineret, viveret. Denique Suessanorum numo, ut inscriptio indicat, Gallus est erectae staturae cum Phosphoro a tergo stella addita.

Likewise two coins of Cales' inhabitants can be seen carrying the figure of a rooster, the first coin, made of bronze, on one side without any inscription has six pillars, on the other side a standing straight rooster with the inscription kalenø. The other coin, also of bronze, on one side carries the helmeted head of Minerva, on the other side a rooster with a star behind him and the inscription calenø in front of his breast. A coin of the emperor Antoninus Pius can be found, on which it seems that three roosters are such as caressed by as many figures, a thing which I would be inclined to believe as referred to the very meek character of Antoninus, being a person who tried to lessen the aggressiveness and with the greatest care as possible he tried to soothe every kind of fierceness during a war, since he was a person who preferred to keep alive a citizen rather than to kill a thousand enemies, and as far as he was concerned he was the only one among all the sovereigns trying to live without any shedding of citizens blood, also of enemies. Finally on a coin of Suessa Aurunca inhabitants, as the inscription is pointing out, there is a rooster standing straight with the addition behind him of the star Lucifer.

Sed quispiam fortassis brevitatis studiosus orationem nostram nimis crevisse accuset, ac nonnulla superflue a nobis allata historiae amplificandae gratia effudisse dicat: cui equidem responsum velim, nihil, quod scimus hic allatum esse, quod terminos nostros egrediatur, hoc est, quod vel ad Galli, vel Gallinae historiam non pertineat. Etsi enim nonnulla de ovis dicantur, quae quispiam nimium superstitiosus, aut ardelio non in Gallinae tantum, sed in aliarum etiam avium ovis locum habere obijciat, is scito Gallinae ova in omnibus orbis partibus ut principem locum obtinentia, quotidie in manibus omnium versari, et in usum cedere, non item ita alia. Cum itaque ab ovis plurimi, ac diversi cum ad esum, tum ad medicinam usus percipiantur, cur non hic potius, quam alibi nobis erat dicendum?

But perhaps someone, supporter of brevity, could level the accusation that our discourse increased too much, and he could say that some things we reported as an extra in order to widen the search have swollen: in truth I would like to reply to him that, as far as I know, nothing reported here goes out of our boundaries, that is, since it would not be pertaining to the search about rooster or hen. For although some things regarding eggs are said, things which someone too much haughty or meddlesome could object as fitting not only hen eggs, but also those of other birds, this fellow has to know that hen's eggs everywhere in the world have the first place, that daily are in the hands of everybody and that are used, and that the other ones don't behave likewise. Then since from the eggs many and various uses are drawn both from a feeding and a therapeutic point of view, why should I not speak of them here rather then elsewhere?

Ne tamen posthac legentium benevolentia, atque humanitate abutamur, itaque hic nunc vela contrahimus, et ad describendas Gallorum Gallinarumve diversas aliquot species nos accingimus. Cum vero multae volucres eaeque exoticae Gallinaceo generi non annumerentur duntaxat, sed eodem etiam nomine fruantur, adiecto solummodo distinctionis gratia patriae cognomine, itaque in descriptione earum ordinem hunc nobis servare placuit, ut de eis, quae cum vulgaribus nostris villaticis maiorem gerunt similitudinem exordiremur, post vero subnecteremus eas, quae magis ab illis discreparent, ne quid intactum a nobis relinquatur. Maiorem autem similitudinem cum nostratibus habent, quae calcaribus armantur, quibus exoticarum maior pars caret. Quapropter Turcicas vix in peregrinis habeo. Etenim parum a nostris differunt. Persicae quoque calcaria habent, sed cauda carent.

Nevertheless I don't have to take advantage hereafter of readers kindness and mercifulness, and therefore now I furl the sails and I get ready to describe some different varieties of roosters and hens. But since quite a lot of birds and furthermore exotic are not only numbered among gallinaceous genus, but also enjoy the same name, with the addition of only the name of the origin’s place used for the sake of making a distinction, therefore I thought it proper to keep in their description the following order, that is, I would like to begin with those having a greater similarity to our common country subjects, then I would like to follow them with the most different ones, so that on my behalf nothing is remaining unexamined. They have a greater resemblance to our subjects those armed with spurs, in which is lacking the greater number of exotic subjects. Therefore I hardly put the Turks among the exotic ones. For they little differ from our chickens. Also Persian chickens have spurs, but they lack tail.